Day 15 Sea 2 Shining

This is a day I've been looking forward to since the very beginning. Riding from Salt Lake City to Park City! I have done this ride a dozen times before. This is my old stumping ground. It is great to be on climbs where I know what is coming up next and know what kind of effort it takes to climb fast and not blow up. And to top it off, my friend Jill was going to join us on our ride today!!

We started at a slow pace thru town to keep the group together until we got to Hogle Zoo. This is where the climb starts up Emigration Canyon. I am not much of a climber but I've always liked this climb because it has the perfect pitch for me to hold a nice hard tempo and still be able to power up the final steep pitch to the top at This is the Place Park. Of course this is the first time I've ridden this climb on a tandem, but Larry and I just flew up this great climb. We had a blast.

After a fun descent, we had to climb up to Parley Summit on I80 with all the traffic you would expect from an interstate and a very steep 12 percent grade. Not my favorite part of the climb but still not that bad. Again with a fun descent to Kimball Junction then an up and down, mostly up, ride to Park City. When we got to town we had to wait for the whole group to arrive so we could ride up Main Street and up the Deer Valley together. It was fun to ride with all the people in town watching us and people taken pictures.

Soon we arrived at our hotel for the night. Heck, hotel? More like a palace. We are staying at St-Regis-Deer-Valley-Resort , HOLY CRAP!!! I've watched this place being built when I lived in Park City 14 years ago. I also watched when they bulldozed one of the best mountain bike trails in the world called spincycle. I guess I have to say it was worth losing that trail for such an incredible place. We were treated like kings and queens. I really mean it. We wanted for nothing. There are butlers and waite staff that will do anything for you at any time. Of course dinner and breakfast was first class. Somehow our stay here for all forty of us was donated. Wow!!