seventeen

Thanks to CRMBT, and a few side trips on my own, I've now climbed the 17 highest paved passes in Colorado. And that's not counting Mt Evans or Cottonwood Pass. I've been checking them off on a list that I printed from here. Half a dozen more and I could have everything over 10,000 feet. I notice that Lizard Head Pass might be on the agenda for CRMBT next year. Hmmm.....

I put a few shots from those 17 passes into a slideshow. Check it out if you're interested:

seventeen

feels like frisco

Barely into September, and when I went out for a ride yesterday morning, I wore a jacket! It was a cool, crisp autumn kind of morning. I love that kind of weather, except for the fact that it's followed by winter. The cool air reminded me of Frisco, CO and the times I've stayed there, before, during or after a Colorado bike tour. Heading out on the bike paths around town, up to Breckenridge, or over to Copper Mountain usually calls for a light jacket for the cool, and possibly rain protection for the afternoon showers that are common at 9,075 feet, surrounded by mountains.

The ride yesterday was pleasant enough, made all the more so by the memories of the cool, crisp air of Frisco.

crmbt 2012 proposed route

CRMBT, the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour has announced their proposed route for August, 2012. After two years that had riders scaling the heights of central Colorado, including Mt Evans and Trail Ridge Road, and riding a route that stretched from the Grand Mesa to Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass, CRMBT is heading back to the San Juan Mountains in the southwest part of the state. The overnight towns include Pagosa Springs, Creede, Gunnison and Montrose. The rest day would be in the resort town of Telluride before moving on to Mancos, and back to Pagosa Springs.

On a scenic route that was used by BTC in 2006 , the first day will feature a beautiful, but challenging ride over Wolf Creek Pass on the way to Creede. This climb will offer numerous photo opportunities, especially looking back to the west as you near the summit.

After a nice descent, and ride through parts of the beautiful San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests, it's on to Creede. The last time I was in Creede, Slumgullion Pass had just kicked my butt, so my opinion is tarnished. But, I've heard others talk of what a great little town Creede is. The next morning the route would head for Gunnison over Spring Creek Pass and the infamous Slumgullion.

                                                                           Bicycle Tour of Colorado 2006

The good news is that the elevation of Creede and the elevation of Lake City are roughly the same, almost 8800 feet. And climbing from the south it takes about 40 miles from Creede to reach Slumgullion Pass at 11,530 feet, whereas climbing from Lake City to the summit takes 7 miles. I know that the switchbacks off of Slumgullion into Lake City won't be conducive to great speed, but I also know you won't have to pedal at all!

After a couple small climbs the tour will roll into Gunnison for a cool night in the mountain air. The next day's ride takes you on US 50 to Montrose. The ride would run the entire length of the Blue Mesa Reservoir and through the Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The next day the route takes riders from Montrose to Telluride. From Montrose to Ridgway is high plains desert with mesas all around. But when you turn right at Ridgway, it gets special. You're climbing towards the Sneffels range and the views are spectacular.

When I rode the Dallas Divide out of Ridgway, it was up and back. So I don't know what it's like to go down the other side and wind into Telluride. But I bet it's amazing! Telluride looks like a fantastic palce for a rest day. And the one real climb the following day is Lizard Head Pass. A nice account of that ride can be found here. From Mancos to Pagosa Springs has a little climbing, including Yellow Jacket Pass, which we rode on the way to Durango  few years ago. But it should be a relatively easy day, and a very scenic way to finish the tour.

thank you!

Peter and Hillary, Kevin and Ann, Theo, Scott, The gang from Rocky Mountain Sports Massage, all the volunteers, and all the other riders who made this a great week on the roads of Colorado:   Thanks!

It was amazing! Headwinds to Hotchkiss, beautiful Black Canyon on the way to Gunnison, and an epic two days over Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass before a well deserved rest day were all wonderful.

Norm at the summit of Cottonwood Pass.

It was great day off in Glenwood Springs, a beautiful ride over McClure Pass back to Hotchkiss, and another memorable day over the Grand Mesa back to Grand Junction. A huge thank you to all of you who make it possible for us to do the ride, enjoy almost every mile, and want to come back and do it again! And to all the riders I rode with, ate with, visited with: It was great to meet you, or see you again. What a great group! Let's do it again next year!

crmbr '11 hotchkiss to grand junction

Saturday, the last day of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour, had us going from Hotchkiss back to the starting point at Grand Junction, with a twist. Instead of staying on CO 92 all the way to Delta, where we had gotten off of US 50 a week ago, we hung a right on CO 65 and headed for Cedaredge, and the Grand Mesa beyond it. If you're only going to ride up one mesa, it should be a grand one.

The route for the day would take us over the Grand Mesa, down a great descent, through a stunning canyon, onto the shoulder I-70 for about 5 miles before a long, hot ride through the outskirts of Grand Junction. And, everyone was deciding on what, if anything, they would do about heading for home after the ride. With that in mind I was up early for breakfast and to get packed one last time. I said my goodbyes to Theo, who was going to put our bags on the Penske truck to be picked up at the finish, and Scott, the bike mechanic who had taken care of us all week.

The ride was downhill for the first 20+ miles. Riding with Bud, and Dan and Janie we were making good time. We were working well together and picked up some help along the way. John from Austin, and Paul and Steve from Pittsburgh joined our little paceline, and we made it to our first aid station quickly, without having worked all that hard. Great way to start a long day!

Then, we were climbing. Just going slightly up hill in a straight line at first. Then the road turned and rose, which it would do several more times for about 20 miles. I don't think the pictures can do justice to the breathtaking views. As we rode higher and higher, we could see more and more of the valley below us.

When you get near to the top, the road takes you away from the rim of the mesa and onto rolling hills through forests and over 200 natural lakes. You can't see as far as you could on the climb up, but there's still plenty to see.

 

When I saw this sign, I knew I was near the high point. Pictures at the top, nice descent, and a long, hot ride to Grand Junction were all that was left.                                                                                                      

 The descent was longer, faster, and better than I had remembered. With the exception of a couple miles that had been repaired with chip-seal that felt kind of loose, you could get some good speed and maintain it for a long time. Before we knew it we were rolling through the canyon to the last aid station. One more snack and a refill of our water bottles and we were touring once more.

Mercifully, the 5 miles on I-70 is downhill and if you stayed to the right of the rumble strips, not that bad. But, it was still good to get it over with. By the time we hit Grand Junction the remaining water in my bottles was hot, so when Dan suggested stopping at a convenience store for a cold drink, I was on board. Another couple miles to the school and the four of us who rode in asked Hillary to take our picture. Then it was time to clean up, pack up, and hit the road towards Kansas. Another great CRMBT in the books.