Epic Bike Ride Day 3 May 21

Thoughts from Kelly: We spent half of today at a bicycle shop in Silver City NM trying to get the trail maps downloaded onto Mark’s Garmin. Not the easiest task for some reason, they had another rider in with similar problems a couple days prior. After another meal from Blake’s Lotabuger, we set off for our first ride through the mountains. I loved driving through the mountains even though it was a bit scary at times with the switchbacks and steep drop offs mere inches from the edge of the roads. Mark on the other hand found the switchbacks and constant climbing very challenging, he was still adjusting to the altitude too. Luckily, being in the mountains meant it was in the 70’s, and the trees provided a decent amount of shade, at times. We ended the day at the beautiful Lake Roberts campground. We finally had the opportunity to use our camping stove and enjoyed a hot meal with an amazing view.

Thoughts from Mark: The change in scenery is happening so fast! We went from dry/dusty desert to mountains with tall pine trees and a beautiful lake. The climbing was brutal at times, and this was the first time I had to “hike-a-bike,” (walk uphill while pushing my bike). Hike-a-bike was talked about on all of the websites we have researched leading up to the ride, but it was still a bit demoralizing/frustrating. I am mentally struggling with just how slow this ride can be at times. I am used to riding on the road, where I can usually average 15-16mph. On this ride, especially on the climbs, it can be a challenge to get over 10mph, with some of the brutal climbs causing me to ride at 5-6mph. There were a few climbs today where my GPS indicated the slope of the ascent was 10%, 11%, and even 12%! I was (mostly) able to climb the 10% grades, but the 11% and 12% ones were simply too steep, and I had to walk. Hopefully, as I get stronger, I will be able to ride these grades in the future.

Miles for the day: 29.76 Feet climbed today: 3,127

Total miles ridden: 147.53 Total feet climbed: 7,189