Grants, NM to Albuquerque, NM
79.4 mi, 2,045ft gain, 48-63F / heavy rain, ended with sun
Well I knew we would have weather at some point..and we did for a large portion. We actually started in 48F and light rain as we rolled out of the hotel. This was doable I thought. Then around mile 25 the major downpour happened. I believe we got a bit of grapple as well, based on how it felt hitting me.
With 6 miles to the SAG stop we just kept pedaling. There was no where to take shelter really. The bike paths were lovely on this section and in all honesty, they were exactly where we needed safe ridi g sections in the rain. Before the path we were on the road with minimal shoulder. It was doable, but in heavy rain I would prefer drivers to not be near me. So that worked out so nicely.
Once we rolled into the SAG I started shaking cold. I had an undershirt, jersey, rain coat, long thermal rain bibs, shoe covers, long gloves, and thermal cap. It rained so hard it caused these to get wet. I ended up taking off my socks and shoe covers to wring them out. Eventually I took these to the bathroom hand dryer. I just couldn’t get warm.
Most people were cold, but I personally am not used to this weather anymore. I’m 100% ready for 110F at this point in the summer. So wet 40s was my biggest fear of this trip. Once I’m cold, it’s very challenging to get warm. I ended up leaving the sag stop cold and shifted up and stood the first mile to force my body to work hard. It worked and the rain was very light.
I rode with 2 other riders and really had a good ride after that. We rolled into the next SAG and I tried to spend minimal time there as the weather was predicted to turn again. I left with a light rain but had a 1k foot climb to outside Albuquerque. By the time I was in the hills outside of town, the sun came out!
I was so happy at this point I didn’t mind when I got goat head flat in town. I was warm and dry. Nothing to complain about. Once changed I made my way over the Rio Grande bridge. I stopped to take pictures and as I was about to leave a large group caught up to me. We took a pic and were all smiles that the weather was looking good!
When we got to the hotel we all cleaned our bikes. It’s amazing how dirty they got from the storm. I cleaned my frame, brake pads, wheels, rims, and chain.
Luckily this weather system is suppose to be out of here tonight, leaving us with a few days of warmer sunny weather. YAY Tomorrow’s ride is into Santa Fe with a rest day to follow. I even booked a massage!? Looking forward to that. The next rest day is not until 9 days of riding, so I plan lots of down time on this upcoming rest day.
Local Bike Infrastructure:
Leaving Grants we were are old Route 66. They seem to have improved this road recently and it was smooth with realitively minimal traffic. We did ride the shoulder of i40 for 26 miles, which was typical of what we have ridden this far. Then we again were on the frontage road into Albuquerque. In the city there are bike lanes, but the road debris was a bit heavy. You just have to be aware as you ride, along with city traffic as you navigate turns.
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