- Dave Gore (a.k.a. "DG")
- A contractor who decided he'd had enough of that, walked away
and became a mountain bike tour guide. Rides a Stinky and lives in
Las Vegas.
- Dave Nash (a.k.a. "Climbing Freak" or "CF")
- Our other tour guide, a Colorado native on loan from a different
tour company. Lives in Breckenridge (he had the altitude
acclimation advantage for sure, even if he hadn't been the best
rider amongst us anyway) and rides a Sugar 2+.
- David
- Tiffany's father, an orthopedic surgeon who does volunteer work
in the Carribean. The old guy amongst us, but don't let that make
you think he wasn't strong. He and his daughter live in
Albuquerque not far from Hammer. He rented a Superlight for the
trip.
- Tiffany
- You'd never know it, but she's only 16 years old and had little
experience on a mountain bike. She rode a lot of stuff, though, and
climbed better than I did. (Then again, everyone seems to
climb better than I do.) Also riding a rented Superlight.
- Tim (a.k.a. "Hammer")
- A computer consultant out of Albuquerque who works on legal
billing software, he's working his way through every tour that
Escape offers. Rides a Jekyl and has the dubious honor of having
broken more bicycle parts in a single accident without managing to
injure himself than anyone I've ever seen in my life.
- Mike
- A chemical engineer currently living in (and hating) El Paso,
Mike was the closest thing to a flatlander besides me. Very
competantly rode the lowest tech bike on the trip, a simple
Cannondale hardtail.
- Jim (a.k.a. your friendly narrator)
- A software engineer out of Arlington (a Boston suburb). My
house is at an elevation of 23 feet and it's hard to find a climb of
more than 600 feet or longer than about a half mile anywhere near
Boston. Our typical starting altitude of 9,000 feet and climbs of
several miles were quite a shock to my system. (My wife says, "You
do that for fun?") I ride a custom Seven
Sola. Despite having by far the lightest bicycle of anyone on
the tour, I was easily the worst climber. Oh well.
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