There are certainly more difficult cycling events around the country, but the Rough Rider 200 is my most challenging to date. It was 200 miles over 2 days through the New Mexico Mountains (elevation of 7000ft to 9800ft).  Four good friends (Robert, Hans, Bill and Chris)  and I went to the event from San Antonio.

 

With beautiful mountains, fantastic weather and perfectly smooth roads we embarked on a difficult ride, especially the long mountain climbs with over 12,300 ft. of vertical climb (four climbs over 12 miles long and one stretch of 18 miles with 2,500 ft. vertical climb). Surprising the high altitude did not bother any of us.

Saturday’s Ride   

The event started in the beautiful Angel Fire ski resort. Angel Fire, NM, USA   On Saturday morning all five of us started together on the southern route of what is referred to as the Enchanted Loop (103.2 miles).

It was cold but no wind. After a chilly and tough three mile climb to the top of Palo Flechado Pass (9,100 ft.) we flew down an incredible 17 mile decent to the city of Taos, with average speed of 26 mph, topping 36mph. I thought the decent would never stop (so much fun).

We shed our warm clothes in Taos and headed for more mountains (US Hill and Holman Pass, 9,465 ft.). As we left Taos each of us started taking our own pace, briefly seeing each other at the various aid stations.  I thought the upcoming 14 mile climb of 1,600ft to Molman Pass would be the most difficult of the day, but found it relatively easy because of the moderate vertical grade and the wind at our back. Then we came to the most spectacular decent of the day, 13 miles through incredible valleys to the town of Mora hitting speeds up to 45mph.

For the next 10 miles as we left Mora I rode with Bill and Hans. Up to this point I was feeling good, but I made a huge mistake along the way. I drank very little water, only 2 bottles the whole ride. With the cool and dry weather, I hardly sweated so I didn’t feel the need to drink. Plus the long climbs and descents hampered my ability to easily pull the water bottle from the bike for hydration. After 85 miles and as I started the final mountain climb, my legs started to cramp. I had to let Bill and Hans continue without me.

When I finally got to the top of the last climb (steep 16% grade) every muscle in both legs cramped to the point I had to stop. I wondered if I could continue; I could not move. That had to be the worse leg cramps I’d ever experienced – very painful. I worked on the muscles and finally relieved the cramps enough to ride again (very slowly) to the next aid station. While there, I took some electrolyte pills and rested a bit, then took off on the last 15 miles against a strong head wind. The pain from the cramps and agony of the headwind were muted a bit by the beauty of another amazing valley as we approached Angel Fire. I later learned that the movie series, “Lonesome Dove” was partially filmed in this valley.

I finally made it to the finish in Angel Fire with an unimpressive time of 8 hrs. 8 min. The cramps took at least an hour of that time. Everybody said the last climb and strong headwind coming into the finish was very tough. Feeling exhausted, my legs cramped continuously for the next several hours. As I sat recovering, I felt it impossible to ride the next day. I used every trick I could think of to get rid of the cramps. Seemed that drinking a little vinegar did the trick, because by nighttime all the cramps were gone and I slept well. Explaining how vinegar did the trick is another story.

Sunday’s Ride

I woke up Sunday feeling surprisingly good with tired legs but no cramps.  Of course the real test awaited me on the first climb back up Palo Flechado Pass. I decided not to push it hard, take electrolyte pills along the way and drink lots of water (yes, I learned my lesson). I made it to the top of Palo Flechado Pass without a problem and then felt I could go the whole distance. Again we shed our warm weather cloths in Taos and this time headed north.

For the next 50 miles we were out of the mountains and into the desert-like foothills. At one point my Garmin computer hit 111 degrees (mainly due to the intense direct sun). These climbs reminded me of the Texas rolling Hill Country rides, but the climbs here were a lot bigger. I caught up with a guy riding a beautiful and expensive tri bike, thinking it to be an odd choice for this hilly ride.  As we talked, I learned of his plans to go to Canada the following week for a half Ironman. I asked him how that tri bike did on climbs. He said, “Not well.” The first good climb we hit together, I quickly found out he could not keep up with me. But he later caught back up on the down hills and flat parts.

Then we started heading back into the mountains. Up to that point I was feeling good, although, I kept hearing about the difficulty expected on the 18-mile, 2500 ft. climb to the top of Bobcat pass. For the first 10 miles of that climb, I found it relatively easy with the low-grade incline and slight wind pushing us from behind. Even as easy as that was, my Tri bike friend could not keep up and I never saw him again. I have a feeling he did not make it to the top on his own without being picked up by the SAG truck. Within those 10 miles, I climbed 1200 ft., but things changed when I got to the small town of Red River.

For the next five miles, the grade averaged 7 to 9 percent and finally got so tough I had to stop and rest. Stopping like this was unusual for me, because I’m accustomed to much higher vertical grades in the Texas Hill Country. However, the miles and miles of climbing and the fact that my legs were worn out from yesterday’s cramping made the difference. So I stopped to rest my legs as I watched people slowly ride by me. Yet, I got back on the bike and soon passed many of the people that had passed earlier. When I got to the top of Bobcat Pass (9,820 ft.) the skies opened up to another beautiful valley and for the next 13 miles I had a fast and fun downhill ride, hitting speeds of over 42 mph. Due to the long, downhill ride, my neck and shoulders began hurting, never dreaming that a downhill ride could cause so much stress. I finally came to the end of that downhill at the 85-mile point to the last rest stop in the town of Eagle Nest.

As I entered the rest stop a person asked if I wanted a massage. I first brushed it off, but the guy was persistent and I had to admit that my neck really hurt, so I agreed. He took me to an old lady who asked me to sit down on a bench. She then turned on a handheld massage device and started rubbing my neck and shoulders; it felt so good. She worked on me for 15 to 20 minutes, so the massage kept me at the rest stop much longer than I had planned, but it felt amazing. Who would ever think you could get a free massage at a rest stop out in the middle of nowhere!

I left the rest stop and headed into a strong wind but without hills or mountains to climb. I caught up to three guys and we teamed up to help pull each other through the wind. It turns out that the three guys were actually brothers from New Hampshire, Texas and California; all met up for the ride. Awesome! As we came closer to Angel Fire, one of the brothers began wearing out, so I decided to pick up the pace and head on without them. I arrived at the finish at the 8-hour mark. Not a great time, but I was not going for time, just to finish. Actually my body felt good, no cramps and I had energy to spare.

In thinking about this ride, I had accomplished a lot of firsts (not necessarily personal bests). This was my longest ride to date (200 miles in two days), at the highest elevation (6,500 ft. to 9,820 ft.), total vertical climb of 12,300 ft. (6,400 ft. day one and 5,900 ft. day two), longest single climbs (18 miles of 2,500 ft. of vertical climb), longest decent (17 miles from 9,000 ft. to 7,000 ft.). This was absolutely the most beautiful ride, with stunning mountain valleys, crystal clear blue skies, and smooth roads for almost the entire 200 miles, as well as the best planned, managed and supported ride, by far. Nobody would have believed all my claims if I had not enjoyed it with a handful of great friends. We’re going back again next year. I hope more from the cycling group will come, too.

What’s next for me, Cyclefest in the West Texas Davis Mountains in September.