Start and Finish Line - Taos RV Park
The Official Checkpoint - Mazzola's '61 Airstream (The Bellagio)
Liz Mazzola - a happy finisher the morning after.
4:55 AM Saturday Morning - At the start are Lee Brinckerhoff, Liz Mazzola, Catherine Shenk, and photographer RBA John Mazzola.
Heading north on NM 522 to Costilla and the clouds just beginning to build.
The RBA, John Mazzola waits for the others to finsh their burgers and shakes in Eagle Nest. Yes, real food is needed too!
John Mazzola heading into Kawlijah's Diner for a burger and shake in Eagle Nest.
Lee Brinckerhoff and Catherine Shenk still grinning bigtime in Eagle Nest at mile 142. Plus Lee already knows how good the food is at Kaw-lijahs!
Sunset over Eagle Nest Lake with a view toward Palo Flechado Pass the last big climb of the day. We are at mile 185 and the end of the day awaits at mie 220
Day two brought our one man sag wagon, Fred Hintze. Catherine Shenk of Boulder, CO and #2 American Woman's finisher at Paris-Brest-Paris, a 1200k event, has just informed me that this is the hardest brevet (pronounced like Chevrolet) she has ever done. However, she is still smiling in Sapello at mile 296 and 18,000' of climbing.
Lee Brinckerhoff, RBA John Mazzola, Catherine Shenk, and the day two one man sag team, Fred Hintze in Sapello at mile 296 and 18,000' of climbing. Photographer Liz Mazzola is the missing tandem partner
John at the US Hill overlook with the last climb over at mile 356. 24,000' is big and the legs feel it. My Spansish grandmother sat on this very bench with Liz and I thirty some years ago...this is a very touching moment knowing and feeling the affects of how hard we worked to get here. It is all down hill from here and completion is all but asured.
Liz taking a close up after overdosing us on color saturation pills.
Liz Mazzola at the top of US Hill. This is the last big climb of the 24,000'. She knows it's done and she is proud. We had our questions whether we could do this on the tandem.
