This is the only post that survived my previous blog. I couldn’t resist. It was an experience of a lifetime and I just had to include it.
Pikes Peak had been closed the previous three days due to heavy snowfall and ice. We were at 14,110 ft elevation, it was 25 degrees, and the winds were gusting to 30 mph.
It was three weeks ago, but I still start hyperventilating when I talk about it. My sister Nancy and I took a cross country road trip together in August and we had a blast. The highlight was definitely when we road mountain bikes down from the top of Pikes Peak to the bottom. We went from 14,000 to 6,000 elevation in just twenty miles. The guides told us at the end that we were one of the fastest groups of the summer, and were traveling at 35 miles per hour at times! Yikes!
I happened to pick up this brochure, “Pikes Peak By Bike – The Ultimate Ride”, as we were getting ready to head out of Manitou Springs, Colorado. My sister is 56 and I’m 48, and after looking at the brochure Nancy said, “Let’s do this! Come on, we won’t want to do this in 5 or 10 years, and we’re right here. So let’s go for it!”
I don’t know if it was signing those waivers at 6 a.m., the fact that we’re not really mountain bikers, noticing the unpaved and gravelly roads we were going to be biking down on the drive up, or maybe just the fact that our brains weren’t getting enough oxygen, but by the time we got to the top, we were scared.
Thankfully we stopped several times along the way to take in the view and catch our breath. It was wild to look up at the peak and see how far we had come.
If I had thought ahead of time, I would have duct taped my video camera to my chest or something. Now that would have been an exciting video with actual footage while flying down the mountain. But guess what? I needed both hands on the brakes at all times or I would have died! Below is a very short, very poorly done video. Just give me a break on this one because when you’re scared and having trouble breathing, video production always suffers.
Sweet accomplishment. Now if only you’d rode up, too…
Great!! You are finally into biking!!! yeah….
You look great I love ya te quiero niña
oh you are so very super cool .. welcome to the ground :)
OMG… as a city girl, uncomfortable on the 34th floor of the Time & Life Building in NYC this was AWESOME and SCARY.
Great video! I’m jealous of your road trip but the Pike’s Peak detour must have really been fantastic. I’m amazed that you even thought of shooting video while all of that was going on. For me, that would have been one of those instances where I thought later, ‘damn, I should’ve filmed it,’ after it was too late. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the details. Talk to you soon.
Very cool! You did it!!!
WOW. I love you wild & crazy gals. So, you really got high on your trip. My oh my. You look happy behind those foster grants. I’m glad you made it down in one piece. Shazaam! xo mz. b
WOW. I love you wild & crazy gals. So, you really got high on your trip.. 14,000 feet. My oh my. You look happy behind those foster grants. I’m glad you made it down in one piece. Shazaam! xo mz. b
Hey everybody, this is an unbelieveable ride down the mountain I once hitchhiked down….amaZing stuff!
Wow! Youse guys traversed that mountian like, like, like real fast. Wy the noive of ya. I ainn’t got the guts to do dat. whew!
You’re pal,
The Turtle
Hi Sue,
I’m trying to locate your sister Nancy Rostvold Bishop. We went to high school together and kept up with each other until a few (actually many) years back when I think one or more of her daughters was going to college in San Diego. At the time we lived in Mission Viejo, CA but now live in Georgia. I would love to find Nancy again. Could you let her know and maybe have her email me? We actually have met at your home in Wayzata but you were probably under 10 years old. Thanks so much.