06/20/23 Wolf Creek Pass to Del Norte - Training Ride - CycleBlaze

June 20, 2023

06/20/23 Wolf Creek Pass to Del Norte

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It was a steady 7% grade all the way to the top. I didn’t have a plan where to stop today since I wasn’t sure how long it would take to climb, but figured I’d get there around noon, which I did. It wasn’t bad, just crank up the tunes, put my head down and pedal. My mind kept playing tricks on me, the road would look level but it was anything but. 

Flew into South Fork, had some lunch and inquired about hotel prices. Insane, decided to continue onto Del Norte where they are even worse ($250 and up!) but there’s an RV park where I pitched my tent. 

My fancy German gearbox is leaking oil, very irritating since it was just recently returned from the factory where it languished for 2 months addressing that exact  issue. The US distributor for this gearbox is in Paonia, a town of 1500 on the other side of the pass I just crossed. I sent some pictures and a rant to my bike shop and we’ll see what develops. 

Where I camped last night
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Need our stuff!
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Up and up
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Wolf Creek Pass
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Bill ShaneyfeltReminds me of an old folk song... "...way up on the Great Divide. Truckin' on down the other side."
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10 months ago
Over the top
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And the start of a fifty mile glide
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Short tunnel, would not have been fun going up
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Concrete pavement with chunks taken out by falling rocks
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The Rio Grande
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Back into ranch lands
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Historic Downtown Del Norte
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My leaking gearbox
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Mike AylingDoes the Pinion need a full oil bath?
The Rohloff otoh requires very little oil and leaks are not disasterous.
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10 months ago
George MercerBummer! Hope you can get that fixed, Dave.
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10 months ago
Kelly IniguezIs SKS Cycles the distributor? I did not know that. Paonia is just a skip over McClure Pass from us. I have stopped in at their tiny, tiny well stocked shop.

My husband has a Priority 600 bicycle with a Pinion. So far, so good. Although he does have a different bike with a Rohloff hub that seeps, which is very annoying.
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8 months ago
David ChavezTo Kelly IniguezIt’s not SKS. The US rep, Marc Seeman, used to be in Paonia but is now in Ames, Iowa. He’s quite good, answers the phone.
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8 months ago

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 1,126 miles (1,812 km)

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