For registration and information for the 2010 event, please visit the registration page of the Red River Chamber of Commerce Web Site. The information on this site details my great experience at the 2009 Enchanted Circle Century Ride. Official ride and registration information can be obtained from the Red River Chamber of Commerce.

I completed the Enchanted Circle Bicycle Rally on September 12, 2009 with elevation changes from 6.848 ft. to 9.823 ft. The circle began in Red River, went through Questa, Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle's Nest, up Bobcat Pass and back to Red River. Miles 38 to 55 were all uphill. Miles 69 to 80 were the climb up Bobcat Pass. The rest of the course consisted of rolling hills, hairpin turns, and steep downhills.

The scenery was incredible! Because rain and thunderstorms were forecast, I started at 7 AM with about 10 other people instead of the 8 AM mass start. I had never cycled in cold weather before. It was 40°F at the start and downhill. It was very cold and I did not have on my full gloves. Luckily, my husband was acting as photographer/support vehicle and stopping every few miles until I caught up. At the first stop, I switched out my half gloves with full gloves. I also stuck my head in the car to get some heat on my face. My lips were turning blue. Because I had not cycled in cold weather before, I did not have a head cover or ear covers underneath my helmet. I was shaking uncontrollably for about the first 1/2 hour. Then a short uphill portion started and the sun started coming out. What a relief!

They did not have traffic control or any of the roads closed off, although they did have sag support and EMS vehicles sweeping the course. But that meant that the cyclists really had to be careful on some of those narrow/windy mountain roads that did not have a shoulder. I felt great up until the 17 mile climb that started at mile 38. At the top of the 17 mile hill was a rest stop. It was badly needed at that point. We were all rounding the top of the hill and breathing hard and putting our heads on our handlebars. It was quite a climb! I had never climbed a hill that long before.

After that was the Palo Flechado descent. We had driven that the day before and I had been dreading it. "The road is rough, narrow, has gravel on the shoulder, and has hairpin turns you wouldn't try at 15 mph in a car...In the past, this treacherous pass has been the site of several accidents and injuries...New Mexico motorists are not accustomed to sharing this particular piece of road with bicyclists. Neither are the log trucks." I made it through okay but a couple of times I was scared because a truck carrying a horse trailer would pass and force me all the way over to almost the gravel shoulder which then dropped off into a canyon. Most of the cyclists really enjoyed that steep, curvy downhill.

The next part was wonderful. It went through Eagle's Nest which had a lake and mountains in the background. There was a nice wide shoulder and not much climbing (miles 73.6 to 82 on the elevation profile below).

At mile 82, the route turned back toward Red River and the climb to the top of Bobcat Pass started. That was when the bad weather (thunder, lightning, rain) started. The rally information was right about the weather. During the ride, the weather went from cold to warm to cool again. I started out in bike capris, a jersey with arm warmers and a jacket. I took off the jacket/arm warmers after the first hour. By the second hour, I changed from my capris to my bike shorts. By the 4th hour, I was putting my arm warmers back on.

Miles 82 to 96 were climbing with miles 95-96 having the steepest elevation changes. My legs were about to give out. There was lightning behind me and a light rain started. I was just hoping to get through the route (especially the last few miles of winding downhill) before the roads became wet. Mile 96 was the top of Bobcat Pass. I was thrilled to reach it. It had the highest elevation in the course. But the best part was that once you reached the top, it was 4 miles of downhill back into Red River for the finish at 100 miles.

I am so lucky that I decided to start the ride at 7 AM instead of the mass start at 8 AM. I found out later that once the lightning/thunder/rain/hail started, officials cancelled the ride. I finished just in time!

We explored the area in our jeep and had a great time hiking and also riding jeep trails. Our photos of the area are available by selecting the various sections from the main menu.