On the Way to Sante Fe and Rest Day
Friday May 24, 2019. Albuquerque, NM to Sante Fe, NM. 68 miles
Ascent= +4,942 feet. Descent= -3,380 feet
Albuquerque is schizophrenic mix of bike friendly and bike hostile. The bike hostile was due to a generous portion of drivers who do not believe that bicycles should not be allowed on surface streets. The streets apparently are meant for the exclusive use of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Many drivers honked and most of the group had close encounters of the worst kind with trucks or cars which cut them off unnecessarily, while other drivers yelled encouragement.
The most bike friendly part of Abuquerque was a nicely paved and maintained bike path which we were able to follow for several miles as we left town on Friay morning during early rush hour. It was 45 degrees to start, but warmed fairly quickly, plus we started climbing as soon as we left the hotel, so within an hour or two I shed all but my short sleeve bike shirt and bike shorts. Every Friday is "Shirt Day" so we were all wearing our CrossrRoads bike shirts. We continued to climb fairly steadily until our SAG (support and gear) stop at the Henderson Store in Golden, NM, about 34 miles into the day. We tend to have 2 SAG stops per day, but may have only one on a shorter day like today, and sometimes 3 SAG stops if it's a longer day, particularly if there are not other opportunities to acquire water, Gatorade and food. Food offerings at the SAG stops generally include Clif bars,GU (100 calorie packets of deliciously flavored sugary goo), fruit such as bananas, cherries, grapes, etc. and other calorie rich offerings, and there is always water and diluted Gatorade.
After the SAG stop we descended to Madrid, NM which is home to many artists and artisans with a sort of southwestern, lost in te 60's feel. There are many art galleries, and craftsy places and what not. Most of us stopped at the same outdoor cafe/ cantina for an early lunch. My seared ahi sandwich with deep fried okra bites was very nice, not too heavy for the rest of the ride. By this time the temperature was into the high 60's,with bright sun with a few lonely clouds and a wind that was not much of a factor for a change, and the terrain was up and down, but no prolonged climbs like we had in the morning portion. Beautiful mountain views were constant. We my not miss the hills, but we will miss these views during our week in Kansas, I'm sure. We enjoyed a early to mid afternoon arrival in Sante Fe for with our second of five rest days on Saturday. A very nice day all in all.
Ascent= +4,942 feet. Descent= -3,380 feet
Albuquerque is schizophrenic mix of bike friendly and bike hostile. The bike hostile was due to a generous portion of drivers who do not believe that bicycles should not be allowed on surface streets. The streets apparently are meant for the exclusive use of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Many drivers honked and most of the group had close encounters of the worst kind with trucks or cars which cut them off unnecessarily, while other drivers yelled encouragement.
The most bike friendly part of Abuquerque was a nicely paved and maintained bike path which we were able to follow for several miles as we left town on Friay morning during early rush hour. It was 45 degrees to start, but warmed fairly quickly, plus we started climbing as soon as we left the hotel, so within an hour or two I shed all but my short sleeve bike shirt and bike shorts. Every Friday is "Shirt Day" so we were all wearing our CrossrRoads bike shirts. We continued to climb fairly steadily until our SAG (support and gear) stop at the Henderson Store in Golden, NM, about 34 miles into the day. We tend to have 2 SAG stops per day, but may have only one on a shorter day like today, and sometimes 3 SAG stops if it's a longer day, particularly if there are not other opportunities to acquire water, Gatorade and food. Food offerings at the SAG stops generally include Clif bars,GU (100 calorie packets of deliciously flavored sugary goo), fruit such as bananas, cherries, grapes, etc. and other calorie rich offerings, and there is always water and diluted Gatorade.
After the SAG stop we descended to Madrid, NM which is home to many artists and artisans with a sort of southwestern, lost in te 60's feel. There are many art galleries, and craftsy places and what not. Most of us stopped at the same outdoor cafe/ cantina for an early lunch. My seared ahi sandwich with deep fried okra bites was very nice, not too heavy for the rest of the ride. By this time the temperature was into the high 60's,with bright sun with a few lonely clouds and a wind that was not much of a factor for a change, and the terrain was up and down, but no prolonged climbs like we had in the morning portion. Beautiful mountain views were constant. We my not miss the hills, but we will miss these views during our week in Kansas, I'm sure. We enjoyed a early to mid afternoon arrival in Sante Fe for with our second of five rest days on Saturday. A very nice day all in all.
Comments
Post a Comment