Trail Ridge Road

Sunday I started the Bicycle Tour of Colorado's week long ride with a 60 mile ride on Peak to Peak highway from Central City to Estes Park.  The first time I've ever ridden in Colorado.  The climbs are demanding and the scenery breathtaking.  I felt a sense of accomplishment from the first day's ride.  This tour is pretty disorganized, but my strategy is to go with the flow and enjoy the riding, scenery and camaraderie.

I managed to arrive in Estes Park in time to set up my tent before the afternoon rainstorm.  At dinner we were advised that the Park Service might not allow us to use Trail Ridge Road to pass through the summit in Rocky National Park on Monday.  The alternative would be to ride back to Central City and be bussed to Granby, the planned day two destination.  Later we were told an announcement would be made on the Park Service's decision at 5:00 am.  The climb from Estes Park HS where we stayed to the peak on Trail Ridge Road goes from 7,500 feet to 12,100 feet over 29 miles.  I was looking forward to the challenge and hoping the Park Service would allow access.
The 5:00 announcement came at 5:15 and was of a postponement to 6:15 of the announcement.  A couple of more postponements later and the announcement came.  There was a possibility the road would be opened.  At 8:00 we were allowed to begin riding up  the mountain.  If the road was not opened, we would ride back down the mountain to Estes Park and be bussed to Granby.   You don't want to be around when bicyclists are threatened with separation from their machines.
We rode up to the first rest stop only to be held there because there were too many cyclists were already at the second rest stop waiting for the road to open.  Eventually we were allowed, in groups of 50 to proceed up to the second rest stop.  Along the way we  passed the snow line and felt the air chill significantly.  There we refueled and awaited word on the possibility of opening the road.   Many riders became discouraged and cold and rode back down the mountain to get in line for the shuttles to Granby.  I thought that this would be my one and only chance to ride Trail Ridge Road and so, despite the dire warnings of snow and rain and cold and poor visibility and possible icing conditions, I decided to wait for the chance  to make the ride.

At noon, my patience was "rewarded".  We were allowed, in groups of fifty to begin the final six miles of climbing to the peak.  The climb was bracing.  The temperature dropped, the wind picked up  and echos of warnings played inside my head.  Still, this was a grand adventure made all the more appealing by the anticipation, dangers and shared nature of the event.

As we climbed, the snow along the roadside continued to get deeper, the winds rose and it began snowing.  When we reached the top, the wind seemed to be coming from all directions, the snow was coming down harder and blowing off the snow pack, which was over our heads on one side of the road.  We reached the visitor center which was open, but unstaffed.  I decided to continue on because I was cold and wanted to get off the mountain before conditions worsened.  Once I started to ride downhill, the snow changed to hail, then sleet, blew horizontally and coated my glasses.  My thought was to get down the mountain as fast as possible so the rain would abate and the temperature rise below the snow line.
The rain picked up and wind criss-crossed as the road wound down the mountain.  Still no sign of the snow line.  I tried to wipe my glasses in an almost futile effort to see ahead.  

Failing clarity, I decided to follow a rider in high visibility yellow down the mountain.  He wasn't going fast enough for me.  When another rider came by, I began to follow him at 20-21 miles per hour, as fast as I dared, and faster than most.  I feathered both brakes and could feel the sand grinding my rims. My fingers were cold, wet and tired from gripping the brakes.  But they were all that kept me from running off into the woods.  Gradually the rain moderated as did the angle of descent, I increased my speed to 25-27 mph.  Still, the snow field, cold and rain persisted.  Then suddenly I heard someone yelling, "Good job!  You made it."  I was very happy to be at the rest stop where we were ushered into running cars with heaters going full blast.  After fifteen minutes of shivering, warming up and eating, I got back on the bike and pedaled the  last 17 miles into Granby.  It was a great adventure.  Not one I would choose knowing all the travails that transpired.  But still I'm glad I had the experience and will remember the ride as an epic event.  I've talked to other riders who made it over top and almost universally they feel the same way.  Others were stopped at the visitor center and driven down the mountain.  Eventually all riders made it into Granby with various stories to tell.  No one was seriously injured.  And all have a story from the day.  How they choose to regard it is up to them.  For me this day will be recalled fondly.