All in all it is 35 miles to the Top. The ride starts on the dry playa, amongst the arroyos and works its way up into juniper and sandstone foot hills. Then through oak and finally to a stunted pine forrest at the top of the world. Looking down from here it is like being in an airplane as the western edge of the crest plummets like a screaming hawk past bullet nosed spires from 10700 down to the city directly below. The view is breathtaking and the feeling of victory is absolute.
I finish my muffin and filled my water bottle. It is time for the screaming descent. I am sure that I will make better than 30mph. The road is a twisty switchback road but it is in great shape with almost no sand or gravel on it. Anyway it is dang cold up here and will will be great to get down to the heat of the city. The song, "I will fly like the eagle to the sea..." goes through my mind.
I pick up speed quickly. I am soon in the rythm of the descent. Accelerate to about 40 then swing wide and brake into the corner, release through the corner and rocket out. The road flying by. The concentration high. The descent becomes a trance. It is getting late in the day so there is little traffic coming up the mountain to interrupt my thoughts and no traffic behind me. Hey, they gotta catch me first!
I am really getting the feel of these corners. A white car passes me right before the corner and pulls ahead quickly. These corners are posted 20mph so this guy was really pushing it. No sweat. We each had a whole lane to ourselves. There is no opposing traffic. It didn't break my rythm and it didn't break his. Suddenly there's a truck right off my left. I am heading into a inside corner at 30+. What's he think he's doing. There is no oncoming traffing but there is his mirror... right there. I can touch it. I can see the guy in the mirror as he is going around the corner. He is looking in the mirror as if he were trying to back his truck into a tight parking space and he is looking at me! We go into the corner at 30+ my concentration is on high. I have inches to play with and he is slowly inching by me trying to come as close as that bastard can come. I hold my line while he parallel parks with me -- at 30mph -- on a corner -- on a mountain road -- in New Mexico... what the f**k am I doing here! He pulls the truck closer. I just focus on the road ahead. He is going to have to bump me because on this uneven corner at 30 mph I'm not touching the brakes! I feel he is so close right now I could kiss his paint job. My life is literally on the edge of this road! We pull out of the corner and I slow and he pulls slowly past me. Jesus Christ what does this AH think he his doing! Since his license plate is in my face, I memorize it.
By now I feel like I had the new 32oz size of adrenaline and I am pissed to the nth. I can still see his face in the mirror. He is still staring back at me. I could kill him. I wanted to tear the bumper off his truck with my bare hands and beat him senseless with it! [At this point I have lost my cool. There is nothing I could do about this schmuck but that didn't stop be from becoming an adrenaline pumped idiot.] I give him a fine italian hand jesture. Fortunately at these speeds he doesn't hit the brakes and toast me, even though I was ready to rocket around him if he tried. The pursuit began. It is 10 miles and 2500 vertical feet to the bottom. All I wanted to do was catch this guy. [What was I going to do pull him out of his truck at 40 mph?] He took off. He closed on that first car that passed me and tailgated him. That car soon gave up and pulled off to the side of the road. We are screaming down the mountain. I was pedally at 130rpm and pulling the biggest gear off the tight corners. This bastard was dead meat! I would just get up to about 45 when it was time to slow to 35 for the next corner. His truck just couldn't take the corners like I could but he'd pull away on the straights. I was working the corners for all I could get. There were no cars behind me and I was using the full lane to my advantage. Each corner I gain a little each straight away he pulls away. I want his scalp on my belt! All I could think about was catching the truck. He starts to pull away on a long straight away. He was now about 3 blocks ahead... now four... come back you SOB. I give him the finger as he disappears around corner. I finally lost sight of him. My tunnel vision opens up and I see I am back in the foothills at the base of the mountain. Lots of straight road that if he ignores the speed limit he will be gone.
I breath hard and turn the corner still doing 40+. Well it was all pretty stupid of me. There I was flying at my very limits of skill down the road ... for what? Like what could a cyclist do... What could anybody do. Then as if the hand of God `qhad come down and placed him there, there was a New Mexico state patrol car! I never have this kind of luck! The power has been handed to me on a silver platter! God, the truck must have passe him at 10 mph over the speed lim... I hit the brakes to be sure I too am going under 40. I pull off the side of the road by the police officer.
"Hey, this guy tried to run me off the road. His license is 575-BSU. He is in a truck..." I could give him a detailed description of his face but the patrolman turned to me very slowly as if I were remarking about the weather. [This is where I am a real idiot. I accept this as normal behavior. Perhaps an analogy of standing at the edge of road with a 40 foot cliff behind you and someone crossing the white line onto the shoulder of the road and driving past you at 35 mph with a big grin on his face while you try not to fall over the cliff. But no. I was on a bike.] I was waiting for him to tearoff with his sirens screaming. "I feel better forgetting it all off my chest.", I say stupidly knowing that the next time the enigine would be started would be at the end of his shift. He hands me a small piece of paper telling me the rules of the road for bicycles are in New Mexico. I say they are a lot like the rules in Colorado. It is hopeless. If there is a God, he has had a good laugh now.
I pedal home though the desert lands. I am very happy with my climb and yet... yet the victory is darkened by the experience of truck. Why didn't he just give me the room the car before him did. Would that have been too much to ask?
Distance: 70.7 miles Climb: 6300 feet