After the challenge of the last few days I needed to just stop today. We are in Horca, high in the mountains which still have snow on them. Last night was so cold 🥶…we lodged in a yurt on the grounds of the cafe. But the wind howled in, and it was raining which ingressed in to the yurt. I think the earlier deep freeze I experienced had not abated…I was wearing everything I had and I was still so so cold. I awoke at 5:30 and went inside the cafe when it opened at 7.

Mike had decided to skip the Indiana pass….as it was impassable…so decided to make his way north alone along the road. Jake and I were just too stuffed to move! We had a hot breakfast, the first in 5 days, then set about cleaning the bikes, which were a complete mess. The damage of the trail is showing – the headset is smashed, wheels buckled, bolts broken, brakes not working due to clogging with mud. Nothing that hot water, an old toothbrush and tools couldn’t fix, but it took 2 hours to get Bob ready for the next crash-fest. I have come to connect with this inanimate object called Bob and felt so bad I was consistently damaging it every rock I crunched in to!

That done, it was a day of clearing out stuff, washing filthy clothing, (and I mean filthy….my beanie washed out black mud….even by our standards on the trail, pretty damn bad!) clothing repairs and reconnecting with the world. We charted a route north which would reconnect with the trail after Salida where it was supposed to be better trail conditions – I’ve come to take those assessments with a huge dollop of salt! So we have 130 miles to get further north and we think /hope/dream that that’ll be two -three days to get to Salida. I for one will be happy for a bit of tarmac for a day or two, as to be honest, I’m done with the unrideable trails which only seem to want to destroy bike, moral and physical ability!

In the evening the host of the cafe where we are based invited us to sleep indoors on the floor of the cafe once it was closed for the evening -oh, that was such good news as the rains and snow were starting again. So I dragged my clobber in from the yurt and found a small corner in the cafe and crashed for the night.

Zero days have a hideous ability to fly by so fast….before you know it you’re back in the saddle!

Heading North again:
Jake and I got up around 5:30 and sorted out the bikes before getting a hot breakfast of oats and coffee courtesy of a microwave we could access in the cafe. At 7:45 we hit the road as the temperatures started to lift above freezing. The aim was to get 115k done on tarmac towards Salida. Gee it was so so good to be on hard stuff after the last week. The valley road was stunning and beautifully downhill for a good 20 miles. We stopped every 20 or so miles for refuelling. As we came out of the Horca valley we hit wide open rolling hills which were easy riding, but not very engaging to look at, tho always in the backdrop were humungous mountains capped with snow. By 1 we had done 93k. We headed to Maccas to refuel….and it was there I decided I’d done enough-I needed a shower, a bed, sleep, clothes washed and warmth. So I got us a hotel ….sod the cost. I also had two slow punctures and didn’t want to fix them in a freezing campsite which we had earmarked for tonight. Gee it was sublime to sit in a bath for an hour. That’s the first soaking since I left Cork….and the bathwater colour told its own story!!! I fixed the punctures (I think) and just rested, and gorged on social media bubble gum for the brain crap….i felt incapable of anything else!! Today was enjoyable in that I was in my happy place on the tarmac, Bob sounded like a bike and not an explosion in a gravel factory, and we dodged the afternoon hail! Win!

Warning….explicit content! I was getting so frustrated!

Looking back at what I called a Day from Hell a couple of days ago…..I was mistaken! Today made two days ago seem like a holiday! We all awoke around 5:30 and set about decamping before going over to the grandfather/grandson camp to grab hot water for coffee and porridge. My stove had stopped working due to altitude. As had Jake’s! The coffee was delicious. We then turned our attention to the trail ahead. After descending to the trail from the campsite we very quickly realised that this was gonna be one tough day. Within 300 metres our bikes had become unrideable. The rain had turned the trail to what is referred to as ‘peanut butter mud’ – a thick, clay like mud which grabs on to every part of the bike, especially the tyres, clamming the whole thing up, so the wheels can’t turn. You end up with dragging the bike, not wheeling it. Then you’d de-mud it, only for it to completely seize up again. The tyre tread disappears so you have no chance of gaining traction. My cleats on the shoes clogged up so there was no way to clip in….mind you, there was feck all option but to push/drag anyway so clipping in was somewhat obsolete! Mile after mile this was the story, interspersed with unrideable rocky climbs of 15+ % which I really struggled with. Jake was also in trouble so I’d get to the top, and go back down to help carry his panniers up. The favour was returned many times today as I truly struggled with the climbs. Mike went on ahead as his machine was more adept at dealing with the mud, leaving Jake and I to try get through 16 miles of this crap. As we crested each climb we’d be met with yet more mud and unrideable climbs or descents. It was a true experience of companionship for those miles as we tried to help each other, mile after mile of abject misery!

We hit the snow line, so we had sand, rocks, mud AND snow to compete with, but at least it wasn’t raining! Eventually we got to the state line between New Mexico and Colorado….we had beaten the odds to get outta New Mexico. The landscape was rapidly changing to almost alpine pass type of environment with stunning meadows and large forest outcrops. We knew at the end of the 16 miles of trail we would hit tarmac so we both knuckled under to get the final miles done. As we crested the last climb the thunder clouds rolled in…,it seemed that there was no aspect of this day untouched by sheer hell! Jake and I headed out on the tarmac towards Horca, some 11 miles away. First we had to crest a massive pass which topped out at 10,800ft. Within 2 minutes of riding tarmac all hell broke loose, with powerful thunder and lightning, snow and sleet and powerful winds. At the peak we were both frozen to the core. We then realised we had a 6 mile descent. Whilst ordinarily such a long descent would have been so lovely but…..it was absolutely horrendous. Frozen to the core we descended at 40 miles an hour, unable to use our brakes and steadily loosing consciousness. We got to Horca in a pathetic mess and crawled in to the only cafe/bar there is, which was known to be biker friendly. Mike had arrived a few hours earlier. I was a right mess, unable to control my shivering….and promptly burst in to tears! A mixture of exhaustion and elation that we had somehow beaten the odds. It took nearly 2 hours to get some heat back in the body. We stuffed ourselves with food and coffee, then realised we had to vacate the cafe to go sleep outside in sub zero temperatures 🥶. On the grounds of the cafe is a yurt which we rented so we didn’t need to pitch tents which was a relief, tho the yurt was bloody cold and wet in equal measure. By 8 we were hunkered down in our bags, with every item of clothing on…including my Gore insulated rain jacket, two thermal tops, my Castelli Gabba jacket and two base layers….i was frozen still!

A Colorado mountain train

Riding the trails

After breaking camp at around 7:30 we had a lovely start to the ride for about 2 miles along the valley floor, before we turned sharp right up a monster climb – it was a gift that kept on giving. I was able to grind up it in my granny gear, but the two lads hike-a-biked to the summit. It was a cool but dry morning, which was great after the rains last night. For hours we toiled up mountain and down valley. It was getting discernibly colder as we crossed the 10,500ft mark and altitude sickness was becoming more evident in the group. Jake particularly was having a tortuous time of it, plus being super exhausted from previous days tribulations. We met a large New Mexico family out camping with this amazing base camp set up, but it was getting colder and the rain had started. We decided to push on to get a bit lower but a quick map check revealed there was no ‘lower’ …..only higher! The hard compact gravel gave way to near unrideable trail. Jake was in a world of pain, so I stayed with him to distract him a little. By now the rain and sleet was persistent, but it was only 18 miles in to today’s expected 37 miles. But Mother Nature and the Divide laugh in the face of such plans. We had no option but to find a camp ground and pitch up. This was duly achieved in a designated camp site – no water but a drop toilet block.

Jake was almost hypothermic and not making much sense, so the decision was made to get a fire going and stay. Also at the campground were a grandfather and son camping, and on quickly realising our condition, provided coffee and coke. We got the fire going and then individually we crashed in our tents to relax. We all ate in the toilet block as it was the only place which blocked the howling wind and sleet! By 6 the fire was out and we were all crashed in our tents, shivering! I was so cold I broke out the emergency reflective sheet to cover my sleep bag. Only problem was that whilst it did its job the condensation created made the sleeping bag wet! But it was a warm wet! That was a long night!

A day from hell! Well. It started ok, with a fantastic panoramic view across the valley. We all decamped and had breakfast, but I knew I was seriously under fed before starting out….never a good sign! We knew we had 19 miles of climbing before the first break at a lake high in the mountains. I felt ok on the first climb as the track was compacted. But as the trail reared up is started to get crazy rocky. Bob is a great gravel bike, but hopeless as a mountain bike. Plus, I’m not a confident descender on a rocky surface. Mike had a full blown mountain bike with massive tires so he simply cruised down the hills, whilst Jake and I gingerly found a way down…..before ascending the next climb. It was brutal, and zero enjoyment- you’d be putting out serious watts and going nowhere. Our average was 3-4 mph! I was seriously out of food and the altitude was taking its toll too. We stopped at an old cabin on a valley floor to get food then hit a massive climb which we all walked up. It was at this point I simply wanted to quit. I was so exhausted and hungry. But we kept on going until we got to Hopewell Lake. There was a log shelter there which we all simply crashed out in. We filtered water from the lake as we were all running very low. The next section was a downhill bit of road for 5 miles before back on the trail. That newer section of the trail was manageable but it started the long haul up the mountain. In the background we could see snow on the peaks. Whilst it was extraordinary scenery, most of us were too buggered to look up from the trail. Take your eyes off it for a second and you hit a protruding rock. Bobs headset was getting smashed and I was equally smashed. Eventually we got on to a valley floor, found a stream and pitched tents. We all just went and sat in the stream, despite its coldness. That was the first wash in days!

Today was torture, it really was. I was pretty miserable the whole time – hungry, thirsty, tired, and each mile was a festival of punches to me and Bob. With the right bike I’m sure it’s a blast. But a fully loaded tourer/gravel…not so! Jake and I are in the same boat with bikes we thought might cope but are finding out it’s called a ‘mountain bike’ trail for a reason. We were all tucked up by 8:30 as the rain came down. A day to forget.

Lunch….tortillas and sleet!

Today marked the start of a 5 day trek over the mountains, including the highest point of the whole Divide, the Indiana Pass, at a smidge under 12,000ft. Abiquiu is at around 6,000 so we had 6,000 climb, but a total of around 10,000 + elevation gain with all the climbs and descents. At some point we would cross out of New Mexico and in to Colorado. The hardest state would have been conquered! There was only a small matter or thousands of metres of climbing and the energy sapping experience of hauling 5 days of food and as much water as the bike can handle. For me that’s about 7 litres. As we will be in high country we expect to see more streams from which we can take water and filter to drink.

I slept pretty well in my little cabin but was awake by 5:30 anxious with nervous energy. I had an outside shower which woke me up! We all got ourselves loaded up and met at the only convenience store in town for a coffee and sugar laden breakfast options like donuts and sweet rice! We got on the road at 8, with the first 15miles on road to a small township called El Rino. There is a rural college there which was shut but the grounds man let us in to the hall to get water which was just great! After a short stop we headed towards the beginning of the off road section, passing by some local ‘feature’ called the Mars Polar Lander, a bizarre construction of junk which has attracted international attention. The owner was there, a wizen old guy who mumbled something about Trump. As Jake said afterwards, ‘no prizes for guessing who he voted for. Starts with T. Ends in stupid’!! Once off the road the real Divide was on full display…..a long meandering climb on gravel for the rest of the day. When we weren’t climbing we were descending through glorious valleys. I was very confident on the climbs but totally useless on the descents, which were strewn with rocks, sand, washboarding and steep ravines off to the side. I gingerly made my way down and caught the guys on the climb. At lunch, having not been able to locate an alleged water source we stopped for some grub, when the skies opened and we were blanketed in sleet and rain. After it was clear that it wasn’t going to pass we made the decision to get off the high point before the track turned to slush. As we descended the sun came out!! After 43 gruelling miles we located an idyllic dry camp ground to pitch for the night. This was my first introduction to bear country where you have to hang your food and toiletries up a tree to prevent bears from getting to it and/or deciding to raid your camp in search of food. We had to eat early in order to get the food high up which meant I was starving for the rest of the night! I’ll be better prepared tomorrow! We all pitched tents and had a quiet evening as the sun dipped behind the mountain forest.

Day 1 was a success tho very challenging – constantly watching my fluid intake and failing to eat anything near enough. But I’d rather be conservative at the start of the Long Haul and have food later on! There’s no water to shower and no power to charge things….life is pretty simple on the Divide – ride, rest, repeat! And try to stay minimally hydrated and fed!