Posted by Jo Fanelli on 5/29/2007 on Jo Fanelli's blogI could see the thunder clouds looming over the mountain range where the Colfax Coal Rush endurance ride was to be held. As I drove closer to base camp a crackling rod of lightning struck across the sky. The radio station went off the air. I thought this is going to be a scary ride.
By morning the clouds were gone and the sky was blue. The ground was muddy, but that didn't stop us from hustling down the trail. I rode the 55-miler with Arrow. We started in the middle of the pack of about 20 riders. Just as I thought he would do, he slowed to the back of the pack when we started the climb up the first mountain. The views from the trail were endless. We could see the Tinaja Plains and the snow capped peaks of Colorado. There is a steep and narrow part of the trail called Cupcake, which was like riding in frosting because of the mud. The clouds rolled in in the afternoon and kept the sun off of us, which was really nice. It is surprising how hot it can get in the mountains. We took 12 hours to complete the ride.
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