More Rides

Pi Guy and I have been on three rides since last post. A break in good health for Pi Guy (a cold) and a change in the weather to the colder extreme prevented us from getting out for almost a week.

(I thought that this would put us behind schedule, but I was wrong.)

Getting out again, I was considering Pi Guy's endurance, and suggested that we ride up to the Austin Bluffs, Union Blvd. intersection where there has been a large intersection project. It would be about four miles round trip, and give us a chance to more closely look at the progress of the construction.

New to Pi Guy was the underpass under Union, and the path parallel to Union. Familiar with our usual route to Rocky Mountain Calvary, Pi Guy said that we could even bicycle there on this path.

Rather than back track and return home, with Pi Guy's approval, we headed up the bicycle path parallel to Austin Bluffs, to the east.


At the access to Palmer Park we picked up a gravel road that took us up into Palmer Park. The incline near the end of the gravel portion, our inexperience, and the type of tires on our bicycles cause us both to spin our tires. But we persevered. The rest of the ride was on the asphalt road that runs through the Park. And it was down hill from the crest of the park to home. The whole distance was about six miles.

Our next ride was somewhat more intense for our inexperienced legs. We headed out to the Pikes Peak Greenway, and went up the Sinton Trail. The Sinton trail has a steady incline until it meets up with the Mesa Trail, which we would then take to the south.

I thought that we would have an incline down as soon as we were on Mesa Trail. I'm wrong a lot. We still had more hill to climb before enjoying some coasting.

Even the first coast was short lived as we had to climb from the 30th Street, Mesa Road intersection to the top of the hill by the Garden of the Gods Club. Pi Guy slipped his chain again, and was tempted to walk his bike up the rest of the hill. I restrung his chain and prevailed in encouraging him to take the rst of the hill on the bike.

Once at the top of the hill, we had an extended coast along Mesa Road until we came to the I-25 pedestrian/bicycle overpass. We stopped in the park on the east side of I-25 by Fountain Creek. A blue heron was just finishing eating in front of us, then flew away downstream. Then we returned home. This trip out was about 12 miles and tougher on our legs.

The last trip out was just a day later and a repeat of our trips out to the end of the Rock Island trail at Powers Blvd. Although the temperatures were in the high seventies, maybe eighties, the next two days were supposed to be a return to winter, not fit for fair weather cyclists like us.

Rock Island Trail

Pi Guy and I went for a second ride the same week. This was also about twelve miles. Our access to the Rock Island Trail is almost immediate from our home and from here to Powers Boulevard is relatively flat for about six miles. We've done parts of the trail as a family, and I used, fairly regularly, three or four miles, as part of my bicycle commute to work.

The Rock Island Trail does have its challenges, however, some of which I am familiar. The trail parallels Constitution Avenue. The intersections pose dangers, if, as a bicyclist, you observe and use the pedestrian crossing.

I have seen from my bicycle perch some nasty auto accidents being pulled from the Union, Constitution intersection. The next intersection, Circle and Constitution, is set up the same way. I had seen, here, a cyclist that had been hit, broad side, and flung from his bicycle. I was in time to hear his vocal chords match the pitch of the approaching sirens.

Academy, Constitution again is similar, but the Academy cross traffic is much, much heavier. I have been nearly clipped on numerous occasions. People in automobiles often times find the crosswalk a convenient place to stop to observe oncoming traffic when they are attempting to turn on to Constitution. At times their eyes are looking in the wrong direction to see you entering the crosswalk with the ped x-ing light.

Another time, a cyclist was actually road cycling on Constitution. He was excellently outfitted with wetsuit, a really (!) nice road bike, and great training as exhibited by his velocity. He thought that he would be able to run a yellow, almost red, traffic light at Academy.

He was wrong. Five lanes of northbound traffic began to move as he crossed the southbound lanes. He almost had to put his bike down, but turned south into the outside, of the three southbound lanes.

I'm glad that all I had to do was shake my head, and not make a cell phone call for an ambulance for him. 8<) But what a bad reputation he gives the road cyclist. Recognizing these perils Pi Guy and I had a good ride out to Powers and back.

On the return trip we head back toward Pikes Peak. Here's a morning view.