Old, Gold and Hope

Storm clouds built quickly over Cottonwood Pass early Wednesday morning, the day of the Queen's Stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Last year, we'd pedaled up Cottonwood Pass to watch the pro cyclists summit the only dirt road portion of the entire week-long race, only to be chased back down the mountain by lightning before the peloton arrived.

We decided not to chance a repeat performance this year, particularly since I wasn't sure how far up the Pass I could even get. The Lizard drove us and our bikes to Independence Pass, hoping we could find a parking spot and that I could pedal up to anywhere I could obtain a primo view of the cyclists during their second monstrous climb of the day.






The weather on Indy looked much more promising, and we lucked into a great parking spot before the Pass was closed to motorized traffic. I successfully pedaled the mountain bike 1.2 miles up the steepest portion of the Pass and found a great lookout without big crowds where we would be able to watch the race for a mile below us before watching the riders climb a mile up to us. I couldn't have asked for a better photography perch!




About half an hour before the breakaway riders, Tommy D and Francesco Colorado (yes, that's really his name!!!), came into view, the official mobile race announcer vehicle crossed the valley below us and then climbed up to where we were waiting, sharing awesome news that Tommy D had a three-minute lead on the peloton!


I had hoped George Hincapie could repeat last year's fete and win the Queen's Stage again, but Tom Danielson is a talented young rider from Colorado, and we rode with him last year in and chatted with him after the Durango Fall Blaze. He's a very down-to-earth guy, and we were excited to see him making his way up a difficult climb and making it look fun.




Wednesday's race leader Tejay van Garteren (in the yellow jersey) was next up the climb, leading the first fragment of the altitude-splintered peloton. He not only looked as if he was having the time of his life, he made steep climbing in thin air look easy!

Tommy D went on to win the stage, as well as the Day's King of the Mountain, which means top climber of the day, an honor he held onto for three more days. (In the end, Tommy D took home the Most Aggressive Rider's jersey and sixth place overall.)


That night we camped at Twin Lakes, at the base of Independence Pass. The next day's route would send the riders back up the Pass from the opposite direction, the very same way we had crossed the Pass in June during Ride the Rockies.

I like to take pictures of cyclists climbing because they aren't moving as fast, plus it's easier to focus the camera. Twin Lakes is such a picturesque venue, I decided I wanted to capture the riders with Colorado's beautiful scenery this time around. If weather conditions didn't deteriorate, we would have a spectacular view of Mount Hope reflecting in Twin Lakes as the riders sped by.




I practiced with the less-predictable iPhone shutter while The Lizard pedaled up Independence Pass prior to the start of the race. Clouds set in, and soon drizzle did wonderful things to my hair and skin. We hoped Mount Hope would shine again in time for our photos.




We were alone at this photo perch when the announcer silently approached. He had no one to announce to until he reached us. He delighted us with news of 39-year-old veteran Jens Voigt, another personal favorite, in a solo breakaway with a five-minute lead!!! ("Jens Voigt doesn't get road rash, the road gets Jens Rash.") Voigt went on to win the stage, proving age is no handicap! This guy can ride! And get this: he and his wife have SIX kids!!! And he has a sense of humor to boot.




We opted to ride Waterton Canyon rather than fight the crowds Saturday during Stage 6 from Golden to Boulder via the Peak to Peak Highway and an uphill finish on steep Flagstaff Mountain.


Upon our return from yet another photogenic tour of one of our favorite rides any time of year, we learned 39-year-old Levi Leipheimer, yes, you guessed it, another personal favorite, winner of last year's race and one of the best time trialists in the country, had smoked the rest of the competition and moved from fourth place to first place on the steepest climb of the day. (Oh, and Jens was in the breakaway yet again. Can you say, "Woohoo!") The final stage of the race would be a time trial through my work stomping grounds in downtown Denver. Levi won the time trial stage last year, and I hoped he could do it again this year. (He ended up taking eighth in the time trial and third overall.)


Not only is Levi another of our favorite riders, but earlier this year he was hit from behind by a car while on a solo training ride. His fibula was broken, and his bike was destroyed. Complicating matters in both the Tour of Utah and Colorado's race, Levi's Omega Pharma- QuickStep team did not send a full team to support him. Nevertheless, Stage 6 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is Levi's first win of the year! He came back from what could have been so tragic, proving not only does age not matter, but pain, suffering, recovery, rehab and determination can take you higher than you ever thought possible.

In that respect, this man has inspired me in ways I hope will take me to new heights. Literally. Here's to climbing again one day. I'll never give up Hope.

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Snowflake Monday

Mount Hope
I knew as soon as I learned Colorado has a mountain by the name of Hope, a special Mount Hope project would one day honor those who've faced a battle with cancer.

Mount Hope is located near 14er La Plata Peak and picturesquely above Twin Lakes between Leadville and Buena Vista. At 13,933 feet, it is a Centennial Peak, or one of the highest one hundred mountains in Colorado. I have not been able to learn how the mountain got its name, so I'll share some thoughts and memories relating to breast cancer instead.

Denver's Race for the Cure was yesterday. It is one of the largest in the country. Being surrounded by a sea of pink T-shirts (worn by women battling breast cancer and those who have survived) is one of the most powerful emotions I've ever experienced.

My grandmother's youngest sister died of breast cancer at the age of 43, long before the technology and medical advancements we enjoy now. She left behind a husband, a young teenage son and a preteen son. I have understood the threat of breast cancer almost as long as I have known what the words aunt, uncle and cousin mean.

While my kids were still pretty young, we participated in Denver's Race for the Cure each year because it was fun, a good cause and a great way to spend a morning with hundreds and hundreds of cancer survivors. We were in awe of their sheer will to live, to conquer.

One of my co-workers and closest friends always went with us because her kids were the same age as my kids. We looked forward to the event every year. We collected race T-shirts so I could make quilts we then would raffle at work to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Then my friend and her mom were both diagnosed with breast cancer. My friend made it; her mom did not. The next year, I decided instead of walking the race as I had done for years, I would run it. I wanted to run it in honor of my friend's valiant battle and in memory of her mom. I was not a runner. I had to train for several months. The first year I ran the race, I wasn't able to run non-stop, but I still felt as if I'd done something special for my friend, and she knew how hard I'd worked to try to run for her.

We got a team started at work. Each year, the team grew, and our team continues today. Each year, I did a little better on the run, and after about three years, I finally was able to run non-stop for my friend. And then she was diagnosed again.

She beat breast cancer again, and as of two months ago, she's the proud grandmother of her first grandchild. Because of a 2001 knee injury and my back surgery in 2004, I am no longer allowed to run. But I have never stopped supporting the cause. I can't. More and more women I know, including more co-workers, have raged battles with the disease each year. I will never stop fighting for them.

My co-workers not only annually participate in Race for the Cure, they will donate their lunch money this Friday on Lee Denim Day, a tradition we have carried on for as long as the day has been in existence. We'll also have a bake sale with all proceeds going toward the cause.

This snowflake was designed specifically for my friends who have endured battles with breast cancer. The design was inspired the the cover of a tiny little book I received as a gift last Christmas. The white flake with pink spots is my very own hand-colored thread. The pink flake is my very own hand-dyed thread. When The Lizard, he who loves white flakes, first saw the white and pink flake, he fell in love with it and knew immediately why I had done a flake in pink. "It looks really cold!" he commented.

If I participate in any craft shows this year, if any of my pink snowflakes sell, the proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I'm sharing my idea because perhaps you might enjoy joining me in the fight for a cure.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!



Finished Size: 4.75 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Mount Hope Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (does not count as dc), 12 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 2: *Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, ch 3, sl st in same st (petal made), 1 sc in next st, sl st in next st; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 3 dc in same st (3rd dc counts as final ch 3 and sl st).

Round 3: Ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and {ch 4}), [[ [1 dc in 3rd ch from hook], {{ch 3}}, *((1 dc in 3rd ch from hook)) ]], ch 1, 2 dc in 1st dc of next petal, 2 dc in next dc, {ch 4}; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting 2nd dc and ch 4 of final repeat; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 7.

Round 4: *1 sc in next ch, 1 sc in base of next [dc], 1 sc in 1st ch of {ch 4}, ch 2, 1 dc in same ch, 1 dc in top of [dc], 1 hdc between [[2 dcs]], 1 dc in base of ((next dc)), 1 dc in 1st ch of {{ch 3}}, ch 2, 1 sc in same st, 1 sc in top of ((dc)), 1 sc in next ch, sk next dc, sl st in next dc (top of petal), ch 8, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, (((1 sc in next ch))) (one nib made), ch 4, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, [[[1 sc in next ch]]] (2nd nib made), ch 6, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch, 1 dc in next sc (2nd nib), ch 2, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, st st in top of dc (3rd nib made), 1 dc in next ch (between two nibs), 1 dc in next (((sc))) (1st nib), ch 2, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in top of dc (4th nib made), 1 dc in 5th ch of ch 8 (beneath 1st nib), 1 hdc in each of next 2 ch, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, sl st in next dc (top of petal); repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

NOTE: I did not glitter these flakes, but I might try pink glitter on the next batch.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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