Pedalers on the three Colorado week-long bicycle tours this summer will be treated to views like this one I shot while bicycling down Route 550 between Montrose and Ouray on my cross-country tour.
In fact, two of the bike tours start in Durango a week apart and tackle the San Juans Mountains (shown here) on the first or second day.
This is the second year that Colorado mountain pass-climbing enthusiasts have a choice of three bike tours – the Denver Post's Ride the Rockies June 15-21; Bicycle Tour of Colorado June 22-28; and Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour Aug. 3-9.
Here's a summary of the three bike tours.
The Ride the Rockies is the first of the summer and it's the oldest, dating back to 1986. Organizers capped participation at 2,000 bicyclists many years ago and implemented a lottery system in 1989. You have to register by Feb. 22 to get in the lottery.
The 2008 ride is 435 miles and starts in Durango, a mountain biking mecca in the southwestern part of the state. The route heads east to Cortez (site of the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings) then roughly north to Telluride, Montrose, Crested Butte, Buena Vista and Breckenridge.
The mountain pass tally:
Day 2 – Lizard Head Pass (10,222 ft.);
Day 3 – Dalls Divide (8,970 ft.);
Day 4 – Cerro Summit (7,950 ft.) and Blue Mesa Summit (9,288 ft.);
Day 6 – Cottonwood Pass (12,126 ft.); and
Day 7 – Trout Creek Pass (9,346 ft.) and Hoosier Pass (11,542 ft.).
The Bicycle Tour of Colorado, celebrating its 14th year, is the season's second ride, starts in the same town as Ride the Rockies only a week later, and covers much of the same San Juan Mountain region.
The 403-mile loop starts in Durango, and heads north to Ouray and Montrose, then loops back through Telluride, Naturita, and Cortez to Durango.
The mountain pass tally starts with a bang:
Day 1 – Bank Pass (10,600 ft.), Molas Divide (10,910 ft.) and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft.);
Day 2 – Jones Summit (8,266 ft.);
Day 3 – Dallas Divide (8,970 ft.);
Day 4 – Lizard Head Pass (optional, 10,222 ft.); and
Day 6 – Gypsum Pass (6,100 ft.).
The Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour is in its second year and is scheduled for August. At 472 miles, it is the longest of the three this year.
This bike tour also is a loop that rolls out of Gunnison. Host cities along the way are Hotchkiss, Glenwood Springs, Leadville, Frisco, and Salida.
The mountain pass tally:
Day 2 – McClure Pass (8,755 ft.);
Day 3 – Independence Pass (12,095 ft.);
Day 4 – Tennessee Pass, Battle Mountain Pass and Vail Pass;
Day 6 – Fremont Pass (11,318 ft.), and
Day 7 – Monarch Pass (11,312 ft.).
Registration
You can register for all three bike tours online. They'll all fully supported, so all you have to worry about is getting yourself and your bicycle over the next pass.
Even through the three bike tours take different routes, they all have one thing in common — lots of climbing. When you're on your training rides, remember to thrown in an extra hill or two so you can be prepared for these rides.
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