"86 miles and approximately 3200 feet of climbing. Kudos to RTR for keeping people off of 160 for much of the day. Hwy 160 is a major east west road with heavy traffic and minimal scenery (especially near Durango). The route choosen is safer, more scenic, and just plain a lot of fun. No passes today, but you will go through the burn area from a few years back. It will be interesting to see how the plants and trees are taking hold again. You will still have a nice healthy climb out of Durango as you head east, and in fact, it will be the steepest climb of the day and will last a few miles as you summit the ridge surrounding Durango. Expect a 15 mile climb from the start and, once you peak, it will be a 3 mile descent to Columbus (nice and steep for some speed). From Columbus to Arboles you will have a more or less 40 mile downhill run to the Navajo State Park and Navajo Resv. The rest of the day will be climbing at a fairly easy pace (1% to 3%) with a few steeper rollers built in, but the scenery is fine and you realy won't mind the climb much at all. A nice descent will great you as you approach Pagosa Springs.
Take it easy today. Use the day as a recovery ride. You have the most daunting days behind you, but you still have two passes to go. Eat well and drink (water or sport drinks) frequently." For the original, click Route description.
The morning started out cool and pretty. Early on in the ride (before the first rest stop), there were lots of riders strung out on the road, riding single file except when passing. The Colorado Highway Patrol were doing there usual great job of monitoring the roads. Most of the cars were courteous and gave us a wide berth as they passed. There was one car--a Saab convertible that came around us going WAY TOO fast (probably too fast with no bicycles). When we got the first rest stop, he was pulled over and having a conversation with several troopers. Apparently he had been buzzing riders, some of whom called the CHP and said they would sign witness statements about the driver. I hope he got the book thrown at him. His (sexist assumption) driving was very dangerous.
The ride out of the Durango was through beautiful farm country in a Colorado mountain valley.
We gained 1,000 feet in the first 15 miles, and then had a long (40 mile) mostly downhill into Arboles.The road was long, mostly straight, and while pretty, was not spectacular. So, not a lot of pictures were taken.
As you can see from the route, we rode south so we were nearly in New Mexico. Apparently, many people chose to ride 160 cutting off many miles on the day. They only cheated themselves of the full experience.
The last 30 miles or so were a gradual climb that never got too bad, but was a climb nevertheless. Luckily, the wind had picked up as the day went on and was mostly at our backs, making it easier than it could have been. Plus, I had my super domestique (luke) to break the wind for me. It also got pretty warm so it was important to drink, eat, and use LOTS of sunscreen.
It was nice to ride into Pagosa Springs and set up camp. Pagosa is a very nice town. It would be a fun place to spend a few days. At the food tent, the local bike club was selling T-shirts that read something like, "I rode Wolf Creek Pass". They should have been in Alamosa after the next day. I probably would have bought one after the fact. More about Wolf Creek Pass in the next post.
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