Cue “Eye of the Tiger” victory music because we have officially made it up and over the Rocky Mountains! This is a huge accomplishment for us and something that I was very skeptical of being possible at the beginning of the trip. However, with each day and every hard mile biked we’ve gotten stronger and more determined. Yesterday, we biked almost 85 miles and gained over 4,500 feet of elevation while doing so. Moreover, it was pretty cold and rainy when we started the day. We could even see snow laying on the surrounding mountain peaks. I would say getting through that is not only expert level biking, but also pretty badass.
Today, we are taking a rest day in Pueblo, Colorado. Pueblo marks the end of the Western Express bike route (the one we have been on since San Francisco) and the start of our time on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which will lead us to our finishing point in Yorktown, VA. We still have a long way to go, but I’m excited for some very flat, and hopefully very fast, biking through Eastern Colorado and Kansas. A quick glance ahead through our next several maps reveals nothing but very small towns and super straight roads. We’re even flirting with the idea of trying for a century (biking 100 miles in one day), since the terrain should be fairly accommodating.
Though I am relieved and excited to be done with the western part of our adventure, I am also a bit sad to leave this part of the country. Going through Utah and Colorado was the section of the trip I was most excited and nervous about. Beautiful nature, awesome little towns, but very challenging biking conditions with steep mountains and occasional lack of services. I’m interested to see if middle America will surprise me with unexpected beauty and interesting sites. On verra!