Denver, CO

Day off #2! And I really don't know what to do with myself. Free time is such a foreign concept to me these days. Eli arranged for a massage therapist to meet us in Denver today, so I got a killer massage with Diane this morning. She was awesome, and my legs really needed it. Yesterday was our second century of the trip. We camped out in Anton, CO, last night, after some confusion with last year's route. Apparently if we had stayed in Limon as planned, yesterday would have been a 140 mile day, so we adjusted. We were super efficient yesterday morning and left Anton by 6:30, which was necessary since we didn't get into Denver until later than usual. The morning was windy and hilly and the scenery never changed. It was a tough 42 miles by myself into first lunch. But I can't tell you how incredible it was to come up over a hill around mile 35 to see "LOOK!!" chalked on the road. I looked up to see the Rockies barely visible on the horizon. I think it was an emotional moment for everyone on the trip. After first lunch, I rode with a good group all the way into Denver. My total mileage for the day was 100.1. After showering at a nearby gym, we headed to the house of a local Habitat worker for dinner. Hands down the best burger I've ever eaten.

Tomorrow is a build day in Denver, and then we move on to Boulder on Wednesday. After that we'll begin climbing. I'm so excited to see the Rockies by bike, but it's obviously a little daunting. I don't think I could have asked for a better group of people to do this with, though. Our family is pretty amazing. :)