More ‘Not Riding’

Although I’ve been commuting more and racking up miles that way, the pleasure stuff is still not too common. There is nothing tougher for a sport bike enthusiast than not being able to rideso I thought. Discovering an excellent set of mountain twisties in a minivan full of luggage and passengers is actually worse. You’re there, but you can’t do anything about it but use your imagination.

This week I am traveling by a four-vehicle caravan from Phoenix, AZ to Denver, CO. We have two evaluation vehicles and two support rental vehicles of which one is a minivan I referenced above. We also have ten attendees spread amongst them and follow the posted speed limits on the company’s watch.

This road is HWY 550 in Colorado that cuts through the mountains between Silverton and Ouray. It throws a little of everything at you in terms of layout.

Imagination On:

• a couple of 100mph high speed sweepers


• a lot of the chicanes that make what could have been a straight line fun


• many, many hairpins that were mostly double and I even think one triple


• and finally, a lot of elevation changes topping out at over 12k ft.

Here’s a little slice:

What is painful about this discovery is that it’s likely I will not see this section of road on two wheels any time soon. It’s too far from Phoenix to ride other than a multi-day vacation road trip and that’s just not in the cards any time soon. What’s tough for the natives is that this road is likely shut down in the winterOK a lot of the Colorado riders put their bikes away for the winter .

Its just another reminder to me of why leaving Michigan for Arizona, and the southwest US as a whole, was a good move (I do miss the abundance of lakes and rivers tough). Michigan is home of the flatlands, and aside from hills’, there are no elevation changes. And, much like Florida, the only twisties to be found off the racetrack are the highway on/off ramp clovers leafsyeah that’s fun.

It’s also just another reminder that when I get home, I need to get out for a ride.