Meeting with the Mayor

Last night was cold - a mixture of altitude and storms - and I had to put on my beanie hat for the first time!

We stayed under a shelter in the town of Hartsel and were surrounded by mountains. If you have seen a documentary called Ride the Divide (about the great divide mountain bike race) the town features in it, so that was quite cool. I was tucked in my sleeping bag by 8pm, but kept awake by coyotes.

This morning we found a bar for breakfast that had the Wimbledon final. I really feel sorry for Murray.

So, if you have seen my latest photos you will know that I have crossed the Continental Divide, i.e. the watershed now flows into the Pacific. We also reached our highest point on the route. The climb was not too steep, but the air was noticably thin, and that made it tough. The scenery was spectacular and there were still patches of snow on some of the summits.

At the top, we ran into a man called John, who had climbed up from the other side on his racing bike. While talking, we asked if he knew about camping at Breckenridge (world famous ski resort). Next thing is we are invited to stay at his house, plus he's the Mayor of Breck! What an amazing show of hospitality - three smelly bikers invited to stay in a beautiful mountain house. It is encounters like this that make this trip awesome!

Breckenridge is a cool town - very outdoorie. There are hikers, cyclists, climbers, etc, and we ran into a stunt bike event (see photos). I like this place a lot and I bet it is awesome in the winter.

So as I write this, I am lying in a luxurious double bed with breakfast ordered for tomorrow. Who said cycling across the USA would be tough?!