Le Tour de Jort

Thursday, August 19th saw the second semi-occasional outing of the JAC:GC with Le Tour de Jort. The event was widely celebrated as a triumph of both athleticism and jorts. Two more members graced GCB with their presence, meaning this blog and the Facebook page are doing their work! Fantastic.

The group started at Golden City Brewery (quickly beginning its climb to the top of the list as the best place to start anything in Golden) with a quick "Confidence Pint". It was here, amongst the hoots and hollers of the general GCB crowd, that jorts outfits were critiqued, assessed, and marveled upon.

Our two new participants, ready for the ride.

As the Colorado Summertime weather is wont to do, however, rain clouds threatened to put a premature end to our activites. We quickly assembled for our pre-ride stretch and group photo.

Due to the impending rain, we chose Woody's Wood-Fired Pizza as our first stop. They were horrified.

Truly Horrified

From there we began the long upward climb toward the top of Lookout Mountain. An arduous trek, this ride is considered one of the Front Range's best offerings for a quick morning training ride, as the steady climb at altitude will work your legs as well as your lungs. We of the JAC:GC are an inclusive group, however, and no one was left behind.

The weather continued to threaten our dryness, but before we quit, we had to make one final stop for some picturesque posing.

Truly Horrified

At this point, my camera battery lost its will to live, but we of the JAC:GC soldiered on!  Further on and further up!  The Windy Saddle approached, as did the looming blackness of dense rain, hail, and lightning.  Upon reaching our turnaround point, we looked to the West, able to see only our own future wetness.  Foregoing any further stretching, even though our hamstrings fairly burned with exertion, we promptly turned tail and fled the onslaught of foul weather, winding our way back down Lookout Mountain Rd. To our great fortune, we had outrun the darkest depths of the storm, and we made it to the Buffalo Rose in time for a couple pitchers and a few laughs before a damp ride home.

All in all, it was one very successful outing.  We wish you had made it!