It is the year 1999 and I’m sitting in a seriously modified,
4 wheel drive turbo boosted Suzuki Culture. I have the engine up at launch rpm,
the lights drop from 5 red and I ditch the clutch like it’s hot. In front of me
is 100 years of racing culture, 100 years of man pushing the limits, 100 years
of hill climbing legacy. It’s me versus Pikes Peak.
Okay, okay. Back in 1999 I was doing it on my PlayStation in
Gran Turismo 2. I still remember thinking how awesome it must be to go to this
car racing mecca one day. Today, day 13 of our epic USA road trip, 17 years
after doing it in the Suzuki on a massive tube TV and here I am. The Rushmore
Updated 103cu purrs beneath my gooch, Road Glide versus the legendary Pikes
Peak in front of me. It is go time!
Red Bull Sponsorship Here I Come
I headed off the line like a bat out of hell. “Got to beat
10 minutes, Sebastien Loeb did it in 8 minutes with his specialised 208” I told
myself as I shifted her into second. The chunky V-Twin kicked out a beautiful
little double beat spit on the red line and surged into second gear. I punish
her through second with a merciless dump into third. My balls are tingling, my
soul is on fire and my life has never been … SLAP! I received a whack on the
back of the lid from Barbara. Darn – forgot she was on the back. Okay, okay i get it - a
leisurely canter it will be.
Pikes Peak is an awesome, awesome road. Hundreds of
seriously sharp bends, 5000 feet altitude climb, lovely narrow sections and horizon long views on either
side. Saying that, there is not much time to appreciate the views as you head up because
the road is seriously technical.
As we climbed higher and higher the temperature
started to plummet. Barbara and I, dressed in our summer back packers style
biker gear, rolled into the little restaurant at the top semi-frozen solid. The
other bikers were staring at us as if we had balloons tied to our heads or
something. It was properly cold, 50 degrees Fahrenheit and surrounded my 5 feet
of snow, but I couldn’t care less. The excitement of walking where racing legends
and my race car blooded brethren have walked for a hundred years before me kept
my chest warm. What an awesome place.
“World’s best doughnuts” are quite horrid (imagine oil-encased
sponge), the coffee is bland and the trinkets are overpriced but who cares?
It’s all about the road, the prestige and the history. America the Beautiful
was written in light of the views at the top of Pikes Peak. Colorado never
ceases to amaze.
On our way down we pulled over for a picture next to the
government issued, Regulatory road sign that reads “Big Foot Crossing”. No
lies.
Righty, back on the bike and we headed through Colorado
Springs, had a bite to eat at the Gun Smoke Cafe and made our way to Denver. We are here for
a couple of nights to visit Barbara’s Godparents and have a little look see
around the city of Denver.
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