Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 3, 2004

Estes Park, CO
After getting our bikes fixed at Performance Bikes the day before we were all ready for the start of the Rockies. In efforts to avoid traffic we took a longer and harder route for the day, but a beautiful one. The night before we were left well rested in the Boulder Community Center which was amazing. It was a really nice facility to rest up at to get us ready for the tough day ahead.

We headed out early to minimize the traffic that we would encounter on this day. We had decided to ride on Peak to Peak Highway, which ran between Longs Peak, the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Twin Sisters Peak. Approximately 15 miles into the ride, we turned and headed straight into the mountains. We started what ended up being a 20 mile climb into a small mountain village named Ward. It was a slow gradual climb to start along a stream. Along the way we passed more bikers than cars as we road through this beautiful terrain. The climb never seemed to end, in desperation, hoping that the summit was near, I asked a biker resting on the side of the road how far Ward was from that point. He said it was 2 miles away, but a very steep two miles at that. The final climb into Ward was extremely difficult, it was at a 12% grade and proved to be extraordinarily grueling. After battling muscular fatigue and the thinning air I slowly reached the summit, which to me seemed like a small Alpine Village one would see in the Tour de France. The summit was simply amazing, there were bikers sprawled everywhere, blocking the road and creating an atmosphere of cycling. I felt as if we were kings of the world. I made the climb with Ben, Will, and Dan. Dan and I celebrated on top by eating half a gallon of ice cream (BAD IDEA), but we all shared in the glory of the climb. Looking back on it now, that moment will remain as one of the highlights of the trip for me.

The rest of the day was difficult because we were so tired from the initial climb, but it was mostly downhill from there. We finished the ride into the YMCA of the Rockies where we had yet another huge dinner provided by our hosts. It was a pretty low key night because we knew what lie ahead. Trail Ridge Road and the highest elevation we would face on the trip. I went to bed early that night hoping to get a good nights rest before the big day that lie ahead.

- Peter Dewey