Mountain Bike cartoon

June 10th - 16th, 2001


by Penny Stansfield
The Riders: Paul and Bitsy, Mike and Jessica, Rob and Penny

Ever read "The Day of the Triffids"? Written in 1951, it's an English sci-fi classic about a literally blinding comet shower and monster plants that nearly annihilate the human race - except for a few sighted heroes who battle gallantly with ethics and the horrendous and deadly plants.
Breakfast on Day 1
It's a perfect yarn on cassette for a long car journey across the empty desert from Tucson to Moab in Utah where the cacti take on triffid like proportions.

After nine hours driving we arrived in Moab, mountain bike Mecca of the USA but much too hot for any sensible mountain biker to be active in June. There we picked up our two Internet-advertised drivers-for-hire, Chris and Amy, and proceeded on another three hours to Telluride in the Colorado mountains.

Telluride is a beautiful ski resort nestling in the western slopes of the Rockies at an altitude of 8,700 feet.
The group of six setting off from Telluride
Mike had booked a wonderful three-bedroomed condominium for us by the river and only two minutes walk from all the restaurants and shops. We unloaded the vehicles of our bikes and panniers, Rob changing into his cycling clothes in the street for all to see in order to retain his reputation as "shameless".

It was a tough moment to see our two ladies driving away with our cars in the direction of Moab where we would find them again, we hoped, only after seven days of slogging over mountains. The only way left to us now to reach Moab was on two wheels or two feet.