Distance: 45 miles
Terrain: Steep hills and switchbacks
Despite the low mileage, we still had an early wakeup due to the amount of programming for the day. I woke up, got my stuff ready, and only walked by the front door to realize just how cold it was outside. I didn't even open it...just walked by. Well, it didn't disappoint us. As soon as we stepped outside, teeth were chattering.
Dustin, the pro cyclist I was assigned to ride with, didn't show up right away, so Michael Brooks and me took off feeling relieved. It was still freezing cold, though. For about 10 miles it was the kind of cold that numbed your fingers and made it hard to even move your gears. When I say it was freezing, I mean that it was freezing when we were standing still. Add that to moving at 20 mph with wind in your face and you're frostbite on a bicycle. However, as soon as we started climbing Lookout Mountain, it got hot - fast. Brooks and I took off our cold weather gear and flagged down a van to stow it all.
When we got to the top of Lookout, Dustin was waiting for us. We took some pictures of the amazing view of the city and then went on our way. Dustin made the hairpin turns look like cake, taking them at a pretty decent pace. I think I went below 5 on a lot of them, which is about 2mph slower than what I average going uphill. I was squeezing my brakes for so long that straightening out my fingers after the downhill was like breaking a crab leg.
Keeping up with Dustin wasn't easy, but I managed to, and it was a lot of fun to ride with a pro. When we finished riding, we met up with the TransAmerica route outside of Sports Authority Field - the Denver Broncos' football stadium. We all headed in and got to go on the field to see "Welcome Journey of Hope" written on the big screen. It was really cool to be on the field! After that we met back at our bikes for lunch, and a Pi Alpha had sponsored Chipotle. I used to walk away from a Chipotle burrito in a food coma. After JOH beginning, I could probably eat two.
We had some free time and then headed to the Colorado Rockies game. We all sat together in the center field seats - pretty much nosebleeds, but it was still a lot of fun. Kyle Marpe and I went out of our way to get on the jumbotron to no avail. I guess our dance moves didn't suffice. Later on we walked around town and wasted some time exploring Denver. It's an awesome city with a lot to do. I keep telling myself that I wouldn't mind living here.
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