Sassy Cow On The Loose: Steamboat Springs!!!

Lately, I’ve been having a love/hate relationship with biking. Most days I want to sell my road bike - I literally rode my fancy road bike twice in the past several months. Both my road bike and my commuter bike sit on top of my car collecting mosquitos as I drive across the country. They serve as car decoration more than anything else. I often use mantras to remember that I have bikes above me. Yes, I have a history of forgetting that a large object is on top of my car. Thus far, the mantras are working and my bikes have only been hit be a few hundred mosquitos and not a low hanging, large tree branch.

Needless to say, I had some ambivalence about biking in Steamboat Springs, in the mountains, in elevation. But once I hopped onto my bike, those feelings dissipated instantly. I was dancing on my pedals and not missing a beat.

Before I go on with this story, you may be wondering why I went a bit out of my way to Steamboat Springs. Well, it’s because my good friend Dennis was visiting his friends and my acquaintances, Kent and Katie. The USA Pro Challenge bike race was also rolling through town - a sight to see, for sure. I knew that Kent and Katie were cool, but after getting to know them a bit more, they became even cooler. Not only do they live deep in the woods in a beautiful log home one mile away from Strawberry Hot Springs (!!!), they are also bike masters. They just won the tandem category of a large mountain bike race, Leadville 100, on a titanium bike that they made! Checkout their website: Eriksen. I had the great honor of observing their top-notch customer service and seeing freshly made, beautiful bikes.

Okay, now back to dancing on my pedals. At first, Dennis and I were only going to watch the start of Day 2 Pro Challenge, however, we biked to the start and arrived an hour before start time. I wasn’t going to sit around for an hour to watch bikes leave the start corral. Also, everyone was talking about Rabbit Ears Pass – a large climb on the race course - even dogs were wearing bunny ears. My curiosity was aroused and after a bit of investigative work I decided that we must at least start riding up Rabbit Ears Pass. Dennis, hesitantly, agreed. So away we went.

The uneventful start

BMC leading the peloton

I was buzzing on adrenaline after seeing pro racers warming up and stopping by the BMC bus to meet the amazing woman and BMC soigneur, Trudi. Bikers were everywhere, and once we started climbing, my spirit animal, the mountain goat, entered my body. I felt like I was climbing Col du Galibier, in the French Alps, all over again. I LOVE climbing hills. I just love it. Instantly, I latched on to a biker’s wheel and was part of a line of bikers. I love how focused I have to be on the tire in front of me, it forces me to be present. I also love being part of something bigger than myself. I was with a team of strangers, which elated my heart.

With little endurance under my belt and a low food supply, I had to let go of the little team that formed. I never summited Rabbit Ears Pass, but the experience of climbing a few miles on the pass was enough to content my heart. The old me would have pushed my body beyond its limits to reach the top. It was so refreshing to honor my body and its limits. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still pushed it, but not like I use to push it. And I was still tired after, but the hot springs rejuvenated my muscles and aided my fatigue.

After an amazing day of riding my bike, I'm so happy that I still have it. I won't make a rash decision on selling one of my bikes anytime soon. First, they must make it back to Minnesota in one piece.

Highlights at Steamboat Springs:

Colorado Peach! Nom Nom Nom

Large Marmot crossing in front of me on a hike

Cowbells

LARGE shooting star at Strawberry Hot Springs

Sage + butter

Mountain goat spirit animal and an able body to climb mountains.

Biking down the mountain 40+ mph and leaving Dennis in the dust. ;)

Seeing my favorite dog, Hawk

Mediating deep in the woods, surrounded by aspens and evergreens