150 miles.
One hundred and fifty miles.
No matter how you say it or write it, 150 miles is a long day on the bike, especially with 12,000 feet of climbing attached to it.
Boise, Idaho, was the last ride of the Rapha Continental summer tour, and after riding more than 3,000 miles in the past few months, this “last” ride is both a welcomed and melancholy end. When you get into the rhythm of riding back-to-back-to-back and traveling together, it’s difficult to imagine the end and a return to the realities of riding amidst the pressures of work, family and so on. I’m sure it’s the same way the pros feel the last day of a Grand Tour, where that last stage is a double-edged sword— on one side relieved that the race is soon to be over and the other side wishing for it to continue to go on. Your body and mind become accustomed to the hours, the pain and the beauty, so to end is a bit of a shock.
To celebrate the finale, Greg Johnson who started the first section of the tour back in May out of Austin, TX, returned. Aaron Erbeck, who rode the Midwest portion in June also made the trip. We were 16 strong, with our two hosts Bret and Jason, Dave Christenson – our cinematographer, Jason a friend from Seattle, a handful of locals, and nine Continental riders. It was going to be a good long hard day.
Read more of the final leg of the Rapha tour and all of the Rapha rides here.
