For what its worth....seems to get the emotions running!!

My boss was at a eagle valley restaurant and had a quick chat with Landis (floyd came over to his table after learning he was a cyclist). He said he is gonna ride Copper Triangle on Saturday. He must be statying in Vail and not Aspen these days??

Have a great ride Saturday for those that are attending.

If it's like the Eagle River Ride, then he'll be in a fairly good size group. He wears a kind of burnt-orange kit, with a matching helmet of course. The sponsors on the kit are where he had his hip surgery.

For all those riding, have a great ride.

He must have been eating my dust 'cause I never saw him. :D

Great ride today, cool, cloud cover, little to no wind-good day to go fast. I've done all the parts before, never the whole loop. Cruised it all easily till I was reminded how steep that west side approach to Vail pass is. Still, it's a great ride, well organized, not a zoo like some of the others.

First time to do this ride and it was really a great event. The last 4 miles to the top of Vail Pass were a real challenge for my flatlander legs and had me wishing I had brought a triple. The Battle Mountain section was definitely the highlight for me-- exposure and scenery was incredible (but the descent off of Fremont Pass was a rush, too...)

Then there was the guy that rode the whole thing on a unicycle! Unbelievable.

The ride orgamizers really did a nice job putting this event together. We'll be back again next year for this one.

The unicycle was crazy. Saw Floyd at the rest stop at the base of Vail Pass.

I also cruised easy until East Vail. Vail pass got to me. I was climbing at the same speed as the wind, which gave me absolutely no cooling effect. I stopped a few times to cool off. I'm going to keep doing that ride until I have a good Vail pass !

Overall a great ride and I'll be back next year. Love the decents on all the passes. Those are just a blast.

The unicycle guy was crazy. I passed him between Leadville and Tenessee Pass. He was making okay time. He had to have some crazy downhills. He also must have started when it was totally dark out. Wonder when he finished.

I had a really good ride. The mountains, cloud-shrouded early in the morning, were just beautiful. And I have to say, this is a LOT easier than the Triple Bypass. It's not really hard until the second half of the Vail Pass climb, which might have lulled some of the riders into not eating / drinking enough. There were a lot of people walking, stopping, resting. I saw one or two slumped over the handlebars. That climb did go on and on.

I got to chat with Connie Carpenter for a couple miles up Fremont Pass. I was sorta retro-looking Saturday, with my red Mercian, fenders, Carradice bag, and wool jersey. She commented on the setup and I asked about how she got to be rider number 2 (I had an idea) and so we rode and talked for maybe ten minutes. Nice, friendly person, and a pleasure to talk with.

I didn't see Floyd, but my riding partner's wife did, at the bottom of Vail Pass.

My wife drove the route to support my efforts, with plans on meeting me at every other aid station. She passed me on the Battle Mountain climb, then on the downhill had some overanxious tandemeer crawl up her bumper, waving her off like Rassmussen going up the Pyrenees, then curse her and call her a "*****" and other choice words because she wasn't going fast enough. She pulled over the yellow line in a clear spot to let him pass to the right, but he chose to stay behind her and complain. She stopped when she saw a cop and complained to him. The cop asked for the rider's number, and then he would ticket him. She was too shook up to get the number, so no ticket for him.

On that same descent, I saw half a dozen riders weaving in and out of a line of six cars, crossing the yellow line, and generally being really dangerous.

My wife is a very cautious driver, extremely respectful of cyclists, and very conscious about safety. The guy on the tandem endangered her, himself, his stoker, oncoming traffic, and other riders around him because he wanted to go faster. The riders around me did the same. I was astounded to witness the carelessness and unsafe practices of some riders, who then give the rest of us a bad name.

This was my GBA ride - Glad to Be Alive - and was the first of my regular summer charity rides since cancer surgery in December. Every ache, pain, drop of sweat and muscle cramp, and the hardest parts of Vail pass felt so sweet. It was very emotional, and I cried as I finished.

It is great to be alive, to be able to do this stuff, and to tell the stories that come from them.

I didn't see Floyd, but my riding partner's wife did, at the bottom of Vail Pass.

My wife drove the route to support my efforts, with plans on meeting me at every other aid station. She passed me on the Battle Mountain climb, then on the downhill had some overanxious tandemeer crawl up her bumper, waving her off like Rassmussen going up the Pyrenees, then curse her and call her a "*****" and other choice words because she wasn't going fast enough. She pulled over the yellow line in a clear spot to let him pass to the right, but he chose to stay behind her and complain. She stopped when she saw a cop and complained to him. The cop asked for the rider's number, and then he would ticket him. She was too shook up to get the number, so no ticket for him.

On that same descent, I saw half a dozen riders weaving in and out of a line of six cars, crossing the yellow line, and generally being really dangerous.

My wife is a very cautious driver, extremely respectful of cyclists, and very conscious about safety. The guy on the tandem endangered her, himself, his stoker, oncoming traffic, and other riders around him because he wanted to go faster. The riders around me did the same. I was astounded to witness the carelessness and unsafe practices of some riders, who then give the rest of us a bad name.

This was my GBA ride - Glad to Be Alive - and was the first of my regular summer charity rides since cancer surgery in December. Every ache, pain, drop of sweat and muscle cramp, and the hardest parts of Vail pass felt so sweet. It was very emotional, and I cried as I finished.

It is great to be alive, to be able to do this stuff, and to tell the stories that come from them.

Glad you survived the ride - and your cancer.

Just a question? Not trying to offend. Why pay for the ride and support if your wife is going to drive along and provide support anyways. If that's the case then you can do it any old weekend. I also thought I saw somewhere that they asked folks not to have their own support following along. If they didn't have it in the ride instructions I would be surprised. The ride has great support. There isn't a need for private support on this ride.

I would have also been upset at a slow car taking the fun out of the decents. I wouldn't have been quite as extreme as the tandem guy, but I would have been upset. I work hard for the downhills - and so does everyone else. The fun part of the ride is the payback of the grinding up the hills.

A kind word of advice, and I think most riders would also agree. Have your wife drop you off at the start, go shopping at the outlets and meet you at the finish. If we all had our private sag wagons, the course would be a nightmare and not a lot of fun to ride. It's courteous as a rider of an organized ride to not crowd the course with private sags.

Have fun & take care

I had a really good ride. The mountains, cloud-shrouded early in the morning, were just beautiful. And I have to say, this is a LOT easier than the Triple Bypass. It's not really hard until the second half of the Vail Pass climb, which might have lulled some of the riders into not eating / drinking enough. There were a lot of people walking, stopping, resting. I saw one or two slumped over the handlebars. That climb did go on and on.

Yea I agree this ride is not comparable to the Triple in difficulty. I had the same experience, and for awhile I wondered if a Double Triangle would be possible-I kinda let go of that idea by the end of Vail Pass. This is a very fun, aesthetic ride, it avoids some of the grind it out qualities you get into on the Triple. Glad to see everyone else enjoyed it as much.

Moneyman, congrats on your achievement, glad to have you and your wife out there. I do agree with Chain's comments, and hope his courteous response did not offend. In the end it's your ride to do as you choose-you certainly deserve it.

The unicycle guy was crazy. I passed him between Leadville and Tenessee Pass. He was making okay time. He had to have some crazy downhills. He also must have started when it was totally dark out. Wonder when he finished.

We were chilling after the ride at Copper and saw him come in between 3:30 and 4. He got a standing ovation when he crossed the line. Pretty amazing.

Glad you survived the ride - and your cancer.

Just a question? Not trying to offend. Why pay for the ride and support if your wife is going to drive along and provide support anyways. If that's the case then you can do it any old weekend. I also thought I saw somewhere that they asked folks not to have their own support following along. If they didn't have it in the ride instructions I would be surprised. The ride has great support. There isn't a need for private support on this ride.

I would have also been upset at a slow car taking the fun out of the decents. I wouldn't have been quite as extreme as the tandem guy, but I would have been upset. I work hard for the downhills - and so does everyone else. The fun part of the ride is the payback of the grinding up the hills.

A kind word of advice, and I think most riders would also agree. Have your wife drop you off at the start, go shopping at the outlets and meet you at the finish. If we all had our private sag wagons, the course would be a nightmare and not a lot of fun to ride. It's courteous as a rider of an organized ride to not crowd the course with private sags.

Have fun & take care

To cheer me on, not to act as my SAG. I did give her my jacket after the weather warmed up, but that's not why she was there.

And as was easily observeable, she wasn't the only one supporting a rider.

But that's not really the point of the story. The highways were not closed, and the safety instructions on the website say things like:

"Ride to the right. Leave room for others to pass on your left. There have been many close calls because a passing rider was forced into the lane with oncoming traffic."

"The greatest threat to your well-being on the route is not cars or trucks but other cyclists. Many riders may be riding for the first time surrounded by thousands of other cyclists. And, while this circumstance promotes certain euphoria, it also holds hidden dangers, i.e., running into each other and falling down." (http://coppertriangle.com/safety.html)

And while I can't confirm where I read it, I do believe I read that crossing the yellow line is not only unsafe, but illegal. The riders around me fell into that category. The tandemeer didn't exactly adhere to the "ride on the right" rule, either. And all those signs that say "Share the road"? Share implies more than one party, don't you think? That means that cars should be courteous to cyclists, and vice versa. I guess the tandemeer didn't sign on to the vice versa part.

The part that disturbs me about your response, though, is the following:

I would have also been upset at a slow car taking the fun out of the decents. I wouldn't have been quite as extreme as the tandem guy, but I would have been upset. I work hard for the downhills - and so does everyone else. The fun part of the ride is the payback of the grinding up the hills.

I like to go downhill fast, too. But this is a public highway, lots of bikes, weekend traffic both ways, winding roads with lots of blind spots. "Fun" on the descents doesn't mean "reckless abandon". You still have to maintain control so you don't endanger everyone else around you. There is no right to go 50 mph on a downhill if its not safe. The tandemeer used awful judgment and endangered everyone around him. Somehow I fail to see how my wife was at fault for his irresponsible acts. BTW - she was going the speed limit. If that's "slow", then there's one more law that you seem to be okay with overlooking.

That's the one part that's really scary about these rides, and I have done many of them. People bombing down these mountain roads without any consideration is extraordinarily dangerous. In fact, there's a thread that you were a part of (http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=87960) where one poster describes his experience of a guy in the TBP who was riding like those guys around me and/or the tendemeer. The real surprise is that it doesn't happen more often.

Sorry, but my wife was not at fault in any manner. And if you subscribe to the "I go fast because its my right" theory, do me a favor and let me know when you're riding. That way I can make sure to either be ahead of or behind you.

Glad you survived the ride - and your cancer.

Just a question? Not trying to offend. Why pay for the ride and support if your wife is going to drive along and provide support anyways. If that's the case then you can do it any old weekend. I also thought I saw somewhere that they asked folks not to have their own support following along. If they didn't have it in the ride instructions I would be surprised. The ride has great support. There isn't a need for private support on this ride.

I would have also been upset at a slow car taking the fun out of the decents. I wouldn't have been quite as extreme as the tandem guy, but I would have been upset. I work hard for the downhills - and so does everyone else. The fun part of the ride is the payback of the grinding up the hills.

A kind word of advice, and I think most riders would also agree. Have your wife drop you off at the start, go shopping at the outlets and meet you at the finish. If we all had our private sag wagons, the course would be a nightmare and not a lot of fun to ride. It's courteous as a rider of an organized ride to not crowd the course with private sags.

Have fun & take care

After reading that thread I referenced in my other response, its apparent that you really don't get it, do you? You tell the guy who got hit by a TBP rider that he should stay off the road that weekend. You tell me that my wife should go shopping and not cheer her husband so you and the tandemeer can go at break kneck speed down a mountain road. Share the road means just that. Absolving stupid and unsafe riders because they paid a fee and believe the have an unrestricted right to go fast is just ignorance.

Again - please post here when you ride so I can avoid being in the same time zone as you.

.

Yea I agree this ride is not comparable to the Triple in difficulty. I had the same experience, and for awhile I wondered if a Double Triangle would be possible-I kinda let go of that idea by the end of Vail Pass. This is a very fun, aesthetic ride, it avoids some of the grind it out qualities you get into on the Triple. Glad to see everyone else enjoyed it as much.

Moneyman, congrats on your achievement, glad to have you and your wife out there. I do agree with Chain's comments, and hope his courteous response did not offend. In the end it's your ride to do as you choose-you certainly deserve it.

I actually did a double triangle back in 2001 training for the Denver Aspen double century. Rode it with a partner clockwise (the way the current ride goes) and then turned and did it the opposite way. Clockwise is the harder direction. Took about 12 - 13 hours if I remember correctly. I have never heard of anyone else doing it twice. Has anyone else out there been so crazy??

A little touchy aren't we....

I was just trying to suggest that.. ah crap... no more sugar..... If your wife is going to drive the course, especially a mountain course, then she's going to get yelled at, screamed at and maybe even a water bottle thrown at her if she slows the cyclist on the downhills. Not that it's right to do that, but if she's a 'cautious' driver, then she's going to be slowing cyclists. Cyclists are going to be pissed.

If all 3,000 riders had their personal cheering car, then we might as well go ride I-70 on the weekend. It would be just as much fun and just as safe. Obviously it's all about your wife's rights to drive like grandma and not about any consideration of your fellow cyclists. A vast majority of cyclist doing that ride are very experienced. They know how to decend and be relatively safe at speeds that * oh my god * exceed the posted speed limit. What a shocker!

BTW, my daughter would have loved to have seen me on the course and at the rest stops. They were up there and she wanted to watch, but my wife and her went for a hike and did some shopping. No need for them to be on the course regardless if it was open or not.

Have fun and I hope to see you and only you on the ride next year.

After reading that thread I referenced in my other response, its apparent that you really don't get it, do you? Idjust happen, so do accidents, but having grandma drive the course isn't helping.

You tell the guy who got hit by a TBP rider that he should stay off the road that weekend.
Nope, but given the choice, I bet he would avoid the road next time on the same weekend. And oh yea, he does have a choice. No excuse for the out of control idjut

You tell me that my wife should go shopping and not cheer her husband so you and the tandemeer can go at break kneck speed down a mountain road.
Absolutely! I kind of remember a bunch of folks cheering at the finish line. Guess you're kind of special and need consistent praise and feedback.

Share the road means just that. Wow - how profound. Any other words of wisdom or is quoting road signs your other hobby?

Absolving stupid and unsafe riders because they paid a fee and believe the have an unrestricted right to go fast is just ignorance. If you expect all 3,000 riders on a mountain course to all be safe then you should do solo rides.

Again - please post here when you ride so I can avoid being in the same time zone as you.
I'm riding along the front range and in the mountains most weekends and often during the weekdays, so you might want to consider taking your money and moving....:D

And while I can't confirm where I read it, I do believe I read that crossing the yellow line is not only unsafe, but illegal. The riders around me fell into that category.??? Did your wife who by your words "... is a very cautious driver, extremely respectful of cyclists, and very conscious about safety." cross over the double yellow line while drivng up the passes? Or was she safe and sat in line with the cyclists waiting for a dotted line? If she waited I'm sure the riders enjoyed her exhaust while climbing.

If she crossed over the double yellow line, even a little bit, does she know that she broke the law?:blush2: and put herself, other motorists and even maybe a cyclist in danger. Oooooh. Maybe the cyclists should have gotten her plate number and turned her into the State Police for breaking a law.:out: :thumbsup:

??? Did your wife who by your words "... is a very cautious driver, extremely respectful of cyclists, and very conscious about safety." cross over the double yellow line while drivng up the passes? Or was she safe and sat in line with the cyclists waiting for a dotted line? If she waited I'm sure the riders enjoyed her exhaust while climbing.

If she crossed over the double yellow line, even a little bit, does she know that she broke the law?:blush2: and put herself, other motorists and even maybe a cyclist in danger. Oooooh. Maybe the cyclists should have gotten her plate number and turned her into the State Police for breaking a law.:out: :thumbsup:

You really don't get it, do you?

The fastest way to get cycling limited and/or stopped on Colorado highways is to be a jerk cyclist. Remember that it was just a few years ago that there was a proposal in the legislature to limit the numbers of riders in events? Remember thta it was just a few years ago that the Texas legislature considered making it illegal for riders to ride anything but single file? What do you suppose precipitated those events? Do you think jerk cyclists crossing yellow lines, or weaving in and out of traffic, or not moving over for traffic had anything to do with that?

You and the jerk cyclists I mentioned before have to remember a few things - there are a lot more drivers of cars than riders of bikes on the road, which translates into drivers being a much bigger voting bloc than cyclists. When a few jerk cyclists insist on acting like the tandemeer, it paints all of us with the same brush. All it takes is one state Senator stuck in a line of traffic because some jerk cyclist insists that he has the right to go fast in spite of the conditions, and then it hits the fan. We not only have to obey the law, but we have to do it better and with smiles on our faces.

You're obsessed with my wife's driving. You dismiss the jerk cyclists' bad behavior as some right that was earned after slogging up the hill. You miss, entirely, that this behavior not only endangers the riders, but the motorists, and the privilege of the legal protection we have of riding on the road. It's not a "right": its a privilege granted by the Legislature. And what the Legislature gives, they can take away. You can forget or ignore that if you choose, but it does not change the facts.

Aren't you from Wyoming? Lot of wind from up there these days....

You missed the point. Yes the rider may have broken the law, but most likely so did your wifey.

Yea and just to spur you on, I also crossed the double yellow line. I even passed a car.