Aug 20
Today was sunny. And I still find it incredible how such a sunny day started with a layer of frost on my tent. I guess I’ll have to get used to this for the following week.

Really enjoyed the push bike this morning as it was my chance to warm up. First reached Searle Pass. Then followed a technical trail through alpine meadows for a few kilometers, up to Kokomo Pass. From here it was straight down – steep and technical, but rideable and fun. Such a trail with a hardtail would have been a lot more difficult.

“You’re that Romanian” he recognized me. It was an old fellow hiking the Colorado Trail. I’ve first overtaken him just before Brekenridge. While I spent the night there, he moved forward. “Showers are overrated” is what he said at that time.

After finishing segment 8 and doing just 4 km of segment 9, I had to take another detour (due to the “bikes aren’t allowed in wildernesses” thing). So I hit the road and reached the nearby town of Leadville. At least in my circles, Leadville is known for one of the best ultramarathons in the world – Leadville 100.

Otherwise, besides the little tourist area (with stores, restaurants and ski rentals), the town is not that interesting. The mountains aren’t close and you don’t have the feeling of “mountain area”. Only after looking at a map you see the town’s elevation is 3000 m and the mountains in the distance go over 4000.

I stopped for a burger. Picked the one in the menu that included a fried egg (more protein!). What I got looked like a failed crossbreed between several items: half burger, half sandwich, half chilli con carne. Yeah, it was that big. Not that I’m complaining. Somehow my stomach was able to digest it despite me resuming the ride. Good stomach!

Finished the detour and started segment 11. This is a more chillaxed segment – no more high altitude, long push bikes or steep descents, just plain old single-track riding and uncomplicated fun.