Emily's Bike and Build Adventure!: Into Colorado

The rides finishing out New Mexico were definitely some of the best yet. Gorgeous landscapes filled the Land of Enchantment as we had lots of downhills and tailwinds. We reached more than 8,200 feet a few times and got to max out those descents. I hit my record at 41.9 mph. Noah, a fellow rider, reached 52.5 mph on a downhill into Dolce, NM which is both terrifying and impressive at the same time. Anything faster than 35 could definitely do some damage if anything goes wrong so we choose the hills that we bomb wisely.

Riding into Durango, Colorado, I swept with Tucker- one of our strongest riders. It was supposed to be a 112 mile day but a reroute set the mileage to 120- the most for our trip and some of the highest mileage for any Bike and Build trips. The day was filled with flat tires, bike issues, and massive, mountainous climbs. Because we were in the back all day we had time to do things like the Pint Challenge, which involved eating a pint of ice cream while on your bike with no spoon or other utensils.

It was a great day until about mile 100, where I bonked (a physical and mental crash) and was running out of water with more than an hour until the host. It was such a weird feeling because even though I felt so miserable and exhausted, I was so determined to finish the ride. The van started picking up riders as we approached dinner time but they gave us the go-ahead to continue riding. We both wanted it so badly. At around mile 114 Tucker got his sixth flat of the day and we had run out of tools to fix it. We waved over a couple in a truck and they were kind enough to take us to the church we were staying at during our time in Durango. I felt defeated but still proud of our day's accomplishments.

After dinner Kalli called me over to meet someone that had come to visit me. I knew that I didn't have any family or friends in the area so I was a little confused but when I walked outside I was greeted by Mary, a childhood friend of my Grandma Linda's. She attended the church we were staying and my grandma had mentioned to her that we'd be riding through her town. Although we had never met, the gesture brought me to tears. It was the perfect end to a long day into Durango.

We spent one night camping at Abiqui Lake, NM. Needless to say I was in the water before I could even take my helmet off.