Best of luck to all the riders out there. I have an immense amount of respect for the amount of work and dedication it takes just to toe the line, let alone finish. I can't wait to hear all of your stories. I'm not sure if this is the right place for this post (hell, I just became a forum member today), but this is a small part of my experience of the CTR as support crew/head cheerleader to Long Ranger.
I didn't hear an alarm go off. Is he already up?
Squuuueeeeeaaaaak! A high pitched-squeaking noise fills my small carriage house apartment. It stops. I close my eyes.
Squuuueeeeeaaaaak! The dog, stretched out across the foot of the bed, lifts his head to inspect the horrible noise from below. His head falls and he sighs, dismissing whatever Justin is doing downstairs. I pull on a pair of bibs, a pair of contacts and look at the clock.
2:30 a.m. Why am I awake?
Squeeeeeeeaaaaaak!!!!Justin, what is that noise?What do YOU think it is?, he calls out, almost gleefully.
How the eff is he so effing chipper right now?
Squuuueeeeeaaaaak! Dog status: snoring.
Hillary status: looking for coffee.
Justin status: bounding off the walls.
A flat tire is good luck, right?Where's the coffee?Is your tire patch kit easily accessible?In my seatbag. Dog status: Nosing food bowl.
Can you wrap those burritos in foil?I put them back in the microwave. Justin loads the bikes in the car while I'm figuring out how to open the cabinet door.
Dog status: concerned.
Did you see a Cliff Bar? It's my breakfast.You can have some of my burrito!!! Exclaims a very excited man-kid from the front of my CRV.
You need to eat those. I'm not riding to Durango. You need them. But you're still my girlfriend.I didn't think I could smile that much or that wide at 3:00 am. I get in the car with a tired, goofy grin. We pull out onto South Broadway and a few inebriated patrons stumble back to their beds from reveling all night at the Underground Music Showcase. It's Saturday and most of Denver, or at least my neighborhood, is drunk.
We listen to the Pixies and Ramones as we head southwest towards Waterton. Justin babbles, I wait for the coffee to kick in. Eventually, we get to the trailhead where we meet up with the other southbounder, Mike D. Two loaded down bikepacking types and this girl only burdened by a 34:20 gear ratio amble up up Waterton Canyon Road, but not before the obligatory photo shoot.
(Sorry Mike D for not uploading the group shot! I don't have it hosted online yet.)
At the singletrack we say our goodbyes and I watch as Justin quickly pulls away from me. I watch his light gain switchback after switchback. After losing his beacon for a while, I call with my bell. No reply. The silence of the forest felt a little sad and lonely, knowing he was already moving well ahead of me. I settle into the climb and listen to the world wake up. I'm far from a morning person; however, this is one of my favorite parts of backpacking.
Limited by the amount of water I brought with me, I ride along until about 6:00 am and turn back down canyon. Man, that descent is a giggle.
Light spills into the canyon allowing me full vantage of what we climbed up earlier this morning.
I weave through throngs of runners along the road back to my car. The parking lot is damned near full at 7:20 am. I load up my bike and get in my car. My body is painfully aware of the lack of movement. I feel heavy, tired. My body wants to fall asleep as I am making my way back downtown. I think of how it must feel to know you've only had two hours of sleep and still need to ride to Durango. I wonder who's luckier; me headed back to bed or Justin, headed to Durango. Justin. Definitely.
Home. I take out my contacts and crawl into bed. I don't bother showering, I can wash the sheets later.
Dog status: sleeping.
