“Santo Domingo: Over the Top” in Colorado
Where: Poncha Pass to Mount Evans, Colorado
When: July 22 – July 27, 2013
Miles Cycled: 300
Mountains Climbed: 20,000′
Funds Raised: $131,900
On July 22nd, 2013, the day after the Tour de France ended, Mike Heisler and Alisa Reindl, with support from Joe Sackett, began their own “Tour de France in Colorado.” The crowning jewel was Mount Evans, fondly named the ride’s “Alpe d’Huez, where the duo cycled over the highest paved road in the United States, topping out at 14,264 ft.
In comparison with the Tour de France, these members of the fledgling Andean Health Cycling Team met with these extraordinary challenges not even facing the Tour de France professional riders:
- The Colorado climbs were at significantly higher elevations.
- The Colorado climbs were ridden as back-to-back challenges rather than over a 21-day period.
- The Colorado climbs had no cheering spectators.
The challenge for subsequent AHCT cycling efforts was on!
