Distance: 44.35 miles
Elevation gain: 2,728 feet
Avg speed: 13.2 mph
Max speed: 38.8 mph
Moving time: 3:22:01
Wow. That was some nap. I took full advantage of the early day today and was able to get my video posted before dinner. I originally planned to write this post after dinner, but decided to take an after-dinner “nap” first. Two and a half hours later, here I am. Still, I don’t regret it - it felt great!
This morning I found myself having trouble getting up, followed by rushing around to the point where I made it to the front of the hotel in the nick of time! (Yes, I did manage to squeeze in breakfast.) Anyway, I departed Prescott (I say “I” and not “we” because by the time I was ready to roll, many of the riders were already a few minutes up the road) at about 7:40am, bound for Cottonwood by way of Mingus Mountain. The first part of the route was along a pretty nice road with a narrow bike lane on the right, but we soon found ourselves on the shoulder of a highway once again. The weather was brisk at the start, but about ten miles in I found myself getting a bit too warm, so at my first gel stop I decided to shed the arm and leg warmers, put some sunscreen on the newly-exposed skin, and continue on. And by that point I was truly bringing up the rear. Still, I did eventually manage to catch a FEW people at least. It’s not a race. I need to keep telling myself that.
Soon I found myself beginning to tackle the day’s challenge - the climb up Mingus Mountain. The climb seemed to begin long before we got to the base of the mountains, with a false flat that lasted for miles! Eventually though, I was there and it was time to put on my climbing legs. This climb was bigger than the Yarnell Pass from yesterday, but I thought it was actually easier. Yarnell was a pretty steady but nonstop and unrelenting climb, whereas Mingus was more “stair-steppy,” with a series of steeper parts interspersed with flatt(er) areas to give you a chance to catch your breath. At the top, we had reached an elevation of 7,023 feet (as evidenced by the sign below). Our SAG stop for the day was at the summit, followed by an AMAZING descent. Amazing both for the speeds we COULD have hit (were it not for the rough pavement and my apparent lack of “guts”), and for the absolutely breathtaking views on the way down, especially in the second half of the descent. (There was a first part, followed by a brief climb before being rewarded with a nonstop descent of several thousand feet all the way to the hotel.) Of course, we didn’t go straight to the hotel - it wasn’t even noon yet! On the descent, we passed through the town of Jerome, which is quite literally built into the side of the mountain! Once in Jerome, we all stopped at the Haunted Hamburger for lunch. Along the way to Jerome though, I met up with Steve, one of the riders in our group, who recorded an impromptu “interview” with me, which he was kind enough to let me use in the day’s video!
After lunch, we headed to Cottonwood for our overnight stay. Got there too early though, and had to wait for our rooms. Anyway, I still had ample time to shower, wash my cycling clothes from the day’s ride, and edit and post my video before heading over to dinner.
We all had dinner at a diner that is diagonally across from the hotel, the Black Bear Diner. Dinner was delicious, and the portions were HUGE! And now, here I am.
Anyway, here are some photos from the day:
And, of course, the video of the day. It’s not as long as some of the other videos, so be sure to watch the special feature toward the end, courtesy of Steve:
That’s all for today. Tomorrow we head to Flagstaff, another climbing day, where we will be rewarded with a well-earned rest day. See you there!
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