Team Strong Heart racer Eric Begin and I set out to tackle Vail Pass a couple of days ago on our bicycles. We've been there many times before, climbing out of Frisco up to the pass, which sits at about 10,700 feet, down into the Vail valley and then back up over the pass and out (usually to Taco Bell).
I took my singlespeed road bike out for the ride. Yeah, that's right. One gear, one speed (slow) and luckily a freewheel for coasting down the back side of the pass (times two). It actually wasn't that bad. The weather was sunny but dang chilly. It's amazing how the weather out here in Colorado is so divergent. Down by Boulder it was in the 70's and fair. Up near Vail it was windy and chilly. Oh well...
Anyway, we had snow to contend with in the shade and actually ended up walking part of the route when the snow really got tough. Mind you, it was only a couple of inches of snow, but you know, road bikes and road shoes aren't really made for that sort of thing. There was more than a couple of times where a cyclocross bike would definitely have been handy.
Well, we made it and now I have a hair-brained scheme to take my singlespeed road bike up and over as many mountain passes as I can. Call it my version of the "classic" 14'er Colorado brag.
Keep the rubber side down...especially in the snow.
TC
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