Optimal is a good word, a word meaning “good”, and a good word to describe the ride today. A constant descent over 58 miles, slanted sedimentary canyon walls, clear skies, a helicopter, dipping hands in the powerful Colorado River, trees lining the ridges towering a thousand or two feet up, the works.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 58.5
Elevation: +1689’/-2761’
General Direction: Roll onto U.S. 6 and follow for 7.1 miles, from there begin the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Trail in Gypsum, exit the trail onto Linden St. at Glenwood Springs, and at mile 34.2, merge onto I-70 West for five miles, take the exit at Chacra and follow U.S. 6 to Rifle, turn right onto Hospital Hill Road at mile 57.5, and take a handful of local streets to reach the stayover.
Points of Interest: Colorado River, Glenwood Canyon, Glenwood Canyon Recreation Trail, Rocky Mountains
Tales of the Trail
Our new U.S. 34 at this point, U.S. 6, the same road we used to climb over the Divide, continued to be our home for the day, save for one of the most amazing and ludicrously gorgeous trails we will ride this summer: the weaving Glenwood Canyon Recreation Trail. For over 20 miles, this path took us along the edge of the Colorado River and threaded through the concrete megastructure of the I-70 freeway. Another complimentary mashup between the natural and the manmade, it allowed us to enjoy the river itself, sometimes thrashing powerfully and sometimes seemingly still (sometimes both of these right near each other), and the brilliant and colorful canyon walls. “Wow”s and “woah”s could be heard from all ride groups for the duration of this trail. Not even a series of gates prevented us from cycling on it (due to high water that wasn’t there . . .), and in one case we even had to hand our bikes around the edge of a gate over the riverbank twenty feet below and scoot on our stomachs under or climb over the gate itself. That moment in particular made for an epic photo-op and diversion down a concrete boat ramp to the bank, and allowed riders to dip their hands (and heads) into the river.
Nabeel and Jaylen with Glenwood Canyon.
Sam R, Hanna, Kathryn, and Jean zip between the pylons.
Quick stop for a close up look at the Colorado.
Getting through the gate pt. 1.
Getting through the gate pt. 2.
Our lunch stop was at an Arby’s just before one of the very rare interstate segments of the ride due to no other way to cross that section of canyon. This five mile stretch on I-70, despite our nervousness (it was completely optional, those who didn’t ride were shuttled), ended up being mostly calm, save for a lot of debris in the shoulder. From there, things began to heat up and wind roared between the mountainsides against us as we finished out the day on a busy U.S. 6. A final climb took us into Rifle and to our stayover at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Nabeel, Emily, and Jon approaching Glenwood Springs.
Another day, another flat.
Gas station kitty!
Hanna, our master chef, made a scrumptious dinner of sweet and sour spare ribs and rice, a recipe from cooking with her grandfather who inspired her to cook and to whom we dedicated the ride today. Afterward, we took the van to Moma’s Artisanal Ice Cream which combined southeast Asian rolled ice cream with Latin American flavor; truly an epic treat. Tomorrow will take us a hopefully swift 42 miles to reach our last stayover in Colorado: Meeker.
Our chef team at work.
The result.
(More) ice cream at Moma’s.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Jaylen Patel
How are you today? Feeling great! Entering Week 6 of the trip, still feeling optimistic, motivated, and excited for this next segment of exploring the mountains, national parks, and a few states I haven't visited. Today was one of my favorite days of the ride. We got to explore the Glenwood Canyon Recreational Trail under I-70 and along the Colorado River. It was beautiful to see the greenery of the White River National Forest, the red rocks of the canyon, ride along I-70 for a brief stretch, and even our quick and creative solution to bypassing a closed gate on the bike path.
In your opinion, what makes a good I4K teammate? Someone who is patient, can compartmentalize the tough experiences, assumes responsibility even when no one is looking or asks them to, and who helps others uncover the best versions of themselves on and off the ride. This can be accomplished by riding with different people each day, sitting next to someone different at dinner, cracking a joke while ascending a mountain, showing someone how to make a creative PB&J, helping make dinner, or even asking someone how their day was before falling asleep in our sleeping bag. The everyday, un-glamorized moments that have the most vivid impact on how one contributes to the team and treats others.
I would say my main impact on this team has been sharing our story with stayover hosts, local restaurants and community centers, individuals we meet on the road whether at a coffee shop or gas station, and helping our team recognize that everyone on it has a story to tell about why they are doing this that’s worth listening to, and that there is something to learn from everybody.
Where was the best ice cream you’ve had so far? Yuma, Colorado. Salted caramel Oreo half pint shared with JB and Edward at Farmhouse Market. Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.
How have you improved in handling the bike during the ride? Coming into the ride, I wouldn’t have considered myself the most experienced rider but I’m also not completely new to exploring towns and cities by bike. The most I had ever ridden before I4K was from Schaumburg to the lake, which was 45 miles, and the longest before the ride began was one of the training rides at around 80. Week 1 was certainly going to be a huge wake-up call in terms of meeting expectations and fulfilling what I had set out to do and promised others. The way I keep myself going every day is by stretching daily, keeping up with dietary supplements and vitamins (turmeric-protein-collagen shake), avoiding late night snacking, digital detox, journaling every day, calling friends and family, and most importantly, clearing and reseting my mind to only focus on the day in front of me rather than a trip that still has 2000 miles left. The physical parts are certainly challenging, but it is a mental battle you overcome each day. If I can enjoy the little things along the route with the team, and still feel motivated each day after the recovery routine, then that’s how I know I’ve improved as a cyclist and done what two months ago I would have considered almost impossible. In order to do unprecedented things on the bike, you must do unprecedented things to keep your mind balanced, energized, and focused.
If you could snapshot one favorite or at least special sight, place, or moment in your mind that you’ve experienced on the bike, what would it be, where was it, and on what ride day? Loveland Pass on our ride from Idaho Springs to Frisco. The first thing that caught my mind was the vast cycling community from everywhere between Boulder, Denver, and the ski towns. All three are almost all connected by bike infrastructure that goes around, through, and on top of mountains, and I think it’s really amazing that on a Saturday morning at 6 AM you can see cyclists in every single town you pass through whether doing it for a race, leisure, or for a cause. Secondly, we were ascending to the highest elevation point of the ride, and it was a tremendous feat for the entire team to have all the training rides pay off, fundraising pay off, and to take something that seemed so difficult in a short amount of time ago and finally be able to celebrate that as a team in that moment. We were then able to enjoy a lengthy and speedy descent down from the mountain into the first few ski towns, followed by a view overlooking the beautiful landscape surrounding our next city.
In ten words or less, how will you remember this ride when we complete it? A snapshot of the triumphs and challenges across the U.S.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
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