Pedal the Plains is all grown up

My wife and I have done several Ride the Rockies over the years so when the folks at the Denver Post added a new ride several years ago focused on the eastern plains we were intrigued. The Pedal the Plains ride started a lot smaller than its larger RTR cousin with a couple of hundred riders inundating small communities in the heart of Farmland, Colorado. Granted, Farmland, Colorado is not generally high on the list of vacation destinations but for three days in mid-September the chance to do some late season cycling on quiet rural (and generally flat!) roads was still attractive enough to get us off the couch and dust off the two-wheeled steeds.

This last weekend my wife Sophie rode this year's version starting out in Kersey (just east of Greeley) and then meandering on back roads to Keenesburg, Brush, and then back to Kersey. I opted to be lazy and do the sag duties which includes doing the hard work of sitting in an air conditioned car as I drive from town to town where I set up the tent. Being sag support is not something I've done before but for this trip thought I'd give it a try.

The 2017 Pedal the Plains, perhaps due to its close proximity to the Denver metro area, attracted over 1,000 riders so my wife was always in good company as she cruised the windswept prairie. The host communities really did a nice job of welcoming the riders and the meals, entertainment, and camping venues were very well planned. There was even a real lunch provided  on each day's ride at one of the rest stops, something they weren't offering the last time we did the ride. The weather held out with a little rain on the tent Saturday night but the morning overcast each day quickly burned off to feature the spectacular blue Colorado skies our state is famous for. Day Two featured a Century Plus option of riding 115 miles that attracted a lot of additional riders to come out just for that day's ride. Sophie opted for the 62 mile regular option which was probably wise as there were still Century Plus riders out on the course at 7 p.m. 115 miles is a huge accomplishment and kudos to those hearty riders but the three day riders who partook of this longer option were still facing the final day's 72 miles bright and early the next morning.

Fortunately the wind Gods smiled and on Sunday riders were treated to mostly tailwinds gently pushing them on towards their final destination of Kersey. At the finish line medals and hugs were handed out before the cycling horde climbed back into their four wheel behemoths and scattered to the four corners but I'll bet many of them are already looking forward to next year's version of a now very grown up Pedal the Plains.