Much like California’s aptly named Death Ride, Colorado offers up its version of the long and vertically challenging single day ride with the Triple Bypass. For most cyclists (and non-cyclists alike), names like these conjure up anxiety, fear, and dread, but in some rare cases (like mine), they spawn absolute sheer delight. Just think: in the case of the Triple, what can beat 120 miles of cycling over three mountain passes between 7,000 to 12,000 feet of elevation? If you answered, “finishing it,” you’d be right…ha ha!
Having missed out on the ride in 2009, I was sure to register the exact moment online registration opened in January (I had a friend try just 15 minutes later and he missed the 3,500 rider cap). Then, undeterred by my move to California in April, I cranked out some serious cycling around Santa Monica. Several months and some 50,000 odd vertical feet of climbing later, I returned to Colorado with my bike and grabbed a scant 4 hours of sleep the night before the ride (hey, that’s just par for the course before my long Saturday rides). The next thing I knew the sun was rising on a beautiful day in the mountains and the ride was on.
After 10,000 feet of climbing, 9 cliff bars, 6 bananas, 3 bagels, 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a partridge in a pear tree, I crested Vail pass in a late afternoon thunderstorm and began the final 30 mile descent to Avon (with no crashes this year…hooray!) and the post ride party. Upon arriving, I saw my favorite jersey of the day. I heard there was a Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the course, but seriously, they don’t even come close to Cookie Monster.
When I saw the jersey, it reminded me of this funny gif (below) I saw on wildammo.com a month ago, with the heading “you’ll never experience happiness like this.” Well, I beg to differ. I did experience happiness like that. I finished the ride way faster than before…and felt way better in the process. But I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I had that cookie too!
Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2010 Triple Bypass happen (both for me and everyone else). You know who you are 
.
And PS to the schedulers of the Death Ride and the Triple Bypass: Please schedule these rides on different weekends next year. Some of us actually want to do them both. Thanks.
And PSS – for the first person that tells me what that frosty mug of beer is doing in the lower right hand corner of the Triple Bypass logo above, I’ll buy you a cold one.
