Day 5 of Ride the Rockies was going to be a reasonable  day. It consisted of 49 miles and 4636 feet of climbing . The route went from Grand Lake to Estes Park over the highest pass in the United States.  I had to get up at 4am because of the bus situation.  I made myself a cowboy coffee before I left. I was on my bike by 600 am riding towards  Trail Ridge. I severely overestimated the temperature. While the temperature was reasonable in Fraser , it was freezing cold in Rocky Mountain National Park.  While I physically felt good, it was so cold I was miserable. Couldn’t feel my feet or hands.  I stopped at the first rest stop hoping to find coffee. I feel Ride the  Rockies dropped the ball by not having a vendor with some hot liquids at this stop as the temp was in the 30’s and we were in the shade. Lucky for me following this aid station it was all uphill and I soon warmed up. 

 

Loveland Weight Loss Programs RTR Day 5

I  felt pretty good and just cruised along till I hit the Alpine Visitor center just over 11000ft. The winds on Trail  Ridge were the worst I have ever seen with gusts up to 50 mph. There were multiple times I felt like I was going to be blown off the road. When I got to the Alpine Visitor center I found a sheltered area and waited for them to open so I could get a cup of coffee.  I made a cowboy coffee, had a keto bar, and took a 30 minute break.

I descended straight to Estes Park with no breaks. One advantage of being on this road so early is limited traffic. You have to love those 40-50 mph descents.  I felt great when I arrived. My hotel let me check in early at 11am, but my luggage had not caught up yet so I could not check my ketones. Once again lucky I had placed a backpack with the RTR trucks. It just is so important that you clean up as soon as possible and get those salty clothes off.

Ate fajitas at Ed’s Cantina and had a couple of beers. Headed back to the room and our luggage had finally arrived.

 

I checked my ketones which were 1.9 and my glucose was 80. I was really surprised at my blood sugar as this was post eating and drinking two beers. Did my usual post ride supplements. I continued my taking magnesium and COQ10. I did also do my daily  bouillon cube. Headed out again after a short nap. Lots of beer, whiskey, in the search for a dinner place. Settled on Wild Rose for dinner and had a fantastic jagersnitzel for dinner as well as dessert of ice cream and chocolate brownie.  Take that you keto junkies. Yes, this was a heck of a cheat meal.

I was actually stronger than my roommate for the first time this trip. Once we started climbing on Trail Ridge he never was able to catch me. I did completely blow my low carb regimen in Estes Park. But my feeling is, once your body is keto adapted it knows how to go back and forth and you just won’t bonk like if you are a carbohydrate athlete. Having done this tour five times I know what it feels like to be a carb athlete and I really prefer this keto adaptation. Just remember, I am a recreational athlete and not competing and sprinting. You may need more glycogen stores and carb usage if you are the type of athlete that competes.

 

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The Ultrasound Solution runs the 22dayweightlossprogram.com that is partially based on the ketogenic diet. We have come to the conclusion that this is the most successful model that works for just about everyone. Once people have gone through our program they are able to manage their weight on there own. If you are interested in losing weight go to 22dayweightlossprogram.com.

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Day 4 of Ride the Rockies was  a reasonable  day. It consisted of 85 miles and 3939 feet of climbing . The route went from  Copper  to Grand Lake. The people who took the day off yesterday were pretty fresh, which was not my case. I was sore from the previous 3 days and another 7 hour day in the saddle today had potential to be hard.  I was up at 5 am and made myself a cowboy coffee. My first water bottle had an electrolyte tab. I was on my bike by 600 am riding towards  the only  pass, which was Ute Pass. I stopped at the first aid station just long enough to use the porta potty and take a bite out of my keto bar.

 I  felt pretty good and just cruised along till I hit the top of Ute pass. I have no idea why this was the major stop of the day as it really was too early along in the ride. Not the best planning on the part of Ride the Rockies.  The fajita guy was there so I forced myself to eat. I did not want a repeat of Day 2.  Just meat, veggies, sour cream , and cheese. I took a good 30 minute break here. Following the descent from Ute pass there was a 20 mile section of dirt road which just made my sore body feel worse. I had done this section in a previous tour and the road was way better this time. It was still tiring to do so many dirt miles on a road bike. By the time we were back on the road and going through Byers canyon I could feel myself starting to tire out. I do not believe this had anything to do with my ketosis state. I was just tired. When we arrived at Hot Sulphur Springs at mile 60 I stopped and made a cowboy coffee at a local cafe and had a keto bar. Took another 30 minute break. Something I have always done on these tours is try to spend money at the local shops. That is part of the reason why Ride the Rockies goes through a lot of these small towns. 

 

Loveland Weight Loss Programs RTR Day 4

The afternoon sun was starting to have its affect. I did pay attention to my hydration. Made a left turn  through Granby and started the small climb up to Grand Lake. I had to stop at the last aid station and for the first time ate some carbs in the form of grapes. I also  ate a Keto Bar which provided some good energy. Somewhat revived I finished the ride off to Grand Lake. I put my bike in the bike corral, cleaned up, and looked for the buses. I arrived at 1 pm and the buses would not be running to Fraser where I was staying till 3. I ate a beef bar and headed to town looking for food. I ate at Lefty’s and had a shrimp fajita meal for two with two beers. Once again, no tortillas, just meat, veggies, sour cream, and cheese. After that I headed for the bus but missed it.

 

Decided to check out the Beer Garden. Every day Ride the Rockies hosts a beer garden with entertainment. The music and beer were really good. Unfortunately there was no shade which was not ideal for hot cyclists. The 5 pm bus did not leave till 530 pm  and I did not get to my room till 615 pm. The bus situation in Grand Lake was not friendly for the riders. They had 4 buses doing rounds in town and only one bus transporting people to their rooms in Fraser and Winter Park.  Grand Lake is a one street town and you could walk from tent city to everything in town. Lots of angry riders waiting on buses trying to get to their rooms. I had eaten and had a few beers so I really didn’t care. 

 

Once in my room I checked my ketones which were 1.6 and my glucose was 65. I was really surprised at my blood sugar as this is post eating and drinking beers. I did buy some cheese sticks at the local Safeway and some yogurt. I continued my taking magnesium and COQ10. I did also do my daily  bouillon cube. Tomorrow would be a really early day as the bus was picking us up at 445 am. There was only one bus leaving at 445, 545, and 645 and if you missed one of those you would be screwed. Not wanting a repeat of  yesterday mess up with the buses I decided to get up for the first one.  I slept really good that night.

 

Tomorrow an “easy day” with just one pass, Trail Ridge (12,183 ft), the highest continuous pass in the United States.

 

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The 22dayweightlossprogram.com is extremely successful in helping people lose from 7 to 30 pounds in a 22 day period. This is also successful in taking inches off your waist in a short period of time.Your clothes will fit better and you will feel better about yourself. As a medical professional who has been working with people for over 30 years I have figured what works. I use this plan myself to keep myself at my ideal body weight.

The Ultrasound Solution runs the 22dayweightlossprogram.com that is partially based on the ketogenic diet. We have come to the conclusion that this is the most successful model that works for just about everyone. Once people have gone through our program they are able to manage their weight on there own. If you are interested in losing weight go to 22dayweightlossprogram.com.

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Day 3 of Ride the Rockies was going to be another tough day. It consisted of 79 miles and 6537 feet of climbing . The route went from  Copper  to Copper  and is known as the Copper Triangle. This day was tough enough that my roommate backed out of it as well as many  other bikers. I believe they used it as a rest day so they function better for the rest of the tour. I was smart this time and had my bike in my room and could start directly from there. Up at 5am and  checked my blood levels first thing in the morning. My ketones  were 3.2  and glucose was 90. I actually felt pretty good so I continued with my nutritional ketosis experiment. Made myself a cowboy coffee which is always a nice start to the morning.  I was on my bike by 0600 am riding towards  the first pass, which was Fremont Pass from the side I descended yesterday. Needless to say it was a lot slower climbing this.   My first water bottle had an electrolyte tab with it. I carried a little packet of coconut oil that I was going to use if I found coffee or a hot beverage  anywhere as well as 2 keto bars. I knew today would be another long tough day.

 

Loveland Weight Loss Programs RTR Day 3

It was 32 degrees at the start at 6am. Halfway up Fremont( first pass) I had to get off the bike and warm my feet up. At the top of Fremont I ate a Keto Bar which provided some good energy. Now the pancake guy is pretty good, but I have to fault them for not having any hot beverages. Ride the Rockies struck out on this as well. This was a really cold morning and I consider something warm a necessity when it is that cold.  I had pretty good energy and only stopped to refill my water bottles. At the top of Tennessee  pass( second pass) I refilled my water bottles and headed towards Battle Mountain( pretty good climb). There is a beautiful gorge just prior to this and the RTR photo guys took cyclist pictures there.

 At the Minturn aid station I found the fajita guy and did not take any chances and fueled up. Once again, no tortillas, just chicken, veggies, sour cream, and cheese. This was  a major aid station and is used by a lot of other bike tours that do this route.  At Vail I found a coffee shop and I had a cowboy coffee. I ate another keto bar as well and started back on the road. Vail pass( third pass) was tough, but I had enough energy for this. I was really glad for my bailout gear though. Doing Vail pass from the Vail side is definitely harder than doing it from the Copper side. When I got to the top the pass was closed due to an accident that required an ambulance.  Quick descent into Copper and I was done.

I pulled into Copper around 100pm. I parked my bike in my room, ate a beef bar and had my bouillon. I rechecked my ketones which were 5.6 and my glucose was 73. I felt pretty good, better than yesterday. Went to a pub at the west village and had a beer and some chicken wings. I can’t believe the Absinthe bar went out of business. Bummer. Back to the room to get my jacket because I was actually cold. Thought I could eat dinner at Jacks again in East Village but place closed down for a VIP party. I am sure the nearby RTR campers were pissed off at that. Walked to West Village and ate at C.B. Grille. Let me tell you, a little pricey, but worth every penny.  I had a massive steak with veggies and a couple of whiskies and enjoyed talking to the staff there. Something I noticed through the years is that a lot of these places really do not staff up for RTR. I do not think they realize how busy they will be when Ride the Rockies  comes rolling through their town.

 

I am glad I did not call my experiment quits. Too new at measuring ketones with exercise to really know what the limits are. I did not do to much measuring prior to the tour because ketone strips cost 5 bucks a piece. Glucose strips are cheap. I was surprised that my glucose was consistently below 100 whether I ate or not.

I called it a night at 8pm. Staying at Copper with the way they do lodging can really be a pain, but the room was really nice. That was it for day three. I did not have any  problems with this day. Looking back this was probably the second hardest day of the tour.  I believe that the heat of yesterday( between Twin Lakes and Leadville) did affect me more than I thought.

 

Tomorrow an “easy day” with just one pass.

 

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The 22dayweightlossprogram.com is extremely successful in helping people lose from 7 to 30 pounds in a 22 day period. This is also successful in taking inches off your waist in a short period of time.Your clothes will fit better and you will feel better about yourself. As a medical professional who has been working with people for over 30 years I have figured what works. I use this plan myself to keep myself at my ideal body weight.

The Ultrasound Solution runs the 22dayweightlossprogram.com that is partially based on the ketogenic diet. We have come to the conclusion that this is the most successful model that works for just about everyone. Once people have gone through our program they are able to manage their weight on there own. If you are interested in losing weight go to 22dayweightlossprogram.com.

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Day 2 of Ride the Rockies was my toughest day. It consisted of 85 miles and 7655 feet of climbing . The route went from  Aspen to Copper  and included Independence Pass(12096 ft) and Fremont Pass(11,318 ft). Unfortunately, I parked my bike in the bike corral so I had to get bused from my hotel in Aspen to the start. I woke up at 430am and made myself a cowboy coffee. I was on my bike by 645 am riding towards  the first pass. Only water in my bike bottles, but I did drink one bottle with an electrolyte tab prior to starting my ride. I carried a little packet of coconut oil that I was going to use if I found coffee anywhere as well as 2 keto bars and a beef bar. I knew today would be a long tough day.

Loveland Weight Loss Programs RTR Day 2

Couple hours into the ride I ate a Keto Bar which provided some good energy. The bar I used has 19 gm fat, 6 gm carbohydrates, and 7 gm of protein. The first real aid station was completely overcrowded. Not enough food vendors or porta potty’s. Since I did not need to eat anyways and  I had pretty good energy I only stopped to refill my water bottles.

I have done a similar route to this in the past and I knew how bad the ride between Twin Lakes and Leadville could get so I did not plan to hang around at the top. At the top of Independence pass I refilled my water bottles, put warm clothes on, and went  for the screaming 50 mph descent. At Twin Lakes I had a cowboy coffee and ate another keto bar. This was my longest stop so far before I  started back on the road.

As we headed towards Leadville I began to get a bit nauseated. It was pretty hot out and I just was lacking that extra bit of energy. I also felt hungry for the first time. At the aid station before Leadville I did find a vendor that sold fajita bowls and I got one stuffed with sour cream and cheese. I skipped the tortillas, but did eat the veggies. It took me a while to put that down and it gave me a chance to rest and cool down from the heat of the day. There was absolutely no shade once you left Twin Lakes. The fajita guy became my favorite vendor on this ride.  When I reached Leadville I stopped for a  coffee. I was having some problems with my gut and had to take an extended break. When my gut  had settled down I headed up Fremont Pass.

 

I don’t know why but the farther I got up Fremont the stronger I felt. Really short break at Fremont and headed down fast to Copper. I could see the weather building up. I pulled into Copper around 230pm. This time I parked my bike in my room . Alpine Cycle did not have the luggage there yet which surprised me as I did get my backpack from the RTR truck. I still was able to check in and clean up and around an hour later the luggage showed up.  I ate a beef bar which had 12 gm of fat, 10 gm of carb, and 11 gm of protein. I also  had a handful of macadamia nuts and a bouillon cube in a cup of hot water. Went to a pub(Jacks) and had a cheeseburger without buns, 2 large salads, and a bowl of tomato soup. I also had 2 beers with dinner. As I was walking back it started raining cats and dogs. I really felt sorry for the people that were still coming in at this time. Even sorrier for the ones who had to put up their tents in this weather. In my room I had a fair amount of macadamia nuts. Called it an early night. That was it for day two.

 

My  glucose after the ride was 84 and my  Ketones were  6.2. I was shocked. I actually debated calling my experiment quits. I did have problems with this day. I believe my ketones got a bit too high causing me other problems. It could have contributed to my gut problems. Possibly planning my food better might have helped. I have a feeling my electrolytes were a little off as well. No way for me to check that while on a rode trip. Mentally  I was clear and did not have a headache. It was a really tough day with the climbing and the heat at the end of the day. I decided that I would check my ketones in the morning and if they were not dropping I would quit my experiment.

22 Day Weight Loss Program Loveland CO

(970) 541-0903

The 22dayweightlossprogram.com is extremely successful in helping people lose from 7 to 30 pounds in a 22 day period. This is also successful in taking inches off your waist in a short period of time.Your clothes will fit better and you will feel better about yourself. As a medical professional who has been working with people for over 30 years I have figured what works. I use this plan myself to keep myself at my ideal body weight.

The Ultrasound Solution runs the 22dayweightlossprogram.com that is partially based on the ketogenic diet. We have come to the conclusion that this is the most successful model that works for just about everyone. Once people have gone through our program they are able to manage their weight on there own. If you are interested in losing weight go to 22dayweightlossprogram.com.

#22dayweightlossprogram #losebellyfat #LovelandWeightloss #Fortcollinsweightloss #Greeleyweightloss