Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 18, 2005

Cedar City, UT
In my opinion, the day into Cedar City was the last day of the hardest stretch of the trip. At that point we had ridden for five straight days through some of the toughest canyons the trip had to offer. It wasn’t just one thing that made this stretch tough; it was more of a combination of elements. It was hot, we had out first couple camping nights, we had to cook for ourselves, and we had mountains. They weren’t the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada’s but they were tough.

I was worried going into this day because I was sick the day before and I knew we would have a long day ahead of us. The chill of the morning surprised the entire group. We had gotten use to the heat and we were not prepared for the cold. With the lower temperatures came cold gust of wind. We were on the road before the sun peaked the mountains. Instantly our fingers were frozen and our arms and legs were covered in goose bumps. I kept a close eye on the horizon waiting for the sun to heat us up.

About ten miles down the road we had to get off the highway and travel on the bike path that paralleled the main road. It was a lot smoother but with smoother riding came more speed and bigger goose bumps. If it weren’t for the cold, it would have been an amazing ride down the five-mile path. Well, amazing for some people. As I found out later, Trang was having some bike problems and didn’t make one of the turns on the path. She took a nasty spill but she didn’t let it stop her. She made some bike repairs and continued on her day.

The sun finally came out by the twenty mile mark and we started to warm up. Unfortunately, the sun heated us up right as we started the 40 mile climb. Anyone who has climbed a mountain pass knows that is one time when you don’t need heat. Your body is working so hard it generates its own heat. So of course, the complaint at that point was “man it’s hot out here.” There is always something to complain about. The first 20 miles of the climb weren’t too bad, just a slight elevation increase. But soon after our lunch stop the climb got to be a little more challenging. One thing that made it tough was originally we had though it was only 30 miles but when we hit the 30-mile mark and were still climbing we knew we were in for it. The last 10 miles were the toughest, but just like any other climb, when you reach the top you feel fulfilled. It was a test of stamina, patients, strength, and perseverance.

Cedar Breaks had an amazing view. We took a nice break at two different lookout points before we grabbed a snack and tackled the downhill. One of the goals I set for myself was to try to hit 50 mph on a downhill before it was all over. It isn’t the smartest thing to do but then again, I’m not the smartest guy. Two days before I hit 49 mph but accidentally hit my breaks to soon and didn’t meet my mark. With the help of some drafting from Chris and Dave I was able to accelerate passed the 50 mph mark and get to 51mph. It wasn’t the prettiest downhill of the trip but I will always remember that.

The downhill was about 20 miles long and brought us right into the heart of Cedar City. It was a long day but at the end we were enthused to have made it to our last stop in Utah and for the day off that was ahead of us.



Joe “the Fish” Deluzio