A 5-day bicycle tour of breweries along the San Juan Skyway and a one-day bike ride to the top of Pikes Peak are new two-wheeled opportunities in Colorado this summer.
Colorado already has a full slate of bike rides, but there's always room for more. As their names imply, these rides are geared to bicyclists who aren't timid about tackling the state's greatest bicycling resource — mountains.
Pikes Peak
The Assault on the Peak is a one-day bike ride that ascends 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs. It gives most cyclists their first opportunity to ride their bikes to the lofty summit as the solitary road is usually closed to bicyclists.
On Aug. 29, however, the road will be closed to motor vehicle traffic as bike riders will have the mountain to themselves.
The bike ride is just 18.5 miles, but it climbs 6,360 feet in that distance. The grade averages 6.7%, although it kicks up to 10.5% in places. It is described as a timed, non-competitive event. Two intermediate time checks are available and the final summit times will be recorded online.
Registration limited
At the summit, cyclists can pick up their warm clothes and warm up inside a building. They can return to the start on their bikes in controlled groups, in a downhill van or aboard the tram.
The ride starts at the tollgate at 7,750-foot elevation. The road surface is pavement and gravel, and the last five miles are above the treeline.
The ride is presented by Summit Cycling Productions, in conjunction with the city of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Highway. It's open to anyone 18 year old or older. Registration is capped at 1,500 cyclists on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bikes and brew
Also new in 2010 is the Peaks and Pints Southwest Colorado Bicycle Brewery Tour, which offers participants a chance to ride all day and rehydrate at night with samplings from local microbrews.
The ride begins in Ridgeway and continues in a counter-clockwise motion along the San Juan Skyway. During the day, bicyclists will summit at four passes over 10,000 feet — Lizard Head Pass (10,222 feet), Coal Bank Pass (10,640 feet), Molas Pass (10,899 feet) and Red Mountain Pass (10,899 feet). Those last three passes are on the next to last day of bicycling.
Four towns
Overnight stops are planned in Telluride, Dolores, Durango and Ouray. Each town has at least one brewery on the itinerary.
The ride rolls out Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 and is presented by Peak to Peak Bicycles, a shop owned by Randy and Jen Charrette in Ridgeway. Check the website for details about lodging, meals and gear.
See the Across State Bicycle Tour index for more multi-day Colorado bike tours.
Photo above — Approaching San Juan Mountains along Highway 550 between Ridgeway and Ouray.
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