I got out of the rest stop as quick as I could and drafted Rebecca and Chris for awhile, but got dropped. Fred and hsi group came flying by again and I jumped on the back. I got dropped before the massive climb. Then I got passed on the climb by a bunch of riders, but there was a spectacular view from the top. The rest stop was right at the top, but I didn't stay long. The descent was wicked fast and had lots of twisties. I got about halfway down the steep stuff when I caught up to a blue pick up truck. The guy had one hand on the wheel and the other on a cigarette and he was riding the brakes like an old lady, which meant I had to ride the brakes like an old lady. We had a long way to go to lunch, but it was mostly downhill. With a few miles to go, Thomas caught up to me and asked me if I was feeling ok. Then he asked if I wanted some water. I had a nearly full bottle at that point. When I got to lunch, he said I looked like crap and he just wanted to make sure I was ok.

There was an optional ride after lunch up to Colorado National Monument. I got to the turn off and thought I was really hot and there was no support on the alternate route, so I went straight for the hotel. We had a slight tailwind and I was cruising along, but I started to get the feeling that I was overheating. That feeling persisted all the way to the hotel. I had plenty of sports drink, but it was getting warm and eventually it was really hot. The temps were supposed to hit 96, but it felt hotter out there.