Zero power day towards Steamboat

So……to continue the hideous night of vomit and other body expulsions! I got out of my tent around 4:45 and promptly vomited! It wasn’t looking too good. The lads were both up and decamping, but I was struggling to just move! But bit by bit I got things together and the bike packed. I truly did not want to ride but….with being on a Pass and no passing traffic I really had no other option. It was 2 degrees so I was shivering like a leaf in the wind. I put all my clothes on and tried to warm up. I was having really nasty stomach cramps alongside regular trips to the drop loo….and worryingly running out of loo roll. When things kicked off last night I couldn’t find my loo roll so had to use antibiotic wipes. I had found my medical kit still on my bike which was parked around 50 metres away….i was scared walking in the dark towards the bike, given the threat of bears!

Anyway, watching others eating breakfast wasn’t helping but there was no way I could contemplate food. So I threw my leg over Bob and started to cycle, knowing we had 37 miles to Steamboat. Any time the trail went up I simply had no power and had to walk. The lads caught up to me pretty quickly. What was a true blessing amidst this day was that the profile of the ride to Steamboat was downhill and for once the profile was right! We stopped at a lakeside picnic table for a rest. I’d eaten a few sweets and chomped down ibuprofen and Imodium. My cramps had gone and my stomach was certainly settling though having food was out of the question. Just the thought made me reach!

Somehow, and I simply don’t know how, I wrestled Bob and I to the outskirts of Steamboat. My body then decided enough was enough and I hit the wall. No food for 18 hours, little sleep and being very sick had taken its toll. But being stubborn is occasionally a good trait and I got to the hotel running on fumes. I was completely exhausted. Our room was not ready so I just sat in the reception looking like I’d done 10 rounds with Ali!

When the room was ready I dived in the shower and straight to bed. I was able to eat bland food like toast and cereal so that was a really good sign! I slept for two hours then started to organise myself- laundry, food restock, route planning. By 7 I was completely done so hit the sack. Out like a light.

In terms of terrain today was very good, but in terms of sheer physical exertion it was the toughest day so far. The body is truly a marvel in coping with challenges. I knew sitting at the campsite this morning that I could ride my bike despite the discomfort and pain, I just wasn’t sure how to do it on empty. But like many similar challenges, you mentally have to just dial in the fact it’s gonna be tough, and then get it done! I recoiled in to myself on the ride, so was somewhat non-conversant, but that’s my way of coping when in distress. But as we started to chomp through the miles, my confidence grew that I would make it. The Divide challenges you mentally more than anything else- you learn to lean in to the inevitable pain and discomfort! You know it’s gonna be tough, so whining about it won’t make it any easier, in fact it makes it tougher. When I came to that realisation, it made it more possible to live in the moment and manage whatever that moment was throwing at me! I’m sure this blog might read like a series of train crash moments and dreadful experiences, but whilst indeed there have been moments of tears and genuine fears, the experience is so immersive and the scenery so achingly beautiful that those tough days are levelled out by those ‘wow’ moments and the growing realisation that bit by bit we are tackling the Divide. It may beat me in the end, it may not, but the experiences so far if it ended tomorrow are so wonderful it’s been all worth it! I think 🤣🤣

I spent my zero day in Steamboat having a look around the town but also trying to find a tool to remove my bottom bracket cups. Eventually I found a bike shop almost next door to the hotel, met a great mechanic called Charlie who allowed me in to the workshop, found the right tool and let me work on Bob….and didn’t charge a dime! There is something of an unwritten rule in bike shops it appears – when we mention we are doing the Divide you jump the queue and are treated really well – a ‘short’ service in any bike shop here is $120! I’m reassured now that my BB won’t disintegrate over the next 1500 miles! Happy days! perhaps they just have pity on those of us foolish enough to do the Divide!

I was able to keep food down today which is remarkably satisfying! I stuck to bland foods so as to not overwhelm the stomach. But I also felt a strong food repulsion – even thinking of food made me feel a little sick. It’s concerning given what’s ahead – at 4 day trek across the next mountain range before we reach anything resembling civilisation. But we will go slow and easy so as not to put my body in too much distress. Jake is continuing north to the Tetons where he has a friend we can camp with before he heads south and I’ll continue in to Idaho then Montana. My Charlie is keen to hike in the Tetons so may well even join us in a few weeks which will be so wonderful 😊. Let’s get the next chunk done to Rawlins in Wyoming and then think about the next stage then!