ARVADA, Colo. -- Scott Hinshaw's road to the Bicycle Tour of Colorado was paved with pain and tears.

"Making it. Just straight up making it," said Hinshaw of his only goal heading into the start of the ride, which began Sunday.

He has made quite a remarkable comeback from the accident on Oct.11, 2007, that killed fellow Colorado State Patrol Trooper Zach Templeton along Interstate 76.

Hinshaw had a broken left thigh bone, two broken knee caps, injuries to his back and neck, plus post traumatic stress disorder.

"Some pretty hardcore demons in my life. To go over a Colorado Rocky Mountain pass, I have no words for it. And we're going to find out what it feels like. But I know my first pass, at the top, I'm going to stop and I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs that I'm back," Hinshaw said. "It's kind of a signal. Not only to myself but to everybody else that you can recover."

He said he found peace, and less pain, on a stationary bike during his physical rehabilitation.

"And so I grabbed a hold of it with everything that I was, and here I am. I've changed. Now I'm a bicyclist, I guess," Hinshaw said, adding that his left leg pulls up more on the pedals than it pushes due to lingering weakness in the muscles around his knee.

For 3 1/2 years, Hinshaw has been through several surgeries and had to prove to the State Patrol that he was fit for full duty.

He passed his final physical exam on March 24.

Hinshaw memorably threw out the first pitch at Coors Field before Game 4 of the World Series in 2007, but said he considers becoming godfather to the teenager that hit him an even greater accomplishment.

"I was finding it more difficult to hate than it was to love. I needed to get better. And part of getting better was forgiving. Letting this go. Letting the anger and the hate go," Hinshaw said.

"The first time I saw Scott, he was under a truck, bent in half," said Cody Loos, now 21. "I just find it amazing what willpower can do."

His family is close with Hinshaw and his wife, Susan, even greeting each other with hugs on Thursday afternoon in Arvada.

Loos served 300 hours of community service and intends to be at the finish line in Central City when Hinshaw rolls through June 25.

"It's the final chapter in a long story, you know. And Scott, he's a great guy," Loos said, only hesitating when asked if he'd forgive himself.

"I mean, I've tried. And I've tried. That's about all I can really tell you about that. 'Cause it's hard," Loos said.

Hinshaw will ride with several others, including state Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Kiowa, in the ride, which departs Central City on Sunday.

His team is collecting donations for the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation.

Hinshaw said his family had severe financial problems during the first year after his crash. Those have passed, and he said he wanted to give back to fellow officers and families in similar distress.

Hinshaw's blog is below, with the most recent at the top:

Day 3: Granby to Steamboat Springs (83 miles)

After yesterdays catastrophic weather we woke up to clear skies at cool temps. We left the hotel at 6am for breakfast at the high school where the campers are staying. Its an amazing sight to see several hundred tents all over the Granby high school sports fields. Everyone in the tents had endured the miserable storm and heavy rains the last two nights.

We left the high school at 6:45am and it was brisk to say the least. Temps were in the low 40s when we rolled out. We took Highway 40 out of Granby and traveled through the towns of Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling.

The first 15 miles to aid station 1 took us through Byers Canyon which was beautiful and fast ride. By the end of the day I really appreciated the downhill part of the early ride.

The most daunting part of the day was the climb up and over Rabbit Ears pass. It’s a 28-mile ascent that gets very steep for the last 7-8 miles. I still had a lot of anxiety about how my legs were going to hold up and it didn’t help that the serious part of our climb would begin after 50-plus miles of riding a gradual grade uphill. As the climb started I had to stop several times, not because my body was breaking down, but because I had to take pictures to document this epic journey. I made it to the top and was overwhelmed by emotion.

I continue to have an inner dialogue about how amazing it is to be on my bike and riding through the Colorado Rockies. It gives you a different perspective about how beautiful our state is. When you're traveling by bike and fighting a 20 mph headwind it would be easy to complain, but that’s not the feeling I got. It reminded me of how lucky I am to be alive and able to enjoy every mountain range and meadow. After stopping at aid station #3 I got the payoff for all the hard work climbing up the mountain…I got to go the mountain!

The computer on my bike said my top speed was 51 mph, it is an exhilarating felling to travel that fast on a bike. It really makes you feel alive. I am shocked at how good my legs are feeling after the longest bike ride of my life. Tonight I just need to get some rest because tomorrow is the longest day of the tour. It was slated to be 100 miles but had to be cut about 10 miles short because we are going to Gypsum instead of Glenwood Spring because the bike path is flooded. We will still stay in Glenwood and enjoy a well deserved day off.

Day 2: Over Trail Ridge Road

Day 2- The day started with watching the early morning news programs showing that Trail Ridge Road had been closed due to snow and blowing snow. Not a good start for our first real climb up and over the top of the pass.

The decision was made to start all the riders up into Rocky Mountain National Park at approximately 9 a.m., with the hopes that Trail ridge would be open by the time most of the riders got there. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating and they were holding riders at aid station #1 13 miles up the pass.

The decision was then made by the park service to allow riders up in waves of 50 riders. The ride organizers also gave everyone on the tour the option of turning around and being shuttled to Granby from Estes Park. We waited for approximately an hour at the aid station and ultimately made the decision to head back to Estes, pick up our gear and drive to Granby.

It was a huge disappointment because this was going to be my first big climb. My body recovered better than I expected. My hips and femur were not hurting as bad as when we rode in from Central City. I have met so many great people and reconnected with several that I met when I was working as a Motor Officer for the event. The donations to the foundation continue to roll in and I constantly remind myself of how lucky I am to have this opportunity.

After driving over Trail Ridge Road and seeing bikes abandoned on the side of the road and Sag wagons loaded with bikes and riders it made me feel much better about the decision not to attempt the ride. The snow and blowing snow would have been miserable and we all would have risked being injured, sick or both. Several dozen riders had hypothermia and had to be treated. Many of the riders that did attempt the climb and descent had to be rescued by the tour staff, Park Rangers and CSP Troopers.

They did a great job of getting buses on short notice to shuttle riders from Estes Park and off the mountain into Granby.