BTC-Day 4

66 miles to Gunnison. The actual distance was 93 miles up to Crested Butte, but our hotel was in Gunnison, so why bother suffering another 27miles and then having to turn around and head back down. It turned out to be a smart choice.

We were greeted once again by a strong, and by that I mean, 9mph going downhill headwind for the first part of the ride. It was just brutal in every sense of the word. A line of riders snaked up the road as far as the eye could see, each fighting his/her own battle with the elements and the mind. The thought of getting off the bike crossed my mind once, but then I decided to play a new game, "guess the wind speed". My friend David came up with 25mph gusting up to 30mph and I believed him.



My friend Dave and I enjoying the ride


Once we hit the first proper climb, the wind died down and I settled into a nice rhythm and spent the best part of the next 42 minutes going up, passing people and giving some encouragement to those who needed. Again, the Colorado State Patrol made sure that no 18 wheelers, campers or cars got to close for comfort and it was appreciated.


Today's dowhill sections were more to my liking, and I'm very happy with my new Descente Bobby J jacket, the thing is worth every penny. Retails for $200, but I picked it up at PricePoint for $85, shipping included. It's waterproof, but I don't want to test that part of the jacket. It did keep me warm and if there's something to say negative about it is that taking it off while on the bike is not recommended, at least that would be my advise.

Here are some pics of the week so far.




The Panamanian clan (dad, me and Teve)




Our pack going downhill



Dave and Teve after a good day on the saddle