Alamosa – Chama should be renamed Charma. Or maybe Dalai Lama, for that’s how the small town in New Mexico greeted and treated 2,000 Ride The Rockies cyclists on their third stop on this year’s six-day, 419-mile tour.
It was the first visit to New Mexico in the 21-year history of Ride The Rockies, and the 1,000-plus folks who call Chama home rolled out the red carpet, by all accounts Wednesday.
“Chama. Chama. Chama,” RTR cyclist John Carpenter said wistfully when remembering the smallest community to play host to the tour this year. “The town of Chama was awesome.”
The 41-year-old lawyer from Omaha and his Omaha Velo Club contingent of five others could not say enough about the lengths to which Chama went to welcome the cycling circus. From a “huge burrito” at a local diner to the vision of Chama’s first-ever mayor greeting cyclists by waving a flag to the Omaha Velo Club’s air time on the local radio station, Carpenter & Co. were duly impressed.
They weren’t alone.
RTR volunteer Dave “The Hook” Jackson was bit by Chama fever, too. Brandishing a slice of watermelon the size of a watermelon, Jackson mentioned that the current mayor swung by RTR HQ on Wednesday morning to receive not only handshakes, but also an ovation from the grateful cyclists.
“The mayor was grinning from ear to ear,” said Jackson.
RTR tour director Paul Balaguer was equally impressed.
“It was outstanding,” said Balaguer. “Hosting Ride The Rockies was a daunting task for Chama, and they succeeded well beyond my expectations.
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TODAY’S DESTINATION:
SALIDA |
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“They did an outstanding job. We truly appreciate the efforts and hospitality of everyone in town.”
Refueled and refreshed, Ride The Rockies moved on Day 4 from Chama to Alamosa on Wednesday along an 83-mile route over two passes: Cumbres and La Manga. While the two climbs beyond 10,000 feet of elevation tested the riders over the route’s first 19 miles, they imposed a slow pace that was good for enjoying the view rivaling any in Colorado.
The ride descended from there, passing through farmland, ranchland and the town of Manassa, birthplace of boxing legend Jack Dempsey – the “Manassa Mauler.” It made for some of the best riding of the tour so far.
With nobody within a quarter-mile either behind or ahead of me, I rode in the middle of on an empty Colorado Highway 17 between Fox Creek and Antonito when I passed a farmer making hay while the sun did shine.
Had I been remotely hydrated, I would have shed a tear at the sight.
* THURSDAY: Alamosa to Salida – 84 miles
Random profiling
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| Robinson |
RICHARD ROBINSON
* Hometown: Glen Mills, Pa.
* Age: 56
* Occupation: Engineer
* Make of bicycle: Klein
* How many RTRs, including this one: Four
* Reason for participating in RTR: “The challenge and the scenery”
* Favorite RTR scenery: “Steamboat Springs and Telluride”
* Favorite RTR munchie: “I always go for the chocolate chips or fudge brownies”
* Favorite RTR memory: On first-ever RTR, watching an 80-year-old woman throw down her bike in disgust after the first leg of the first day; she was only two years removed from cycling over the Canadian Rockies while “pulling a trailer”
* What would you be doing at this moment if you weren’t on RTR: Working
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| Post / Bryan Boyle |
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Michelle Lansford, 35, of Denver (left) and Bob Radicevich, 36, of Denver enjoy the view at the state line between Colorado and New Mexico on Day 4 of Ride The Rockies on Wednesday. Said Radicevich of his first Ride The Rockies: “It’s well organized. It’s beautiful in this valley. And it’s great going through Colorado seeing places I haven’t seen before.” Said Lansford of her sixth RTR: “I agree.” |
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| Post / Bryan Boyle |
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The 58th mile of the 83-mile journey from Chama to Alamosa on Day 4 of Ride The Rockies on Wednesday found riders in Manassa, birthplace of boxing legend Jack Dempsey, the “Manassa Mauler.” |
DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle is participating in the 2006 Ride The Rockies. The raging amateur’s series runs each day of the June 18-23 event, which follows a 419-mile course from Cortez to Cañon City.
To share any RTR-related experiences, fears, advice or yarns, send an e-mail to Bryan at bboyle@denverpost.com.
