Sunday, June 26, 2016

let's go to colorado

If you like to ride your bike amidst beautiful scenery you should consider the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour. This tour is celebrating its 10th anniversary, July 31 to August 6, 2106 with an epic loop ride from Idaho Springs. Climbs include Loveland and Fremont Passes, Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, and on the last day, the chance to ride up and down Mount Evans.

This tour is capped at 500 riders but is still growing, so the number has never been more than half of that. This tour is small enough that you get to know the organizers, the volunteers, the other riders. Some opt for hotels, but we still see each other on the road from time to time. A lot of folks set up a tent, or rent one from Theo the SherpaPacker, or choose "indoor camping" in the gym of the school where we're staying.
We are a small enough group that we are never the reason for long lines at restaurants in the towns we visit. We're a big enough group that there are a lot of people to pass you as you ride up a mountain pass. And a few to be passed.
This is a great tour made possible by some great people, and I don't want to see it go away. If you like to ride a bike, a multi-day tour is a wonderful thing. All you have to worry about each day is where to ride, and what to eat. Minimal stress.
And if you don't think you're capable of riding in the mountains, trust me, you are. If you ride rolling hills you already know how to climb. Just put a bunch of those short climbs together, followed by a celebration at the summit, and you've saved up all those little downhills for your descent.
Come on, you know you want to. Let's go to Colorado.