I very much enjoyed the Courage Classic. I liked the social aspect of the ride. You could ride as fast or slow as you wanted. It was a nice change from competitive events. I also liked riding for cause, specifically to raise money for Children's Hospital. While donations are typically made before the ride, donations can be given until August 31st. If you would like to make a donation to my ride, you can do so at the following site: http://www.couragetours.com/2009/rdh
The Courage Classic involved three days of riding. On the first day, I rode with a group that include three other Dorsey attorneys: Charlene, Steve and Matt. We were joined by Charlene's fiance Dave and their friends Carlos Sr. and Carlos Jr. We started at Leadville and headed towards Copper Mountain via Vail.
The ride started out with a slight downhill, which was a nice warm up. Soon we were climbing the first pass of the day, Tennessee Pass. This was not too bad as the elevation change is relatively small when riding from Leadville towards Vail. We stopped at the first aid station, which was at the top of Tennessee Pass. The aid stations throughout the ride were superb. Not only did each one have water and Gatorade, they also had bananas, oranges, mini bagels, peanut butter, fig newtons, trail mix, granola bars, and cookies.
After refueling, we descended towards Battle Mountain. Steve, Charlene and Dave quickly dropped me on the descent. They also dropped Matt when he pulled over to put on a jacket. As we approached the bottom of the descent, Matt caught up with me. He raced ahead to catch up with Steve, Charlene, and Dave. I jumped onto his wheel. I was soon regretting that decision since Matt is a strong rider. I was barely staying with him and thinking so much for a comfortable ride. It seemed like forever before we caught up with others just before the climb to Battle Mountain. I was thankful to see them since I couldn't have stayed with Matt much longer.
We started as a group climbing Battle Mountain. In a pattern that would repeat itself, Steve and Matt, who are both very good climbers, soon dropped Dave, Charlene and me. The three of us climbed together to the top of Battle Mountain. At the top, Steve and Matt were waiting. We joined them to take a short break and enjoy the view.
Group Picture at Top of Battle Mountain
After a brief rest at Battle Mountain, we descended towards Vail. Steve and Charlene led the descent. I tried to stay close to them but lost some distance when I had some trouble passing some riders around a tight corner. As the route flattened out, I rode hard to catch up. I eventually rejoined them. Soon Matt caught up with us. Dave also caught up with us as we turned onto the bike path from Minturn to Vail. We rode at a social pace to the aid station at Vail, where we stopped for lunch.
The lunch at Vail was also superb. There was sandwiches (turkey, roast beef or veggie), fruit, potato chips, soup, cookies, candy, ice cream, water, gatorade, and soda. I tried not to eat too much since Vail Pass was still ahead. After taking about a forty-five minute break, we got back on the bikes and headed towards Vail Pass. This part of the ride was hot as the sun was out. We got a good pace line going and steadily passed other riders until I lost my jacket and had to turn around to get it. The rest of group slowed down so that I could catch up with them. Dave told me that I owed the group a round of beers, which I still need to make good on.
As we approached the aid station at the "bottom of Vail Pass," the road began to get noticeably steeper. Steve and Matt again took off. I tried staying with them. As we went through the aid station, I was thankful that we decided to stop. As I got off the bike, I realized that I would probably bonk very badly if I tried to stay with Matt and Steve on the climb to Vail Pass as both were much stronger climbers than me.
At the aid station, we regrouped and headed off again. Soon, Matt and Steve had dropped Charlene, Dave and me. They slowed down to let us catch-up but soon had left us again. We would not see them again until we reached the aid station at Vail Pass. As we rode, Charlene warned me about this crazy uphill that came after a short descend. She was not kidding as I almost did not have a gear that I could turn to get up the hill. Thankfully, the steep part of this section was short.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, I could see the aid station. At the entrance to the aid station, they had hung a banner which read "King of the Mountains." There were also volunteers ringing cowbells. This was a nice touch. At the rest stop, we regrouped and headed out towards Copper Mountain. There was a short climb followed by a welcomed downhill on a bike path that ended at Copper Mountain.
Coming into the Finish Line
Brenda was waiting at the finish line. I was happy to see her. We stuck around at the finish and had an adult beverage with the group, which was a great ending to a fun day of riding.
Matt and Steve relaxing after the ride
Charlene and Steve
