Today started out as a bright sunny morning with mild temperatures. We started a gradual climb but after about 5 miles or so, a pretty strong headwind kicked in. By that time, the climbing became much steeper as we began to climb up to 8,734 feet before the day would end. This was also day 2 of riding the same route as the Bike Tour of Colorado. The riders on the bike tour were not as agressive as they were yesterday, mainly because the climb slowed them down as well. I talked to several riders as we climbed, most of them were curious about what we were doing. Our Sag stop was located at the top of the first big climb about 27 miles into the ride. I was out of water when we reached it. I drank a whole bottle after I got there. The ride down was through a canyon lined with trees and high rock walls. It was spectacular!! The second climb was not as long but it was high. When we started down the other side, we could see a lake in the valley below. It was a long ride down, pretty refreshing after the long hot climb. A couple of us stopped for lunch at a marina about 12 miles from town. It was very nice. We picked up a nice tailwind for our last 12 miles of the day along the lake and finally into Gunnison.
Tomorrow we reach the Rockies and climb over at Monarch Pass. 11,300 feet or so. Then it is all down hill to the Missippi River!!!
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