Pike's Peak, Colorado,
14,110 Feet / 4300 Meters,
By Tandem Bicycle, Third Attempt,
Summit on 22 September 2012
Above: Dennis and Terry Struck Summitted Pike's Peak, Colorado,
on 22 September, 2012, riding a daVinci Tandem Bicycle.
We made THREE Attempts at Cycling up Pike's Peak
27 August 2011: Accent Failed at 9,000 ft / 2,743 m because
Dennis had Tunnel Vision;
It became Day 1 of Dennis' Late Summer Allergy Season.
16 September 2012: Accent Failed at 10,000 ft / 3048 m
because Terry had Fluid Filling her Lungs;
It was immediately after being at Sea Level for 3 Weeks (no re-acclimation).
Pikes Peak was closed to Cyclists, except for One Bike Race per Year Called the "Assault on the Peak".
We paid $200 each in order to Participate in the Race as Racers,
except we did not give a darn about our finish status or time.
We had just climbed two mountain passes the week before
(on a loaded bike with panniers and gear); both passes were
just under 10,000 ft / 3,048 m and we had no physical issues.
We would go from Manitou Springs (6,228 ft / 1,898 m)
to approximately 9,000 ft / 2,743 m
where Dennis would experience Tunnel Vision while cycling.
This is a known medical symptom for a lack of oxygen -
The Question was Why?
Later learned that this was Day 1 of a Late Summer Allergy Season.
After two wait and rest cycling breaks, on the third Vision problem
we decided to be smart and safe and quit the ascent.
Total Cycling Time: 1 Hr 54 Min.
Total Vertical Elevation: 2,772 ft / 845 m.
Above Left: Off-Load and set-up the da Vinci Tandem, Strip the Bike, and head for the Big Tent.
Above Right: Memorial Park, Manitou Springs, Colorado: The Big Tent, Check-In, Pick Up Info Pack and Free Stuff/Coupons. Doughboy Statue is duly noted - Thanks Guy!
Above Left: People Waiting for the Bicycle Race/Event.
Above Right: Terry is powered up and ready.
Above Left: Hobbit House and Terry.
Above Right: People Waiting for the Bicycle Race/Event.
Above Left: Elliptical Bike and Rider. I cannot figure out the web pants.
Above Right: People Waiting for the Bicycle Race/Event.
Above: Cyclists, take your positions. Experimental (Electric) E-Bike Riders were given a 15 minute head start.
Above Left: Waiting.
Above Right: America the Beautiful, well sung!
Above: Just a few seconds before Go-Time.
The Sound: 3-400 metallic clicks just before the gun, 3-400 metallic clicks immediately after gun.
Above: GO TIME - We're off to the races up Pike's Peak. That's downtown Manitou Springs and Pike's Peak in the background (in the above left image). There is nothing slower than a Tandem going uphill, except maybe a Triple (there are no Triples in this event, maybe four Tandems total).
Above Left: One lane of Hwy 24 is blocked off for us.
Above Right: We're holding our own and we have a nice pace/rhythm.
Above Left: We're passing through the turnoff for Pikes Peak from Hwy 24. The Wines of Colorado Store is on the left hand side.
Above Right: The ascent up to the North Pole Theme Park and Toll Gates for Pikes Peak. On this day, Pikes Peak is closed to all motored vehicle traffic. This segment is One Mother of a climb.
Above Left: The North Pole Theme Park Archway is visible.
Above Right: Portable Sign advertising that the Assault on the Peak bike race is occurring [now].
Above Left: Toll Gates - There is a rest stop here. We thought they were supposed to have Gator Aide and Snacks here, they only have water. It's a downer.
Above Right: Steep climb.
Above Left: Side view.
Above Right: Chipmunk.
Above Left: Steep.
Above Right: Less Steep Climb; our first segment pedaling out of low-low gear.
Above Left: Famous sign: BIG FOOT CROSSING.
Above Right: This is a less steep segment. We are exactly, one mile below the summit. It would be nice if they indicated the actual elevation, its 8,830'/2691m.
We managed to get to 9,000'/2743m before having to turn around -
No Picture.
We learned that the Pike's Peak Highway
(owned by the City of Colorado Springs)
was opened on an experimental basis, to cyclists, only for the month of
September, 2012.
We had just arrived back from 3 weeks of bicycle touring in Sweden (near sea level).
We were, we thought, in pretty good physical shape and the opportunity was there for us to attempt another assent on a Saturday Weekend
We decided to give the ascent another try, we drove to a point, with our tandem bike, just downhill where we terminated our last adventure (at 9,000 ft / 2,743 m) and we started cycling up the peak from there.
We pedaled the most horizontal distance, about 6 miles and only had to climb 1000 feet. We only made it to 10,000 ft / 3,048 m elevation before Terry's breathing became problematic, Terry had Fluid Filling her Lungs! We decided to terminate the ascent right then and there.
We reasoned that Terry needed to re-acclimate to the Colorado altitudes, so just being at home at 7,500 ft / 2,286 m for another week would probably work (and it did work, see the next leg, we make it all the way).
Total Cycling Time: 2 Hr 12 Min.
Total Vertical Elevation: 1,000 ft / 305 m.
Above: We've started about 100 yard/meters downhill from where we ended our ride last year.
Above Left: Fall Foliage.
Above Right: A Rider going home.
Above: Two bikes pass us. The trees are at the height of their fall color at this moment.
Above Left: Friends.
Above Right: More Climbing.
Above: Color.
Above: Dennis and Terry Struck take a little break on the Pike's Peak hill climb.
Above Left: A Little Hill Climb.
Above Right: Crystal Creek Reservoir.
Above Left: Already been up to the top.
Above Right: View from the cockpit.
Above: Pikes Peak in the Fall.
Above: We're biking on some flatter roads and making some distance.
Above Left: Another biker coming down.
Above Right: A backview on one of the switchbacks.
Above: Two views of Crystal Creek Reservoir; one view is quite a bit more elevated and further away.
Above: Self picture from just before we were forced to turn around.
We decided to give the Pike's Peak ascent a third try, we drove to a point, with our tandem bike, just downhill from where we terminated our last adventure (at 10,000 ft / 3,048 m) and we started cycling up the peak from there.
Neither one of us was having extraordinary breathing problems on this day. I was on allergy medication because it was in my late summer allergy season and Terry was in her normal, re-acclimated exercise routines (for normal living at 7,500 ft / 2,286 m above sea level).
The air was thin and thinner as we pedaled uphill. The smoke from the Washington State and Montana forest fires was still breezing through Colorado and causing a little haze and was slightly effectual to breathing; it still affected Terry but not as bad as last week's smoke. Visibility was 7 miles where 100+ miles of visibility is typical (sometimes it's unlimited).
At first we could pedal an average of 300 yards/meters without stopping or running out of breath. As we hit 12,000 ft / 3,650 m we were limited to about 100 yard/meter climbs. There were a couple of level runs at high altitude where we probably traveled a kilometer, twice, with no breathing problems (meaning that we did not have to stop pedaling at all).
Once we were near 14,000 ft / 4,200 m and climbing, we had a difficult time moving 70 yards/meters without having to stop to catch our breath. The last little climbing segment is steep again.
Around 10,500 ft / 3,200 m, a very kindly lady at a rest top saw us resting and asked if she could take some pictures of us (using our camera as well as her camera). We agreed and that was just a really nice gesture and we appreciated it. We thanked her for her generosity and kindness
At about 11,000 ft / 3,350 m some cars going downhill had drivers and passengers shaking cowbells at us. They were yelling encouragements, like 'You can do it', 'You go girl' (hopefully directed to Terry), and my favorite 'What you're doing is awesome'!
We probably had a total of 10 solo cyclists pass us by (we passed no one). All cyclists had a short greeting or word of encouragement, a few said 'See ya at the top'. After some of the cyclists summitted and were on their way back down and they saw us, still advancing, they would yell loudly "You're almost there" or words to that effect and they also Ching-Ching'ed their bike bells.
At around 11,500 ft / 3,500 m we stopped to have a snack (dried mangos and some trail mix with M&Ms - mmmm good). We also put on our light weight jackets, the temperature was dropping. We needed to pedal in order to stay warm. Our pedaling body temperature with jackets on was perfect.
At around 12,500 ft / 3800 m, we witness the only negative event. It wasn't anything directed toward us. We saw a cyclist passing cars going downhill. This is not permitted for any vehicle and it was the cyclist that was misbehaving, it was not a case of a car going too slow downhill. It was a Pike's Peak Road Patrol Truck going uphill with whom the cyclist got caught cheating - Cyclists just don't need people like that and I'd like to apologize for the Jerk's behavior.
At around 13,000 ft / 3,900 m elevation, drivers of cars were shaking cow bells at us again. Meanwhile all of this encouragement is really making us feel good about ourselves. I could not help but think, Who drives around with cowbells in their car? I'm thinking that we probably just met everyone in the USA that drives around with cowbells in their car? It was really cool.
We have got to get some cowbells!
At around 13,500 ft / 4,100 m we see Woodchucks Sunning on the Rocks.
At about 14,000 ft / 4,250 m, just short of the parking lot, another kindly lady ran toward us holding some sort of beverage. We waited. The lady gave us two bottles of Ensure; she said that what we were doing was really cool and that we would probably enjoy a nutritious energy supplement. We thanked her, we only had a few hundred feet to go, but it was a really awesome and appreciated experience. We were working too hard to drink the supplement right then and there, so we carried the little bottles in our jackets.
When we arrived at the parking lot, we dismounted from the bike and we walked our tandem bike up the big Pike's Peak Elevation Sign. I felt a sudden wave of emotion, much similar to standing center Tiananmen Square. This was important to us; this was a Bucket List check; it was even a struggle for us to achieve this goal. I felt good about us. There was a group of people around the Pike's Peak Elevation sign. We learned that a few of them were just waiting to congratulate us, but what was really cool was that the little crowd there parted and they wanted us to cut to the front of the line for us to take pictures next to the sign. We were told to go to the sign, that we deserved it, we had earned the position. I felt very strange, the emotional feelings bubbled again. Later, Terry told me that she almost cried. I said, me too.
Total Cycling Time: 4 Hr 38 Min.
Total Vertical Elevation: 4,110 ft / 1,253 m.
Above Left: We started our third leg at the spot that we had previously turned around, at about 10,000'/3048m. We're uphill from the Half Way Picnic Grounds (half way from the Toll Gate to the Summit, we originally started at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs, Colorado).
Above Right - Crystal Creek Reservoir: We are southwest of Crystal Creek Reservoir now; we biked past the water body on our second leg; we are northwest of the peak at this moment.
Above Left: On shallow sections, I can take pictures while moving.
Above Right: We were stopping to catch our breath at a legitimate pull-off. A lady that was taking pictures on the side of the road came up to us and said that 'What you are doing is awesome'. The nice lady asked if she could take a moving picture of us with our camera, we said Yes and Thank You; She made our day.
Above Left: Pike's Peak.
Above Right: Snack/Lunch Break.
Above: This location and facility is now a midway rest station and it has the tire/brake inspection station. This used to be the old Pikes Peak Ski Area, but it closed in the late 1980s, due to a consistent lack of snow.
The parking lot (not seen, to the right side) is where Bicycle Shops take Cyclists on 'Ride Down the Peak' rides.
Above: For the first time, we are really seeing the world above tree line (aka timberline, it's around 11,500'/3800m).
Above Left: Timberline.
Above Right: Looking Northwest: We're equal to the top of the smoke haze - We're getting smoke from a fire in Washington State and another in Montana. The smoke is affecting Terry's breathing, but she is enduring the inconvenience.
Above Left: We can barely see Crystal Creek Reservoir.
Above Right: Switchbacks.
Above: I can tell you for a fact that my Copilot/Stoker does not like riding on this side of the road, but she would not do this ride with anyone else.
Above Right - AGENDA: We were riding up to a ridgeline saddle that was at 12,000'/3657m. We will cross at the saddle and then ride up a ridgeline to Pikes Peak from the south (heading south). There was snow but the sun kept the snow clear on the south side of the mountain ridge.
It was starting to get cold but we were sweating with effort.
Above Left: We finally put on jackets.
Above Right: Crystal Creek Reservoir (on tele).
Above Left: We're getting closer to the Saddle - it's just an interim objective. We have found snow.
Above Right: Switchbacks always tell a person that it's steep.
Above Left: Eyeing the Saddle. Bike track scares me?
Above Right: Tracks from Big Horn Sheep or Mountain Goats.
Above: This is just too cool!
Above: One level above cool!
Above Left: When the ground freezes at night and thaws during the day, this is what it looks like - This is a good thing to know for bike travelers, especially campers.
Above Right - The Saddle: Lots of people drive up here and then hike the trails north or south on the ridgeline. We still have a couple thousand vertical feet to climb yet.
Above: We get to bike level for about 1.5 miles (3k). That's the good news, the bad news is that it get steep again.
Above Left: We get to ride downhill.
Above Right: We get to ride uphill.
Above Left: Cyclist coming.
Above Right: Rockchucks Sunning (Woodchucks that adapted to rocky environments).
Above Left: Mantra - One cycle at a time, One cycle at a time, ...
Above Right: We're already above all of the other visible mountain tops.
Above: We are now at about 13,000'/4000m and we are pedaling in 100 yard/meter segments/pushes - the air is thin.
Three cars in a row, come down the hill and people are yelling cheers for us.
Some of the people are shaking cow bells at us. It feels good.
I'm thinking, who drives around with cow bells? ... ... ... ... I have to buy some cow bells!
Above Left: You know that it is cold when the water has frozen in place.
Above Right: These are the tracks for the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railroad.
The Cog Train goes to the Summit House, so this is a hint that we are getting close.
Above Left: A lady cyclist yells as she is going down, 'Just one more big turn'.
Above Right: We made the turn; we can see some kind of structure at the top. Just a couple hundred of feet to climb yet, we are at just under 14,000'/4260m elevation.
Above Left: That looks like an information sign at the top.
We have to stop to catch our breath. A lady comes at us from the right side and says 'Way to go guys!' She then said 'You must be exhausted.' She then reached into her big purse and handed us each a bottle of Ensure. We said Thank You. She said 'This will help replenish your nutrition.' We didn't know what to do with the bottle, so we put them in our jacket pockets for later.
We then pedaled the last 8-10 yards/meters of elevation (and saw the next sign).
Above Right: "Summit - You Made It - 14,110'" (4300m).
Above Left: We had trouble getting Terry's mitts off. She was using the windproof/waterproof jacket bags for mittens (they were quite effective).
There were about 17-19 people around taking pictures here, they had either driven up or rode the train up to the summit. All of those people sort of backed away and told us to go ahead and get our pictures, they said that we earned the right of position. We just went with the flow.
Above Right: Dennis and Terry Struck summitted Pike's Peak on 22 September 2012 by Tandem bicycle.
Above: Dennis and Terry Struck summitted Pike's Peak on 22 September 2012 by Tandem bicycle.
It was too hazy from the forest fire smoke to try to take panorama pictures from the top.
At the Summit House, we had the best Hot Chocolate and Vanilla Laté ever.
Left: Stuffed Big Horned Sheep and Bear Cub.
Center: Trophy Hats.
Right: Hiking Cairn.
We had quite the fun-filled exciting adventure.
We hope that the Pikes Peak Highway experiment
becomes open full time to cyclists.
2011-08-27: Accent Failed at 9,000 ft / 2,743 m because
Dennis had Tunnel Vision;
It became Day 1 of Dennis' Late Summer Allergy Season.
2012-09-16: Accent Failed at 10,000 ft / 3048 m
because Terry had Fluid Filling her lungs;
It was immediately after being at Sea Level for 3 Weeks (no acclimation).
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