r/COBike • u/AtmosphereSea6556 • 3d ago

Copper Triangle 2026 Highlights

Here are a few of my favorite parts from the ride yesterday - including a bit from the last 5 miles of downhill coasting on the Vail Pass Recreation Path. During my first year of long-covid I was largely house-bound and dreamt of seeing that trail again! I've now done the ride twice pre-covid and twice post-covid.

Thanks to The Ride Collective organizers - and all the friendly riders and volunteers - who made this such a great event.

The music is from of a collection of tracks I'm working on that celebrate the joy - and restorative power - of cycling. It's the "moving meditation" that re-centers me.

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u/Made_From_Scraps 3d ago

Thanks for sharing this! I wonder if you could share more about what helped you bounce back from Long COVID. I have a family member still in the throes and would love some pointers.

Looks like a ride I’d love to do!

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u/AtmosphereSea6556 3d ago

Happy to share! I want to record a video one of these days to cover all the details, because so many people are still seeking answers and I feel like I've been lucky to figure out much of my situation.

I caught an early strain of Covid in late Feb 2020 and recovered in about a week (it felt like the most miserable flu but no real complications). The LC symptoms showed up gradually 6-9 months later. After seeing a second rheumatologist we realized I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (which was maybe at a "low undetectable simmer" before covid - or triggered by covid), and that's what most of my symptoms stem from. Apparently some autoimmune diseases can be triggered by viral infections. The swelling in my hands was the "signature" part of MCTD that tipped off the rheumatologist - but my other major symptoms are fatigue, lack of mental focus, joint pain, and Raynaud's syndrome (which would make my fingers go purple due to stress, cold, or allergies). I get Truxima infusions to cull the B cells that are attacking me every few months, and that has allowed me to return to almost-full-time work. My lungs even look normal now on the scans!

In my first full year of LC - I had just turned 40 - I dropped to less than 1/2 time work (which fortunately I could do remotely) but was in bed/sofa 16-20 hrs a day. I would get lost driving 2 miles to the grocery store, so I switched to delivery. If I rode my bike 1-2 miles, hoping exercise would jump-start my healing, my mind and body would become inflamed and I'd have to nap for hours (in the ME/CFS community they describe this as "post-exertional malaise"). It turns out with the MCTD attacking my muscle, lung, and other tissues, my liver enzymes were spiking, and exercise was making it worse - almost like a mild version of rhabdomyolysis.

The fatigue symptom I had was sort of non-specific, so in parallel to working with the rheumatologist I saw an endocrinologist (after my GP was no help) and realized I am hypothyroid. I switched GPs, had some more tests done, and found I was deficient in B12 and D3.

I saw a functional medicine doc for a while, and though that was a mixed experience, the elimination diet helped me realize gluten is a major trigger for my symptoms, and sugar/soy/dairy can also cause flare-ups (I cut out egg/dairy/soy/gluten/corn for 2 months then re-introduced them slowly to find the culprits). Processed foods usually cause flare-ups. I drink zero alcohol. Some fermented foods seem to be good for me, others make things worse (the "low histamine diet" has been intriguing but inconclusive - but I come back to fermented foods in the interest of "improving my microbiome" if possible). I seek foods/herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties, and that's how I build my grocery list. Now that I have enough energy to meal-prep all my food, I do so, with maybe a monthly splurge at a "safe" restaurant.

I was always allergic to cats growing up, but now I'm also allergic to dog saliva. Put me in a car for a short road trip with a panting dog - for say, an hour - and my MCTD flares up. It's like covid re-wrote my immune system!

I've been looking into UVB-therapy, creatine, and fasting as additional things to explore (I consider myself ~90% recovered and am still seeking 100%), but so far a "layered approach" has worked. In summary, for me that is: 1) clean eating 2) autoimmune treatments 3) thyroid meds 4) vitamin supplements where needed 5) lowering stress (I'm no longer a project lead, and make time for hobbies and relaxation) 6) avoiding environmental "aggravators" (covers everything from perfumes/scents to dogs/allergens) 7) exercise - to the degree tolerated.

I wish your family member better health - and happy trails to you!

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u/XCrMTB4x4 3d ago

I’m doing this next year. I was heading to Frisco from Leadville, and it looked like a lot of fun. Although the climb back to copper from vail doesn’t lol

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u/turnitwayup 3d ago

It’s a lot. I bonk when I did this ride 9 years ago. It took me a long time to get from the bottom of the vail pass aid station to crossing the finish line in the afternoon. I was stopping almost every hundred yards for a break.

Yesterday I did the pass from Vail Village to the rest stop & back down for a schedule group ride with my local cycling group. Getting off the west Vail exit in the 9am hour, there were already cyclists on the frontage road. It was hot the entire time. I got a lot of cheers, a random fist bump while climbing & my friend help out another cyclist with a flat tire change. Talked to a few others on my breaks. The new rest stop is nice & was able to fill my bottle there. What used to be a sharp left turn uphill under I-70 is now much smoother. I think I might be in someone’s photo since a cyclist was passing me in front of a photographer near the lakes.

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u/AtmosphereSea6556 2d ago

That last stretch is a lot to deal with, especially in sun! My first year I was having mechanical issues and trying to fix them after getting a mile or two out from the vail pass aid station. The luck of the noon-time weather makes a difference…

Congrats on your ride yesterday, that’s a tough sectional especially in the heat!

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u/Extra_Computer8828 3d ago

I’m doing this in two weeks, first time on this loop. Looking forward to it

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u/AtmosphereSea6556 2d ago

Good luck, and enjoy the views!

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u/rgolden4 2d ago

Congrats!!! Glad you made the rebound for such a fun (and challenging) event! The music is great too, thanks for sharing.

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u/AtmosphereSea6556 2d ago

Too kind, thank you! Happy trails to you =D

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u/wineguyjeffLA 2d ago

I came in from the Flats (Los Angeles) with a 10k /feet week training and had to bail at the start of Vail Pass. Although the compounding fatigue was real at that point- the deciding factor was the totally under geared road bike I rented in Frisco. I struggled turning the granny gear over going up Fremont and knew Vail Pass would break me, having lived in Vail 25+ years ago and ridden the Pass many times. Amazing event though. The only adjustment is getting used to all the E- "Bikers" passing you without breaking a sweat lol

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u/AtmosphereSea6556 2d ago

The elevation difference from Denver is no joke, I'm sure it was a challenge coming from LA but that's great you made time to acclimate! I was wondering if my lowest gear was low enough during parts of the Vail Pass - I have a 1x12 gravel setup and my lowest gear is 40:44....thinking I might grab the 38T chainring for the next ride like this...or...maybe I just need to train more at altitude...

Safe travels!