Thinking the trip was definitely over, I rode into Niwot (after having had a peak of Denver through all the haze) to find myself invited by Robyn& Mike, whom I had met a month before in Idaho. Instead of giving me some rest, they got me interested in this road that calls itself 'the highest paved road in North America'. After being disappointed to find out that Rocky Mountain National Park didn't have the highest road, my legs started itching again for some more climbing.

So once again I took off, leaving some stuff behind to make myself a little lighter. I just took my basic camping gear, some warm clothes and some food. Soon I found out that I took my camping gear for nothing, as I rode into Idaho Springs and headed into the library to check my e-mail and escape the heat.

When I headed out, a man was checking out my bike, wondering about the handlebars and light. Not much later I rode into his property, where I was invited by his wife. Lenny & Laurie offered me a bed and a big meal to be well prepared for the climb of my life the next day.

Fourteen isn't really an interesting number to most people, but here in Colorado it's sacred. There are 54 peaks in the states higher than 14000ft, so called 'fourteeners'. The only fourteener that is accessible by a paved road, is Mount Evans. The climb is 28 miles long, divided into two 14-mile long segments. After 4 hours of riding on one of the worst pavements I've ever seen, I managed to complete the ultimate ride of this trip of a lifetime!

If anyone is still doubting if this trip was a success, I'll be short: yes.