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| Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River |
Miles ridden today: 68.3
Elevation gain: 3,087 feet
Time in saddle: 4 hours, 25 mins
Total miles ridden: 427.22
Total elevation gain: 26,936 feet
Total time in saddle: 35 hours, 0 mins
According to the early route
map provided by Ride the Rockies, today looked like the easiest of the seven
days of riding – almost all down hill. And
to a certain extent it was: 40 miles of descent heading south out of Salida
which I covered quickly. It was a beautiful ride that followed the Arkansas
River and I averaged 20 mph.
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| Skyline Drive |
What everyone failed to
mention were the two incredibly steep hills towards the end of the day’s riding. The first led from the valley floor to above
the Royal Gorge Bridge, a climb of almost 1,000 feet in about 2 miles. The Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge, spanning the Arkansas River, at a height of 956 feet!
The second was a shorter but similarly steep
ride to a narrow sliver of road above Cañon City, known as Skyline Drive, a
road just wide enough for a single car that hugs a spectacular ridge top.
While both of these short
climbs taxed the legs and the mental drive, both led to incredible views. I
stopped several times for photo opportunities – and to catch my breath! I had
never visited either place before and both are stunning.
The good news is that today was a relatively short and
speedy day and I rolled into Cañon City just after noon. My bike needed a little first aid on its
gears at the hands of the capable technicians that follow the ride and it
should be in good shape for tomorrow, the seventh and last day of Ride the
Rockies.
It looks like a tough day ahead – there’s a reason, I’m guessing, that it’s called Hardscrabble Pass!
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| Early morning light |
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| Views from US 50 south of Salida |
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| Along the Arkansas |
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| Crossing Royal Gorge Bridge |
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| That's me, on the bridge |
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| Looking down at the river and the train, 956 feet below my feet! |
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| A nice reward on our last night: Cheyenne Mountain Resort |
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