Finished

Wow... What a ride. The BTC was definitely a challenge -- climbing, daily miles, total miles, riding day after day, and battling the elements of wind, heat, and rain (and hail for some). Those who have ridden the BTC before felt this was the most challenging they have ridden.

The final day treated us to 100 miles of headwinds up Independence Pass and down into Glenwood Springs. Thankfully, there was little threat of rain. The climb up Independence Pass was beatifully scenic and seemingly tougher than prior climbs of the week with a 16 mile climb and 3000 ft of elevation gain. While I made it over the top, my legs felt pretty cooked... But it was great to know that was the last big climb of the tour. The descent was not as easy as I had hoped as I faced a strong headwind the whole way... I thought downhills were suppose to be easy! For about 15 miles between Aspen and Glenwood I was droppin the hammer all alone. Fortunately I eventually came upon a group averaging decent speeds and we worked together to get into Glenwood... Finished the ride in about 5.5 hours and was extremely excited to see the finish shoot and finish line. Even more, I enjoyed beeing met by Jen and our two dogs and our friend Tricia. Got my bags, found some shade, boug
ht a nice cold Diet Coke and just sat and relaxed for about two hours watching the finishers. Ahhhhh!

All I can say is what an experience riding 500+ miles in 6 days... And these were tough miles. Saw some real pretty country, met some cool people, and accomplished both physical and emotional goals in completing the Tour and riding on behalf of the HANGOUT and TBI survivors. Thanks for the opportunity and thanks to all those who have supported this mission. I hope to do something like this again next year.

Matt A.