You don’t need big tires to have fun here, and almost no riders do, but show up with 42mm+ and you’ll have more opportunities for spontaneity Most of these roads are empty. Except for some D9xx connector roads there weren’t more than a handful of cars, just a few tractors. While wide tires are optional, wide gearing is a must have for rides like this with substantial sections of 15%+ grades of broken pavement.
Red terracotta roofs, sun bleached stone walls, dusty vineyard lanes. But the IKEA is still blue. Jenn and I made a multi modal run out to the big blue box in Avignon for some home essentials. Between bikes, trains and deliveries we’re slowly getting the place furnished. The electricity is finally fully functional, but internet service is still in process.
We’re back, and we’ll be back again, because we bought this house. Perched upon the rampart of Caromb, a lively village between Mont Ventoux and Les Dentelles de Montmirail, it has three compact levels and a cellar. The cellar is, well, rustic, but the rest is nice. Built in 1880, it’s one of the newer structures in the village center. So… what are y’all doing before PBP 2027?
Pre-departure spin on the Poudre River, Spring Creek and Mason trails. We’ll miss summer in Fort Collins yet again, but see y’all in the fall! Updates: We made it to Zurich. The bikes did not. Thanks Swiss Airlines. Sigh.
Kinda the best day of the year in Fort Collins. Made the run out to Costco with a belly full of pancakes, parfaits and breakfast tacos.
A summer solstice campout with some Fort Collins bike folks. Many thanks to Road 34 for organizing and New Belgium for supplying sixteen 12-packs for twenty seven people. Tooled out of town, over Horsetooth, up the steep south approach to Stove Prairie, and onto the dirt turn off of Buckhorn Road. With many stops for swimming, and cold malty refreshment, Saturday didn't feel like one of the hottest days of the year. The decent from camp, a few miles short of Pennock Pass, was refreshing and cool, and our small contingent of early risers was back in town before lunch on Sunday.
Early summer afternoons in the mountains are never a sure thing. Today was no exception. We dropped off the car for service and took the usual meandering dirt way up to Gold Hill, turned onto the Peak-to-Peak and dropped down into Nederland for lunch. The rain started promptly at noon. A "Severe Thunderstorm Watch" popped up a couple times, but the thunder was all-bark-no-bite. Descending Magnolia in the damp isn't my idea of a good time, but we made it back to town only mildly damp.
I guess we’re doing audax now.
I neglected to take any photos yesterday, so let's try that again.
Hit the train yet again, but that forced a detour through Whitewater Park. Perched upon a rock, a migrating cormorant. They fly over the house often, but I rarely spot them stationary in Fort Collins. Also, it’s turns out there are two different Coffee Outside groups that meet at the flower gardens on Friday morning.
