crmbt 2014 route

The Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour has officially announced their route for 2014. As the tour takes shape it's apparent that I jumped the gun on the Royal Gorge. We will be close, but not in, Royal Gorge. But the route still looks absolutely fantastic!

Days 3 and 4 will be familiar territory for CRMBT, although Monarch Pass between Salida and Gunnison hasn't been featured since the first two editions of the tour. Days 1 and 2, and days 5 and 6 will be all new, and promise to be memorable.


The first day is relatively short at 46 miles, and calls for only 1300 feet of climbing. Day 2 will take us on a 94 mile ride through the Sangre de Cristo mountains and along the Arkansas River to Salida. On the third day we'll be on US 50 to Gunnison, with a stop at the top of Monarch Pass.

We'll hang a right in Gunnison and head up to Crested Butte for the night with 92 miles and 5500 feet of climbing under our belts.

Many will be heading out early on day 4 to backtrack to Almont and head east along the Taylor River and around Taylor Park Reservoir.

Waiting on the other side of the lake is a nice dirt rode that takes you past 12,000 feet. I've descended Cottonwood Pass into Buena Vista twice, once on my bike during CRMBT '11, and once in the back of a Ryder truck on the 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado due to rain and fog. It's more fun on a bike, and that's why I advocate an early start on this 76 mile day with 4500 beautiful feet of climbing.

After a rest day in Buena Vista it's back to new territory for this tour as we head to Woodland Park, with stops in South Park and Cripple Creek. This century day takes us 102 miles with 5900 feet of climbing, so they probably won't be lengthy stops.

The last day of the tour could be an 18 mile ride back to Colorado Springs, or it could be an epic adventure! All you have to do is get off of US 24 at Cascade, pay your toll, and ride up the Pikes Peak Highway to the summit at over 14,000 feet. This 19 mile climb, by all accounts, is hard! But if you train hard enough, long enough, you may be rewarded with a view such as this:

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I think it might be worth it!