Buckhorn Road

I set out on this ride in hopes of reaching my goal of 200 miles for the week. I had ridden 144 miles so far - commuting, running errands, and other long recreational road rides. With 20-30mph winds blowing all day, I knew this was going to be a tough one, made worse by the fact that the route I wanted to take was uphill and upwind. So I set out with a focus on distance not speed. I kept my heart rate as low as I could up the hills.

The route was more exposed than my previous canyon road rides, but the scenery was amazing. Outside the city limits, the "Old West" idea still thrives. I passed lots of big ranches with horses, cows and lots of open, well defended land. One sign I saw read, "If you can read this, you are in range. Absolutely no trespassing." Another more humorous sign read, "Trespassers will be violated." That one made me laugh. I also passed through Stout, CO population 47 1/2 - no lie.

Fourteen miles in, I learned that the road was closed 8 miles ahead. I thought about taking a different route since this would only give me 22 miles at the halfway point. I needed at least 28. Then another thought came into my head: a closed road with no traffic could be a cyclist's paradise. I was also curious as to why it was closed. The answer: there is no road. Instead, there's a river. Extensive, unrepaired damage from last fall's flood. It's amazing what water can do. Parts of the pavement were wrinkled and bent but not broken. Some chunks had floated down the road. I wanted to cross the river to check out the road on the other side. But, it was getting cold, and bike shoes and wet rocks don't mix. I especially didn't want to cross it twice, and it was too deep and/or rocky to ride across. So, I turned back.

On the way back I thought I would need 12 more miles to reach my goal. It was getting darker and colder, and my extremities were already numb. I was pretty sure I was going to call it a day at 44. Once I got closer, however, I realised I would only need 10 due to taking a slightly different route. 12 was too much, but 10 I could do. I pedalled harder to warm up, watched the sunset, and turned my light from strobe to solid. I rode 5 miles North, upwind, and 5 easy miles back downwind, just making my goal of 200.

Buckhorn Rd turns into Stove Prairie which connects to Poudre Canyon Hwy. Sometime in the near future I plan to ride the complete loop - in the vicinity of 65 miles. Before I do that, I need lower gears and a new seat. I think I've actually managed to wear out my current saddle. It's developed a "U" shape and isn't comfortable anyway I sit. I've got a Brooks B17 saddle on the way; pretty much the standard for long distance riding as the leather conforms to your rear after a short break-in period. I can't wait! I think I'll also rig up a handlebar bag for easy access to my camera, snacks, etc. Eventually, I'd like to build up a bike more suited to long distances. The Pompino has a weird fit and geometry that is NOT stable at high speeds. It's also not even meant to run multiple gears. But, it'll do for now.