Pikes Peak! Almost. 

I finally got my chance to tackle Pikes Peak. Just after my 55th birthday, we had planned a trip to Colorado Springs for my daughter's post COVID wedding celebration. Being that close to Pikes Peak, this bucket list ride was going to be part of the itinerary. 

However, due to a lingering side injury after my Mount Mitchell ascent, training did not go as planned.  The injury was probably a result of gearing while riding in Mount Mitchell. I think I averaged a 60 cadence on that one. I was strong at the time, so it didn't really bother me during the ascent, but weeks after it crept in. 

Lesson learned, I thought. For this attempt, I went out and purchased a new/old steel Fuso with gearing more suited for climbing. Upfront, a 39 tooth chainring, and in the rear a 6-speed 17 - 28 freewheel. I serviced the bike, replaced cables, and put proper width (46 cm) bars on it. For about two months I trained on this bike only in prep for Pikes Peak.  Other than that some Christine D'ercole climbs on the Peloton. Unfortunately, it was not enough. 

Here is the video. It's @ 23 minutes long because I left a lot of the downhill clips run in realtime. You can skip past them if you want. 

https://youtu.be/SEheLuW5a3Y