PaCTour Day 12/19 - The Lunch Van

The Lunch Trailer is critical.  Carries the food and feeds the riders breakfast and lunch.

Bucket benches set up to eat on.

Susan runs the food.

Coffee, hot water, oatmeal, toasted bagels, cereals, fruits, donuts, etc. 

At lunch the igloos are used for water and gatorade, there is soda in the big white cooler (PAC Tour goes thru 60 2L soda bottles per day.  The orange mesh bag on the right side of the trailer is for riders to offlload clothes as the day progresses.  Today we had two passes and potential rain after lunch, so no clothes were being offloaded.

The awning is out, you can see the hand washing setup front right.  Today was cold cuts and as always lots of salads, salty foods, chips and deserts.

Susan setting up more bike racks as more riders come in.

We generally try to eat in a city park, today was Silverton, CO's turn.  Here Hook and Joel are deep in discussion.  Will is finishing up his meal, and probably trying to shake some hot dogs out of John Lake.  Ray is chomping at the bit to attack the next pass.

The van pulling the lunch trailer takes spare bikes and wheels, and more food (and Jim's sparkling water that Susan so graciously acquires for him) inside.

Yesterday we mentioned the first precept of cycling - Safety.  Number 2 is hydration.  The boys use Polar bottles to keep their fluids colder just that little bit longer that is sooo nice.

Anne and the Hook rolling outa Montrose on the way to Durango.  The boys rode with the Hook alot today, always a special treat.

The morning peleton was sizeable and the pace was docile.  Probably in anticipation of getting thru those mountains up ahead.

Beautiful state park, first rest stop is just on the other side of the lake.  Getting closer to the mountains up ahead.

The clouds were sleeping in the mountains as we closed in on our first climb.

First summit was Red Mountain Pass, over 11,000 feet.

2nd Summit, just after lunch.

3rd summit Coal Bank Pass.  10,640 feet.  Boys looking tired.  No worries, pretty much downhill for 40 miles to Durango, CO at 6500 feet from here.

Ascent tale of the tape.  Lunch was after the descent off the first climb, just before the 2nd climb.

Ah, the profile always looks so much more impressive on Garmin.  Nearly 9000 feet of climbing in 113 miles today.

Much better day for the boys today.  More gentle rollout, great company, more time in the rest stops.

Lots of climbing and both Will and Jim felt better today.  Tomorrow is the last day in the "High Mountains" of Colorado as we finish in Chama, NM where we spend the last week!!  The rest of the rides are much shorter with less climbing, so the boys will get a good nights sleep tonight to try to maximize the last "really hard" day tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.