Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 6, 2003

We Meet the Bizzaro 4K Bikers
Day 36

Grand Lake, CO to Bond, CO



This 94-mile day was classic Hopkins 4K material: challenging yet rewarding. We cycled out of beautiful Grand Lake and biked through rolling countryside. The easy terrain allowed us to savor the views as we passed by Lake Granby. The first half of the day flew by before we even knew it.



We ate lunch in Kremmling, a small town with a few small stores and a public park. Soon after our arrival, we noticed a white station wagon with “Saturn Cycling” printed on its side parked across the street. The prospect of meeting a professional cycling team excited us, and our collective curiosity prompted us to go over and talk with the driver. Three or four Hopkins 4Kers rode over and discovered that a team of cyclists was about to roll through Kremmling on their way from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.! It turned out that they were a fraternity riding to raise money for their private charitable organization. Some of the similarities between their group and ours were uncanny. For example, they had the same number of riders and were completing the trip in nearly the same number of days. As we talked with the driver of the Saturn car, riders from both the Hopkins 4K and the other group gathered in the parking lot, sharing stories from the road and swapping details on the difficulties of the routes ahead. After the fraternity riders pulled away with their phalanx of corporate-sponsored support vehicles, we settled into our bootleg lunch of sandwiches and water and decided that we were definitely more hardcore.



Following lunch, we faced a nine-mile climb through Gore Pass. The ascent was not nearly as boring as the name suggested. We passed a sign warning of “open range” printed beneath a bovine silhouette. With great amusement we realized that it had both horns AND an udder, making it both male and female. Much to our disappointment, we didn’t see any of these mysterious androgynous farm animals.



When we reached the summit, we were greeted by a beautiful view of an immense valley spread out before us. The sharp grade of the road rolled steeply down the mountainside, and we paused for a moment to savor the view before plunging down the hill. Travis had told us in the morning that this descent would be “the best on the trip,” and his words held true. For thirteen heart-stopping miles we rocketed downward, pulled forward by the inexorable force of gravity. Our legs spun uselessly in the highest gear, and several riders broke fifty miles per hour.



Exhausted and exhilarated, we arrived at the State Bridge Lodge in Bond, CO. We were greeted by the sounds of a live Latin band. The bouncers allowed us into the concert area, where we sat and listened to the music over our post-ride drinks. Our accommodations were a rather strange set of three “yurts,” each luxuriously appointed with seven or eight large bunks. For the first time in many days, we were sleeping in beds! After this difficult and fun ride, we quickly fell into a deep and happy slumber.



Josh Robinson