Toughest Guy on Two Wheels

Shauna Farnell

Jimbo taking a breather on the climbing stretch.

Jim manages to smile up the first hill.

The awesome River Ride scenery will help anyone keep going.

The ride came with its ups and downs. And ups ...

And there he goes ... Jimbo nears the homestretch.

My 62-year-old stepdad was hoping he was the oldest guy to complete the 68-mile course of the 2007 Colorado-Eagle River Ride. Sadly, this is not the case, as a 74-year-old finished the 102-mile ride. That's to say nothing of the 20-rider peloton that crossed the finish line first in 4 hours and 42 minutes. Unsurprisingly, 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis - who signed up for the charity ride last-minute - was among the frontrunners.But you know what? Those guys didn't work that hard because they drafted each other the whole way.OK ... maybe they worked kinda hard.Still, the guy I'm most impressed with today is Jim (my stepdad). The 2007 River Ride was his third attempt and he was hell-bent on reaching Dotsero. In 2005, he and my mom attempted the ride on 65-pound hybrids and made it to about mile No. 45. Last year mom had a horrible crash and hitched a ride with a sagwagon. Jimbo caught the next wagon at about mile No. 50 and met her at the clinic.Although he's really tough and athletic, Jim doesn't necessarily fit into the ultra lean, elite cyclist genre shared by about 90 percent of the individuals who do this ride. That didn't deter him. But something else did. On top of the weight of his um, spare tire, Jim began the 2007 ride with a heavy heart. After carefully packing his bike bag with driver's license, credit cards and $100 cash, he put his bike on the back of the car, drove to Avon from Breckenridge Sunday morning, only to discover he'd forgotten to zip up the bag and that, by the time we reached the pancake breakfast in Avon, it was empty and some lucky dog on Interstate 70 was likely skipping around with its contents. Nonetheless, we inhaled some pancakes and were among the last to pedal off the start line at 8 a.m. (Note to future riders: When they say it's a "rolling start" from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., unless you're Floyd Landis, aim to start closer to 7). The first 12 miles to Wolcott flew by effortlessly. We even passed some people. But Jimbo began feeling the tug during the 1,200 vertical feet of climbing to the first aid station, which was, naturally, already being dismantled by the time we showed up. The stretch to the second aid station is by far the most enjoyable part of the ride ... nearly all downhill and along the Colorado River. By mile No. 40 however, we were clearly the last riders on the course, and the last to reach the second aid station. Luckily, there were still plenty of Oreos and Fig Newtons left. Jim and I ate 300 each and I gave him a head start up the hill that kicks off the 28-mile homestretch of our ride. Poor Jimbo was on his bike for about 30 seconds when, after some difficulty getting clicked into his pedals, tipped over and got bloody. A few Aleve later (thanks, Aid Station No. 2!), we were back in business. Only, we still had 28 miles to ride with no aid station and Jimbo REALLY wanted to quit.Jim: "You know what? I don't think I can make it."Me: "Are you serious? There's only like, 28 miles to go."Jim: "I'm not enjoying this. I'm tired. I'm bleeding. And my butt really hurts."Me: "Well, why don't we just ride up this er ... hill, and see if you feel any better."There were hills. We went up. We went down. Jimbo ignored my suggestions of pedaling hard in the big chain ring on the flats in order to keep his cadence up.Me: "A little pedaling goes a long way on these sections ..."Jim: "Yeah ... that's if you have the energy to pedal."Me: "Oh. Right."I decided to restore some of Jimbo's fortitude by bringing the horizon in a little closer. We're at about 22 miles and counting and no aid station in between. So we made our OWN aid station. In our heads. We had sweaty Oreos. We had warm water. Hopefully there would be some shade. We would take a break in 10 miles with 12 left to go. There were plenty of hills left to climb. I knew Jimbo was suffering. I put my drill sergeant hat on. Me: "Yeah, Jimbo! Almost there! Go! Go! Go! Go!"Jim: (Grunts. Gasps).Imagine doing something and being absolutely exhausted and fed up. You're totally exerting yourself and wanting to die. In this mindset, one would applaud a person who trudged another seven or eight miles to reach their goal. Jimbo trudged 28. That's 28 miles. With hills. In the heat. You should all be clapping for Jimbo right now. We rolled into Dotsero after more than six and a half hours. The aid station was gone. The water was gone. Jimbo could hardly stand. But he did it. Anyone who's ever suffered through something, swearing all the while they will never do it again, knows that feeling of accomplishment upon reaching the finish. And because the human memory has a useful way of submerging the suffering, sometimes we even sign up for the same all over again. That's why I think I can talk Jimbo into doing this ride again next year.2007 Colorado-Eagle River Ride Wrap:Fastest finish: Floyd Landis and the fast pack - 102 miles in 4 hours, 42 minutesSlowest finish: Me and Jimbo - 68 miles in 6 hours and 35 minutesWildlife seen along the way: Deer, chipmunk, coyote, porcupineIce Cream truck indulgences: Me: Strawberry Shortcake. Jimbo: Ice cream sandwichGot Colorado-Eagle River Ride stories? Share them by posting a comment below.

Photo Gallery

Nearly 1,000 cyclists, including one Floyd Landis, gathered in Avon Sunday, July 29, to ride 42, 68 or 102 miles to raise money for the Snowboard Outreach Society. Put it down as one of the best rides all year.

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A couple of cyclists ink a last-minute registration for the Colorado-Eagle River Ride, which hit a record of almost 1,000 participants.

Shauna Farnell

Video

The Colorado-Eagle River Ride

The only thing better than pedaling 100 miles, 100 kilometers or some variation of either is doing it for charity. The Colorado-Eagle River Ride saw almost 1,000 participants in 2007 and proceeds from the beautiful day on two wheels went to Snowboard Outreach Society.