Over Memorial day weekend my wife and I went up to Eagle County to celebrate our anniversary. After going for a walk, I grabbed my bike for a short ride. Near where we were staying is Cottonwood Pass Road. I have ridden this road several times before but not with my own bike. It is a short ride by road to get up to the hills. After passing two cattle guards there is a road that heads up hill near where we were staying. Apparently, it's a seven mile loop to from the road and back. I thought this seemed good enough.
Understand that when I say road I mean a 4x4 road. I had seen dirt bikes going up this trail earlier in the day. It was not a well maintained road. From the spot where I took the above picture, the road is washed out and rutted all the way up. It's wide enough to allow for a truck to pass but the going is rough. I rode the first few miles without much trouble. The altitude was definitely a factor. I stopped several times to catch my breath. I found that each time I stopped the best thing for me was to control my breathing. I would hold my breath several seconds between breaths. This would slow down my breathing and help my heart to slow down as well. Once I got going again I would try to breath about every second or third revolution of my pedals. That pace kept me moving without losing my breath.
As I said the road was rough. I had to stay on the peaks between the ruts in the road most of the time. When the ruts disappeared then I found myself on loose sandstone. Unlike other rocks I have ridden over sandstone acts differently. It doesn't form rounded shaped on the roadway most of the time. That meant when I rode over it I was afraid of a popped tire. The edges looked plenty sharp. Sandstone would also break suddenly making the going slow at times. I rode for almost an hour before I got near the top of the ridge. My timing was prefect because I didn't meet any motor traffic or dirt bikers going up or down. My fear with them is that they would be going to fast to avoid me.
I don't know if I was still on the same loop that the sign had marked when I turned around. I passed several junctions with roads going different directions. I just decided I had ridden far enough. I turned around and coasted down most of the way. I have noticed that a trail is never the same up as down. Areas difficult to climb over were now drops and loose areas now had to be negotiated at high speed with my wheels twisting out from underneath me. I burned up some brake pads going down but I made it. I enjoyed my trip. I am looking forward to coming back in August when I can take more time and explore the area more carefully.
Happy Trails, see you next time!!
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