Dinner last night on pueblo with my good friends from vs planet. Great guys and they made Mr feel very welcome here in the USA. It's do cool to have friends like these guys...cheers Don, Pat & George.

This place has adopted a welcoming attitude to cyclists and you signs like this up in shops and places to eat etc. Very cool.

Shinto in Boone today

So here I am sleeping in a caravan at a really nice biker hostel run ny a nice lady from New Zealand. I hooked up with Jeff from Vermont today and we rode a few miles together then crashed on the park in the shade. It is so hot here I am sweating buckets! Over 100f easy and its dark!

Clyde in the park...cowboy hat instead of his ww2 tin hat

Lots of prisons here

It's behind you Rolf!

Pueblo cop car

Courthouse in pueblo

The ride from faiirplay started well with a strong tailwind and great scenery.  The map showed downhills and apart from the uphills it was right!  Once trough the pass at currant creek the wind turned against me and the incredible downhill was taken against a very strong heDwind.
As I descended I felt a wall of heat hit me as I left the coolness of the mountains behind me. I noticed the tiny yellow flowers is seen on the roadside for weeks stray to get bigger into sunflowers.  I met an exhausted cyclist riding west at the bottom of the climb asking what its like to ride in the mountains...he had ridden from New York.
I found an rv park to test from this terrible wind for an hour before heading to canon city.I also need to get used to this heat! I am warned it will get hotter in Kansas.
I have ridden  63 miles and have ten to go. I have eaten one danish pastry for breakfast ..that's it.
Looking forward to meeting my friends from vs planet in pueblo tomorrow. :)

Well after 81 miles I am in the city park at Florence Colorado. The ride was a ride of two halves...cool and dam hot. Had strong headwinds all afternoon on the long downhill from the mountains. I met a hunter at an rv park shooting. Bow and arrow that looked like a weapon from starwzrs..with a lazer sight etc...he shot bears and antelope...I hope it made him feel a stronger man. Canoncity was to get in an out of asap. It had a prison and to many people for me . I ate at subway and got out of town pdq.
In Florence I stopped at the police stTion and got permission to camp at the city park. I flagged down a lo al cy list for directions to the park. Larry
Rode with me to the park, gave me a packet of peaches, and told me to go see his friend in the Brown house here in the park if anybody gives me any crap. Top bloke Larry!

Colorado cows. They were pretty nervous ...maybe they had never seen a mad Englishman before.

Shinto wasn't hanging around

To long for this picture

Ride in peace cowboy

Riding down into the heat of cannon city

Amen brother

A typical view on todays ride

Here on the city park Florence I met a really nice family and they asked the pool attendant here if he could open at 6 so I can shower..and also gave me four high energy bars for the rides ahead. The froendlyness and genorositu of people here is really cool. In two hours in town o have met really nice people who have gone out of their way to help me which is amazing.
I forgot to take their picture for inclusion here but I thank them so much.

I woke early to the sound of fire hose sprinklers cleaning my tent and bike...but inside I was dry and comfy all night. I had something to eat, dried the tent in the sun as it came up and set off...right into a headwind up the small climb out of Florence..soon the wind changed and blew me along nicely. The store in the next village was shut but as sign on the door directed me to the community centre where they had left water available for cyclists...now that is consideration and I applaud the store owner. Along the ride I saw what I think might be water melons growing amounst small sunflowers at the side of the road. It amazes me how much the climate and scenery and vegetation changes as I cross each mountain pass and each state line. I rode past another big prision...right out of cool hand Luke...and I made a mental note to behave myself in the USA lol!
Arriving pueblo I was happy to see it wasn't the dustbowel western Hispanic style town I had imagined it to be. It's greener than I expected. Subway was my first port of call as usual in a town as its pretty much the only place I know where I can get fresh food with leaves etc here in USA...but even there they try to force chips on you..erm that's crisps to those of you who still speak English and haven't like me dropped into American
Lol!
So then I rode to Santa Fe ave north where I found the best bike shop.yet. by English standards it was average but from what I have seen do far on my tour it was the.best yet. I found a new inflatable sleep mat there ..just the right size and weight...and I was pleased I didn't buy the cruddy heavy one in Fairview.
There were two kids in the bike shop getting ready to rife to sanfrancisco along the trsnsam mostly. Their bikes were totly overloaded..one guy even had two spare schwalbe marathon plus tyres strapped on!!...man those things are bullet proof and they don't fold either.  Lord help them on the hills they have to climb.
If anybody wants lots of free cycle gear..New..just follow them.and pick it up as they ditch it all on the big passes.
I arrived at motel shitsville...travellers lodge on north Santa Fe and was checked in by an Indian lady from tooting Broadway...well of course lol! The air con is broken..no WiFi but the room is the cheapest I've found yet on this trip and its on a big town next to a good bike shop and right on my route out of town..so it works for me.
My lip is healing from the sun and windburn...but it still looks like a bad case of herpes to the initiated lol!
I think riding it this heat all day is going to be a big no no. I will ride from sunrise to about 11am then find some shade to hang out in until 4 or 5. Thing is shade isn't easy to find inbetween towns. I almost bought a cycling shirt with the Colorado flag on it..but it was stupid expensive and I needed the sleep mat more than I wanted the shirt.
It struck me that pueblo really is the first town of any real size since missoulla.
I'm looking forward to this evenings night out with friends here in Colorado!

This my first night in real heat here in the USA. It's been hot in the daytime nearly all the time so far but it cooled down at night. Tonight I am having to adjust to s big temperature increase from the.higher elevations I've been at most of the tour so far. Tonight is a hot sweaty humid night, I can hear crickets 'singing' in the city park as the sun goes down. At sunset there was some kind of siren over the town sounded like an airraid siren..no idea what it was for. In the tent I can hear city life on a Sunday night..cars.motorbikes..teenagers hanging out and the air feels heavy with rain to me...although I heard rain often doesn't necessarily follow even when the sky is dark with heavy clouds. Tonight I am wondering if an American cycle tourist in England would be looked after so well by local people in the park..I would like to think so but k.owing the english ways I am embarrassed to say that I doubt it.
I can feel a big change since
Dropping down to around 4000ft ..the temperature, the scenery, even the people and traffic behave differently. It's so strange how life and climate on one side of a mountain can be so different to the other side.
One thing I do know is that I may not need my cold weather cycle gear any more this trip. I could post it back to the UK. I want to buy a pair of off bike shorts now..I sense I may need them more the further east I go.
Water is going to be even more important on the bike on this heat...golden rule..never leave town without 5 full bottles.
As I lay here sweltering in a city park tent in Florence Colorado..my thoughts and hugs go out to family back in the UK.
One thing I noticed that I hadn't expected on this trip..my jeans no longer fit..they keepfalling down because of the weightloss I've had on this tour!..time to go clothes shopping methinks! ...ha ha..well its a hazard of city park campi g I guess...sprinkler systems...luckily I didn't pitch right on top of one but I'm getting a good hose down every 30 seconds or so right now from two huge jets of water blasting across the park ! It's cooling the tent down nicely ..so far no leaks in the tent inner ..can't get out and re pitch as its dark..and I'm caught in the jets of water crossfire lol! I could take a free shower out there I guess lol! Oh the joys of cycle touring..always another fun thing...these army sprinklers like in a garden..these are more like hi power fire hoses lol! If there are no more posts its because I became the first cyclist to drown in an American city park!
Note to self...if the grass is green when all around you is not...ask yourself why!

Not sure of this had.anything to do with general Custer or not but I'd like to think so ha ha! In America no parking only applies to cars I am sure lol!

Saying goodbye to the mountains and high plains I've been riding over for several weeks now and heading out into the heat of the lower more open plains.

Tonight I had dinner with three great guys and friends from vs planet...Bear, Geo and pbrowne...it is so.cool to.finally meet.guys I have been talking with online.for.so long. I am so.happy you all

Made it !
We had a great Mexican meal and talked about all kinds of stuff...it made a really good change from the bike life to have an evening back in 'normal life' with three really good guys! There is much of the USA I can't see on this trip but I do know tonight I have seen three really good people who I am proud to call friends.
The dollar bill timster xeno and I signed in Portland was signed by all tonight to!
It's so good to know that I am mot alone here in the states guys..and I'm so pleased to know you guys are following my trip on this blog.

Today after breakfast with my friend Don I headed out of pueblo pretty darn quick as it wasn't such a great town lol. The courthouse and the cop cars were the most picturesque things in the town! I had a tail wind so made. Great time in Boone I met jerry from Vermont riding the trsnsam. We rode to a bike hostel run by a lady from new Zealand and I crashed put on the park on the shade with a couple of cold cokes and watched a dog show and got talking to
Clyde...who is a cool guy who fought in the pacific in ww2...and now wears a cowboy hat instead of a tin hat. 56 miles on this heat...easy ride though. I noticed there is no longer an elevation profile on my new map section...I'm told Thad because its flat for the next several hundred miles! The scenery is gone...just sand brush and sun...reminds me of Spain.

It's behind you Rolf!

Clyde and his cowboy hat

Shinto in pueblo

This seems to be the place for prisons...rode past three big ones recently.

Well tonight two Harley riders showed up riding from Nebraska to Colorado for a week. Their dinner consisted of a bottle of scotch, a packet of chips and a trip to a casino. They thought o was kidding when I told them where I was going. I shared my tent pitch with them. It's interesting to talk to some of the motorbikers who I see so many of each day. Good people mostly.

So this is my arckit sleep mat...the blister appeared lastnigjt..its pillow shaped so not to bad but  its somethi.g I need to replace...PDq .

Today is a rest day..no riding..well at least no loaded riding. Fairplay isn't the best town in Colorado I am sure but it has a campsite, clean showers, hot tub and WiFi ..what more does a knackered touring cyclist want?...

It will also give my sunburnt lip time out.

This site costs $12 a night which is double the cost of sites further west. But its located right after or before the pass drowning which way you ride.

I'm pretty close to Denver and Colorado springs right now...my route takes me along highway
9 in the direction of pueblo.

The ski shop here had sleep mats but they were way to big and heavy for a bicycle. Maybe there is a proper camp shop in pueblo.

I dumped the new camelback. It was uncomfy and leaked. I got a fifth water bottle to carry in the panniers. That way the bike takes the load not me.

I think the section I rode yesterday was tough not for the climb but because there is nowhere cheap to stay/camp in Breckenridge. That meant a long haul ride before even taking the pass. So for those of you thinking of doing this route be aware that sometimes you will need to be able to ride iro 80+miles in one day sometimes..but mostly its less.
My little tent from decathlon is the envy of other routers here..mostly their tents are not as good and mote expensive and often heavier. Also my bike is seen as pretty cool to...which if course Shinto is.
I am tali.g multi vitamens because its tough gdtting fresh food on the road. Subway has been the best place to get fresh food relatively cheap..but they are only in the bigger towns.
Generally the traffic has been light and considerate. BUT as with anywhere there are idiots out there who believe all cyclists should die. Over here the shoulder is for cycling..cross the white line and you are in trouble as the trucks do not pass wide..enough. I prefer the way we ride in the UK with no shoulders and cyclists having equal rights as drivers on the roads.
The American people are amoungst the friendliest in the world I guess. They will always say hi and most are very amazed at my trip. Like anywhere though..the holy $ rules so carry cash if you ride this tour. Atm machines are easy to use if you can find one ans then oftentimes that are broken. Bike shops are a joke for the most part and very far apart. The exception being Breckenridge yesterday. So if you tour here carry all you need to fix stuff. I amfinding that the single most important thing is mental attitude not fitness. Fitness is key but I am building it on the tour. My mindset is simple...there is no option but to succeed..no way back...no matter how hard the headwind or high the climb I will succeed. That total belief in what I am doing keeps me on track and has got me through some very tough riding. If you pack just one thing for this ride pack a p m a.

There is always something to do or see..never a single dead moment..even on rest days I am busy blogging, washing clothes, shopping, etc.

Bug and mosi repellants are must haves here...you will be eaten alive in places without it. Also sunscreen. I have a combined spray which I wouldn't ride without.

The trsnsam is not a lonely ride. In fact riding alone self supported for me is better than with a ride partner or group. I'm free to do what I like without having to consider others. Important on a ride like this I think.

Although I have a pair of jeans with me I am in danger of being the first man to cross America wearing tights! O where cyclekit everywhere..no exceptions so far.
Washi.g clothes is easy in some places..but Wyoming was a real dustbowl and keeping clean was difficult.

I am no longer carrying my trangia cookset. It was old and heavy and I soon realized the front pannier space wad best filled with easy food from a shop. Currently I'm running on peanut butter, honey and bagels!

I think I am about halfway through the trip now..approx. I feel a sense of change this side of Hoosier pass. Leaving the hills and forests behind as I head east across the open plains..Looking at the maps the roads are straight..less rivers and countour lines.

I still have to pinch myself to realize I am actually cycling across America! It's very dreamlike.

Fly fishing in colorado

View from Hoosier pass last night as the thunder and lightening chased me across the pass lol!

On top of Hoosier pass the highest climb on the transamerican cycle route!

Wow..some day! I started late as I was tired from the long climbs of yesterday. The plan was to make Breckenridge stay over and hit Hoosier pass in the morning. In the event here I am in a tent in fairplay having crossed the highest pass and continental divide on the transam route!
Parts of the ride were tough and there was lots of traffic. The little detour around the lake early on the day had me cursing potholes and short sharp climbs . My rear tyre was soft and Shinto eS dragging. I found a bike rental in Silverthorne but the track pump just deflated my tyre and the arse left me having to hand pump it back to some kind of riding pressure. Navigating on this busy town on a bike is a nightmare. Eventually o found the bike path to Frisco and Breckenridge. Once you are on it its great but finding it is tough and here the aca maps let me down for the first time and I was asking peeps for directions. The path is beautifully and ridden by lots of roadies..in.brechenridge there are bike shops and I got my tyres up to 100psi. I had planned to stay here but it is a ski town and stupid expensive and no camping. I went to the poli e station to ask but they were useless. So at 6pm I took the decision to attack the pass. There was a huge thunder storm building and lightening all over. The pass was very steep but at the top I knew that all future climbs would be less high. On top of the pass two drivers said it was a good place to camp..no way..cold..isolated..so I rode like the wind downhill as it was getting dark to outrun the storm. Just then some asswipe on a pick up with no lights on pulled up and deliberatly tried to run me off the rode twice. I fisted his truck and eventually he drove off like the coward he was. Then in camp o met Jeremy who is riding to Virginia as well. There was a lot more to today but that's a summarry.
My lip is really paimfull from the wind and sun. It's botheri.g me a lot and hurts to eat and drink. So two big climbs in two days and I'm tired. Time for bed.

Biggest climb of my life!

I'm so wired after todays ride I can't sleep. It had everything..lakes, highways, heavy tragic, navigation nightmares, beautiful quite bike paths, police, bike shops , supermarkets, headwinds, tailwinds, ditching the camelback, donuts, 15 bottles of water and to gatorades, massive climb, thunder and lightning, burning heat, moron truck driver,meeting other cy lists, exploding sleep mat, broken track pump , and I rode over a small snake ..saw horses and what I think was a beaver. Spoke with lots of people who always talk to me when they see my union Jack mudguard sticker. Living every minute here!

And the final chapter of an eventfull day...my alpkit sleep mat just exploded! Great...now I need to find a good camping shop. Dam weird...it is making a fuzzing noise..thought it was rain on the tent...then a big bubble appeared..! No comfy sleep for me tonigjt after all .

Colorado today