About three years ago I rode part of the way up Mt. Evans, but wasn't ready to summit. This year when I saw some friends post on Facebook that they had ridden to the summit, and there were zero cars on the road, I knew Jeremy and I had to do it. I don't know if the road was closed for repairs or for Covid, but it made all the difference in the world. We started our climb at Buchanan Rec Center in Evergreen, and it was 18 miles of climbing to reach the lodge. We refilled our water bottles, took a little pit stop, then rode past the closed gates to start the 14 mile climb up to the top. It was so cool seeing the road covered with other bikers. Everyone was super chill, and we would talk as we rode next to each other or past each other. I was incredibly impressed by the four couples who were pulling up bike chariots with their toddlers, and the nine year old girl who was riding a tandem bike with her dad. There were no breaks in the climb, just a steady grade all the way to the top. The views were spectacular all the way up, but we didn't see any of the famed mountain goats until our descent.
We were really lucky in that the haze that has been harassing us for weeks decided to lift that day and we had perfect views across the mountain range. It wasn't an easy climb. Jeremy and I were both a little nervous when we began because we didn't know how painful it was going to be. It was long. It took us 3:50 to reach the summit from our car. Mt. Evans is also 14,265' tall. We could definitely feel the lack of oxygen for those last few miles. At the top it was one giant party. Because the road was closed to cars, the only way to get to the top was to earn your spot. There were bikers covering the parking lot and lookout areas. All of them were eating lunch, most of them were chatting with each other and getting each other's Strava info so they could follow them, and everyone was in a really good mood since they were done with the hard part.
Both Jeremy and I needed to stretch our backs, since triathlon bikes aren't really meant for that kind of climbing. After we had rested for a bit, we threw on some extra layers to begin the 32.5 miles descent. I didn't have to ride my brakes, which was a relief for my hands, but there was a section near Summit Lake where the road was in really bad shape. It was super rough going over all of those potholes, cracks, and heaved pavement. Back at the car we were relieved to be done, and ready for some food besides a PB&J sandwich!
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