Not in Winnipeg Anymore

This is the view at 6:00 am from my hotel room in Avon, Colorado (about 10 km from Vail and at the base of the Beaver Creek Ski Resort.) Although the ski season is over, there are still patches of snow and it is still a bit cold up at 4,000 meters.

Two days ago, I was riding in Winnipeg. Flat, flat and more flat! The toughest climb was the 20 meter ascent over the railroad overpass.

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However today, to paraphrase a movie title, THERE WILL BE HILLS.

The weather above 3000 meters during May in the Colorado Rockies can be a minute-to-minute event. My plan for the day is to ride east from Avon, starting at 2270 meters and heading up one of the world's finest bicycle routes over Vail pass (about 4,000 meters.) The bike route has been plowed but there is a lot of gravel and debris on the path and there may be some icy spots and lots of pooled water. I'm hoping to get to Copper Mountain and then ride through Wheeler Junction and south to Leadville, before heading back to Dowds Junction on Highway 24. Some of this depends on the weather but also on how well the road has been plowed. If there is no shoulder and too many big trucks past the Vail Pass, I'll head back to Avon and tackle the route from Vail up to Leadville tomorrow. However, with luck I'll be able to ride the entire Leadville Loop today.

The weather forecast is for a partly cloudy day, with temperatures starting out at 3 degrees, climbing to 16 (however it may not get above 10 at 4,000 meters.) I'm going to hold off starting this morning until around 9:00 am so that I'm not carrying too many clothes later in the day. Should be adventure road biking at its best!