Stage 27 - Frisco CO, 77mi (124km)

Last night I was so knackered! After dinner I went to bed at 8.20PM and slept until this morning 7AM. It was a chilly and cold night but with the sunrise it got warmer soon. 

Rita preparing my breakfast

I had a wonderful breakfast at Rita’s, she specially opened this morning at 8AM for me as I did not want to leave to late in order to make the big clim, Hoosier Pass, today. 

I felt strong this morning and coped very well with the lower levels of oxygen in the air. After coasting back down to rejoin Route 9, I began the climb to Currant Creek Pass, 9’403 feet (2,866m above sea level), the first and lowest of the three passes I have to cross in the Colorado Rockies. The biggie was to climed later this afternoon. However, the wind today made my riding life very hard, a ferocious wind again with 35 to 40mph. The ride had become very difficult and at some point dangerous. It took me 3.5 hours for the 30mi to get to Hartsel. I could not even enjoy the descent on the far side and the road undulating through an empty landscape made it even harder. At Hartsel I stopped for a blueberry pie and coffee and continued to Fairplay, climbing gradually through a high grassland basin watered by the Middle Fork South Platte River. 

 

The first 6mi (8km) was on an off-road bike path that took me to Alma, the highest incorporated town with permanent residents in North America (elevation 10'577 feet + 3'224 m). Back on Route 9, I headed for Hoosier Pass. Traffic was light. Weather conditions were overcast, cold and snowy; the wind was SE which means it had turned to my favor in the meantime. The ascent was gradual at first. Then, with another 4mi (6km) to go, it steepened. It was no steeper than climbs in the Appalachians and I did not need to use my lowest or second lowest gear. Today I just spun the pedals and in no time I was at the top. At 11’539 feet (3,517m) above sea level, Hoosier Pass is the highest point on the TransAm Trail. I was elated to have reached it. Ken pulled off at the parking lot to have a walk with his dog. I asked him to take my photo in front of the sign. 

Eleven miles (17km) of downhill brought me to Breckenridge, a very different town from most of those I have passed through. This one is doing well economically. It caters for affluent tourists enjoying active holidays in the great outdoors. Its main street is filled with outfitters. The big name brands are there; so are plenty of cafes, boutiques, and other retailers. I took the 10mi high quality off-road bike path to Frisco, still descending. Frisco is a similar sort of place to Breckenridge but on a smaller, more human scale. Like Breckenridge, the high mountains surrounding it provide a magnificent backdrop. Cyclists ride up and down the main street, which is full of shops and pedestrian crossings.