Today is the day with the highest pass on the TransAm bike route. Hoosier Pass is over 11,500 feet above sea level. But before I can start the climb I need to pedal from Dixon to Breckenridge. There is a nice paved off road bicycle path that connects the two towns, which are 19 miles apart. After an early start I was passed and then caught up to a woman that appeared to be cycling to work. We had a pleasant discussion where she told me of some of the changes that have occurred in the area in the past 20 years. She was interested in my trip. At Frisco, 5 miles south of Dixon, we parted and I kept on my way to Breckenridge. There was some construction along the path and the detours were not evident so I got off track, way off track. Eventually I got back on the trail and continued to Breckenridge.
Breckenridge was interesting. After riding up and down Main Street twice I was glad that I did not spend the previous day in Breckenridge. Quaint yes. Touristy yes. Unique No. In terms of other winter destinations it is not as pleasant as Whistler in British Columbia, nor Park City in Utah. However both of those winter destinations have hosted the Winter Olympics in the recent past. Breckenridge was lacking the mountain bikers that are both Whistler and Park City. The biggest draw in Breckenridge at 9 am seems to be either the Crepe Cart or the Donut shop. Both had long lines outside waiting to place an order.
After leaving Breckenridge it was time to make the final climb to Hoosier Pass. Breckenridge is at 9700 feet above sea level so climbing less than 2000 feet can’t be that hard. Or, can it? The road up Hoosier Pass has either no shoulders or very small shoulders. Colorado DOT could make the road a lot more hospitable to cyclists by removing the accumulated sand on the road shoulders.
At 10,500 I encountered a thunderstorm and took shelter under some pine trees waiting for the rain and lightning to end. Once I got back on the bike I did make a couple elevation breaks to catch my breath. At the pass the rain was in the distance. After a couple quick pictures it was time to head down hill.
Downhill was fast and there was clearly more storms on the horizon. A stop at Alma, CO was necessary to see if the storm that was just to south was coming my way. After a quick assessment it was back on the bike to the next town, Fairplay, or South Park. Fairplay is supposed to be the model town for the cartoon tv show South Park. Many things in Fairplay are using “South Park“ in their enterprise name. Fairplay is an old placer mining town and people are still panning for gold in the stream. Thunderstorms and flashes of lightning forced me to seek shelter in the Visitor Center so the first round of storms could pass. More were on the way. As a result of the lightning delays, I made a decision to stay in Fairplay for the night. I was hoping to be about 40 miles down the road but is best to be safe when lightning is present and traveling by bicycle.
Today’s stats: total mileage 43.8; average speed 9.7 mph; max speed 32.1 mph; total elevation gain 3230 feet; total elevation loss 2280 feet.