{"id":19756,"date":"2016-05-07T17:39:03","date_gmt":"2016-05-07T21:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=19756"},"modified":"2016-05-07T17:40:42","modified_gmt":"2016-05-07T21:40:42","slug":"day-14-friday-may-lordsburg-to-silver-city-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=19756","title":{"rendered":"Day 14. Friday, May – Lordsburg to Silver City, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was tough to leave the dreamy bed and comfortable hotel, but.<\/em>…. today’s forecast was for a mid-morning\u00a0tailwind and we would need every bit of help available for the climbs ahead. \u00a0The cool 72\u00b0 morning\u00a0began with a three mile downhill backtrack; much more enjoyable than yesterday afternoon’s climb in to town. \u00a0Once on course, the road began\u00a0rough and the shoulder filled with gravel,\"IMG_2075\"<\/a> but with no traffic we could ride anywhere. \u00a0There was not much to see as we climbed\"IMG_2077\"<\/a> through\u00a0this vastness\u00a0and we could see for miles<\/em>, until we spotted Antelope (sorry MaryEllen).\"IMG_2083\"<\/a>They seemed surprised, but not too concerned to see us,\"IMG_2084\"<\/a> so photo ops abound.<\/p>\n

Though we had no wind,\"DSCN1117\"<\/a> the climbing still required a lot of stops on our slow pedal up. \"DSCN1157\"<\/a>\u00a0Two hours of riding today and we\u00a0just managed\u00a014 miles with\u00a01300 feet of climbing;\"DSCN1141\"<\/a> we were ready for the tailwinds to\u00a0show up and they were Late<\/em>. \u00a0The grade was getting steeper and the air thinner,\u00a0\"DSCN1123\"<\/a>\u00a0 as we slowly climbed. \u00a0Thanks to a two mile 350 foot drop,\"IMG_2086\"<\/a> we squeaked in\u00a021 miles in three hours of pedaling. \u00a0As our elevation inched toward\u00a06,000 feet, trees began to replace the\u00a0low shrub. Long before the wind assist came, we could hear it\u00a0in the treetops. \u00a0By the time it reached our backs, we were struggling to maintain\u00a03.2 mph, the wind pushed us to a blistering 4 mph pace up the mountain. \u00a0We finally reached the Continental Divide at 6355 feet\"IMG_2091\"<\/a> (our fourth time over the Continental Divide).<\/p>\n

The route\u00a0now\u00a0offered ups\"DSCN1152\"<\/a> and downs as we rolled \"DSCN1151\"<\/a>through the high valley.<\/p>\n

Shortly after noon, we realized\u00a0why there had been no traffic all morning. \u00a0We had known there was a big bike race in town,\"DSCN1171\"<\/a> as we had to stay on the other side of town, but we had no idea, Tour de Bocrie would meet Tour de Gila.\u00a0\"Version<\/a> This is the 30th annual five day event and we were arriving on the day of the time trials. \u00a0 Took advantage of the signage\u00a0\"DSCN1181\"<\/a>for a quick rest, food break and a chance to see the racers go by.\"DSCN1180\"<\/a> \u00a0 The next ten miles was a blur of riders, conversation and massive hills. \u00a0We met Doug from Gallop, NM \"DSCN1196\"<\/a>who had ridden over to watch the race and 14 year old K.J. from Tucson, \"DSCN1201\"<\/a>who rode with us (after his race) for a couple miles, Great kid!<\/p>\n

Once in town, we stopped for our daily (chocolate peanut butter) milkshake and then the mile Uphill to our hotel. \u00a0It had been a grueling 47 miles, but with the excitement of the race and the riders all around, we had forgotten the pain. \u00a0That was until we had to ride over a mile back in town for dinner; our legs were shot. \u00a0We\u00a0are using the race in town as an excuse to take a day off, but we really<\/em> need a rest and a little bike maintenance. \u00a0So we dropped our bikes at the shop and headed to dinner in town (more on that tomorrow). \u00a0Finally a delicious\"DSCN1223\"<\/a>\u00a0dinner (Apricot-Chipotle Chicken Alfredo)\"DSCN1227\"<\/a>and a surprisingly amazing<\/em>\u00a0bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from New Mexico. \u00a0A fitting end to our second week!<\/p>\n\n\t\t