A few quick tidbits from the road at the end of our second rest day since the ride started on September 14th. We are now in Taos, New Mexico, a small, beautiful and artsy town in the northern mountains. We all had a good day of rest and we begin riding again tomorrow starting with a 15 mile climb to the Cimmaron Canyon State Park and then a great descent out of the Rockies. Our total distance tomorrow will be around 94 miles with about 7100 feet of climbing but 7400 feet of descending! The last 30 miles tomorrow will be along the Santa Fe Trail into Raton, NM.
Now, for those of you who don’t know about “speed wobbles” I hope that you never experience them. On a relatively short day from Durango to Pagosa Springs, we crossed two mountain passes. When we got to the top of the first pass, I made the decision to leave the shoulder and take to the road for a fast descent. There was very little traffic and the shoulder wasn’t very smooth. As I was in a tuck position to gain speed and cut the wind, my speed was approaching 50 MPH. I’ve NEVER been on a bicycle going that fast. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.
As I was tearing down the side of this mountain, my bike began to WOBBLE so much that I could barely hang on. I thought that I had a flat tire or broken spoke sending my wheel out of line. I did everything that I could to try and slow down enough so that when I crashed, it would only result in a serious injury as opposed to a consult for the Palliative Care team! Somehow I managed to slow down and stop without crashing. When my riding companion, Nadia, finally caught up to me, she could see that I was visibly shaken…and physically shaking. The tires and spokes were OK. I didn’t know what had happened. Was I shaking so much from fear that I caused the bike to shake or did the bike actually shake?
It was only later that my roommate, Mike “Smash Mouth” Hobin told me that he has heard of this happening to other riders who descend at high speeds. Then at breakfast, Chris Sacca said “Speed Wobble” as if it was as common as a flat tire. One of our guides, Eric Berkas, agreed that the bike was OK and said that to overcome the speed wobble, you either have to go faster or slower. He suggested I go slower or grip the bike frame tight between my legs as I descend. Are you nuts? Grip the bike frame between my legs so that I can go faster! I’ve wondered for days now why I would trust my life to some carbon fiber and rubber!
I’d trust my life to Wishard’s Palliative Care team and any of the fantastic doctors, nurses and staff who work there. But not to a bike!