July 2nd — Gunnison, CO to Cotopaxi, CO — 91 miles This day was going to include a climb I have been waiting for since the start: Crossing the continental divide over Monarch Mountain, the highest point of the ride. The elevation at Monarch Pass is 11,312 ft. so this was my biggest test regarding altitude and grade.
We left early, around 6 a.m., to get to the base of the mountain in the morning. Once I started the climb, I was feely lousy for some reason. Maybe the heat was affecting me. I am really not sure, but I was light headed and basically somewhat "cranky" as my wife put it. I thought, okay, the altitude is getting to me; I tried not to think about it as I climbed into higher altitude. I felt better as we went higher, and eventually I think the excitement of reaching the summit charged me as I got closer. The grade was around 7% for 10 miles or so, and as I reached the summit, I had a feeling of accomplishment I hadn’t felt since I left a few weeks ago. With a big smile on my face I reached the top at around 11 a.m., and we all celebrated with a gondola ride to top of Monarch Mountain for a view of the Rockies and to stand directly on top of the continental divide itself. 8 hours on the bike today.
We left early, around 6 a.m., to get to the base of the mountain in the morning. Once I started the climb, I was feely lousy for some reason. Maybe the heat was affecting me. I am really not sure, but I was light headed and basically somewhat "cranky" as my wife put it. I thought, okay, the altitude is getting to me; I tried not to think about it as I climbed into higher altitude. I felt better as we went higher, and eventually I think the excitement of reaching the summit charged me as I got closer. The grade was around 7% for 10 miles or so, and as I reached the summit, I had a feeling of accomplishment I hadn’t felt since I left a few weeks ago. With a big smile on my face I reached the top at around 11 a.m., and we all celebrated with a gondola ride to top of Monarch Mountain for a view of the Rockies and to stand directly on top of the continental divide itself. 8 hours on the bike today.
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