72 Hours till departure

I have signed up for a cycling trip in Costa Rica.

I must first back up and relate the circumstances that have brought me to such a trip and why I signed on.

After trying many things in Durango from climbing peaks to racing motocross, backcountry skiing to mountain biking it was time to see what the excitment about road cycling was all about. I started out by putting skinny tires on my old Yeti PRO FRO and heading out on the roads of LaPlata County solo. After a few times out doing some valley loops I figured I should be ready for the "C" Ride.

You see in Durango we have the:

"A" Ride - mostly top pros, the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team (One of the top rated college cycling teams in the nation) and Ned Overend who just keeps mashing the pedals every year.

"B+" Ride - Everyone who wanted to go Pro, but now has just started to work for a living.

"B -" Ride - A group of mostly working stiffs with enough talent to hang with anybody on any given day and don't say minus they don't like it.

"C" Ride - They rest of the cycling roadies who still want to believe there was a place in the peloton for them, if only things had gone different. Along with the 65 plus crowd who have come to town and can spend 6 days a week on the bike and manage to put in sub 3 hour times to Silverton racing the train in May.

Anyway, after 4 miles out CR 250 I was dropped and nobody cared, much less asked to see if I had a flat tire or if I had blew a nut, nothing, not even a glance.

Now remember this was early May in 2005 and the whole crew had been pedaling their brains out all winter at the local spin classes getting ready for the annual "Iron Horse Bicycle Classic".

Things got better as the season went on and I was finally able to hang on to the peleton most of the time, but came to the realization that I was not destined to become a climber, maybe my brother was right and a motor might be better for getting up hills.

Here I am 3 years later and some how I thought it would be a good idea to join some of the "C" Ride crew on a cycling trip to Costa Rica for 12 days of touring the quaint countryside. Joining me in this adventure will be Graeme Wallace, Jim Gossage, Carl Rand and my good friend Warren Hurley. Also joining us will be 3 of Graeme's friends out of Dallas with Bicycle Bob, Paulo & Nene as our tour guides.

After buying my plane ticket and paying for the rest of the trip I find out that the profile of the elevation looks more like an EKG chart. Nothing but two ways to go, up or down.

We have had the best ski season in years and everytime I try to get in some miles I am tied up at work, the weather sucks and the last case, my bike breaks. Parts are found by a stroke of luck and I will be set for the trip. I am trying to think of all the last minute details, things to bring as well as finish up with most of the projects at the office.

More to come.