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Ty's Ride for the Cure

Los Angeles-Boston

 

 

 

 

Day 14-Albuquerque, NM-Santa Fe, NM

66.6 miles (official miles, mine are always slightly more)

4:53 time, 14.0 average

5,700 feet of climbing

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 We took off from Albuquerque in the morning around 7:15 a.m.  It was a warm and sunny day as we climbed out of Albuquerque to Sandia Peak at 7,000 feet.  The actual top of Sandia Peak is over 10,000 feet.  We all knew it was going to be a tough climbing day and we were certainly correct in that.  We ended up climbing 5,700 feet for the day, so it ended up being a long day in the saddle for the 68.4 mile ride.  I was only able to average 14 mph in the hills with the ride taking 4 hours and 53 minutes.  Well, that’s enough of the technical jargon.  For those of you playing our home addition of the game, trying sitting on a 6” bicycle seat for 5 hours.  Don’t even worry about pedaling or hills, just sit.  Read the newspaper or whatever.  One day of that and you’ll confirm your suspicions that I am crazy.

The ride was really pretty and rivaled the ride to Sedona last week. We took the scenic Highway 14 byway and didn't even sniff the interstate. No flats either.    The days and the hotels are beginning to blend together.  I even forget which room I’m in.  I can always remember the room I was in yesterday.  Last week, I put my key in the wrong door and it opened, although I would like to believe the door was partly ajar.  There was a naked man on the bed smoking while on the cell phone.  And you want to know why we bike.  How miserable can a person be. 

I will let the pictures speak for themselves as we went through Madrid (pronounced MAD, rid) in a dusky New Mexico drawl, whatever that is.  They are shooting a movie there with Tim Allen and John Travolta.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a pic with Kelly Preston, nor did I see her.  We had a 3-4 mile downhill into Madrid where we dropped over a 1,000 feet of elevation hitting speeds of over 40mph.  The only problem in biking is that what goes down must go up (this isn’t Newtonian physics, but Eddie Mercx physics).  So, we climbed back up to over 7,000 feet for the second time of the day up into Santa Fe under pretty hot temperatures.

And for the questions that I get.  Is it really that hard to ride almost 100 miles a day and climb hills.  The answer is yes, and yes your legs are sore almost every day for at least the first ten miles or so.  Then they get warmed up with the blood flowing.  It is hard, but very rewarding both mentally and physically. Check on my mental condition in another two weeks.   

In Santa Fe it is hard to tell the homeless from the people who are just hanging out.  They look the same and act the same and talk the same, except that the latter are able to eat Hagen Daz ice cream on the corner or lunch at Tia Sophias as they hang out.  We did see where Billy the Kid was imprisoned before being transferred.  If you recall in history he was at the center of the Lincoln County wars.  I think they are trying to prove with DNA evidence that Pat Garrett his friend really didn’t kill him.  You’ll have to Google it up to get the true story instead of the Ty story.  And there was a neat monument erected to a great battle where we defeated the Indians in 1881, I believe or something like that.  In the ultimate act of political correctness the monument had the tribe’s name chiseled out.  In the ultimate acts of revenge the Indians now get to sell authentic Indian art on the old governors grounds to tourist at robust prices during the day and operate casinos at night.  At least we didn’t give them all the water rights too.  Well that’s all there is about that.

Signing off for another day.

   

I couldn't seem to get a good shot of Sandia moutain. This is the best there is. Direct any complaints to the mgt.

 
Looking back toward Albuquerque or at least thats what I remember.
 
The New Mexico landscape. I had to correct my biking friends. This isn't desert its ranchland.
   
Another shot of the New Mexico landscape.
 
This is always a good sign. It means we are at the top.
 
Whee and you thought Kennywood was fun. Hitting 40 mph is fun and there is no operator to stop the ride-only yourself.
   
Me at the Santa Fe city limits. Exhilirating.
 
Ty riding in downtown Madrid. Photo by Jim Hall.
 
This pretty much sums up the Madrid business community.