Boulder riding is pretty amazing

[velotel]

This place ought to be added to people’s lists of places to go to ride bikes, road, mountain, and stoner. Just one small requirement, gotta love climbing! Okay, yea, there’s all that flat land at the base of the hills but riding that without the climbs in the hills would be kind of like visiting Rome by flying into and out of the airport, and never leaving the airport.

But what really puts Boulder up in the have-to-go-ride someday category are the stoner roads. Holy smokes does this place have stoner roads. Much of them pretty smooth. If not for the small scatterings of gravel and sand from time to time one could easily think the road is paved, not dirt. That changes the higher one goes. Pavement flowing into smooth, hard-packed dirt into rustic dirt into 4x4 territory.

Yesterday we did a long, sustained climb in 4x4 territory, the Switzerland Trail. No idea why it’s called that because having been to Switzerland, there is nothing swiss about the road or scenery. An old railroad grade. When Mat told me we were going to ride this old railroad grade I thought, good, something easy today! I mean everyone knows railroad grades are always all but flat; trains can’t go up anything steeper than maybe 3, 4%. If this was once a train track, must have been some special trains because flat it wasn’t.

Not steep either, in fact if it had been paved or smooth, hard-packed dirt or even rustic dirt the effort demanded would have been relatively easy to maintain. It wasn’t any of those. Basically a double-track of loose sand and gravel with lines where the ground was more solid, as in frequently embedded or maybe exposed rock. Think pavés on edge instead of laid flat. The rock sections were often the easier choice even if that meant a lot of jolts.

This was concentration alley, physically and mentally. Mile after mile, no idea how far in fact, of full on effort with the eyes constantly searching out the good line, the arms pulling and pushing the front end around through the rocks, the legs maxed out in the power department, driving the bike over ledges, through troughs of sand and gravel, up and up.

Followed by one way fast plunge off the mountain, on dirt that was scary fast. Followed in turn by more plunge but now on asphalt. All the way back to Boulder (Mat stopped and grabbed the truck while Steve and I kept going) and all the time with the tires singing their songs of speed.

And thus ends my Boulder passage, three days of intense riding, big climbs, vast views, insanely fun descents. Now up into the real mountains, up to Crested Butte then on to California and Marin County. Should be quite the drive. With bikes of course. Roads to ride along the way.

Like I said back at the beginning, someone looking for a place to ride might want to add Boulder to the list, especially if the objective is stoner riding. Huge selection immediately at hand, place is overrun with cyclists of every sort, a town with lots to do and lots of good restaurants (pricey some of them though), lots of bike shops and particularly Vecchio’s, and as a rule stunning weather. Also a wonderful bike path system that is a marvel to ride.

[oldpotatoe]

This place ought to be added to people’s lists of places to go to ride bikes, road, mountain, and stoner. Just one small requirement, gotta love climbing! Okay, yea, there’s all that flat land at the base of the hills but riding that without the climbs in the hills would be kind of like visiting Rome by flying into and out of the airport, and never leaving the airport.

But what really puts Boulder up in the have-to-go-ride someday category are the stoner roads. Holy smokes does this place have stoner roads. Much of them pretty smooth. If not for the small scatterings of gravel and sand from time to time one could easily think the road is paved, not dirt. That changes the higher one goes. Pavement flowing into smooth, hard-packed dirt into rustic dirt into 4x4 territory.

Yesterday we did a long, sustained climb in 4x4 territory, the Switzerland Trail. No idea why it’s called that because having been to Switzerland, there is nothing swiss about the road or scenery. An old railroad grade. When Mat told me we were going to ride this old railroad grade I thought, good, something easy today! I mean everyone knows railroad grades are always all but flat; trains can’t go up anything steeper than maybe 3, 4%. If this was once a train track, must have been some special trains because flat it wasn’t.

Not steep either, in fact if it had been paved or smooth, hard-packed dirt or even rustic dirt the effort demanded would have been relatively easy to maintain. It wasn’t any of those. Basically a double-track of loose sand and gravel with lines where the ground was more solid, as in frequently embedded or maybe exposed rock. Think pavés on edge instead of laid flat. The rock sections were often the easier choice even if that meant a lot of jolts.

This was concentration alley, physically and mentally. Mile after mile, no idea how far in fact, of full on effort with the eyes constantly searching out the good line, the arms pulling and pushing the front end around through the rocks, the legs maxed out in the power department, driving the bike over ledges, through troughs of sand and gravel, up and up.

Followed by one way fast plunge off the mountain, on dirt that was scary fast. Followed in turn by more plunge but now on asphalt. All the way back to Boulder (Mat stopped and grabbed the truck while Steve and I kept going) and all the time with the tires singing their songs of speed.

And thus ends my Boulder passage, three days of intense riding, big climbs, vast views, insanely fun descents. Now up into the real mountains, up to Crested Butte then on to California and Marin County. Should be quite the drive. With bikes of course. Roads to ride along the way.

Like I said back at the beginning, someone looking for a place to ride might want to add Boulder to the list, especially if the objective is stoner riding. Huge selection immediately at hand, place is overrun with cyclists of every sort, a town with lots to do and lots of good restaurants (pricey some of them though), lots of bike shops and particularly Vecchio’s, and as a rule stunning weather. Also a wonderful bike path system that is a marvel to ride.

You ought to write for the Chamber of Commerce...except with the students back, uncrowded it isn't right now. Get stuck on 28th or Pearl yet? Next time, try to go to Fate brewery on east Arapahoe, close to Audi dealer...great food, great beer(and I'm not a fan of microbrews)....

[Tickdoc]

This place ought to be added to people’s lists of places to go to ride bikes, road, mountain, and stoner. Just one small requirement, gotta love climbing! Okay, yea, there’s all that flat land at the base of the hills but riding that without the climbs in the hills would be kind of like visiting Rome by flying into and out of the airport, and never leaving the airport.

But what really puts Boulder up in the have-to-go-ride someday category are the stoner roads. Holy smokes does this place have stoner roads. Much of them pretty smooth. If not for the small scatterings of gravel and sand from time to time one could easily think the road is paved, not dirt. That changes the higher one goes. Pavement flowing into smooth, hard-packed dirt into rustic dirt into 4x4 territory.

Yesterday we did a long, sustained climb in 4x4 territory, the Switzerland Trail. No idea why it’s called that because having been to Switzerland, there is nothing swiss about the road or scenery. An old railroad grade. When Mat told me we were going to ride this old railroad grade I thought, good, something easy today! I mean everyone knows railroad grades are always all but flat; trains can’t go up anything steeper than maybe 3, 4%. If this was once a train track, must have been some special trains because flat it wasn’t.

Not steep either, in fact if it had been paved or smooth, hard-packed dirt or even rustic dirt the effort demanded would have been relatively easy to maintain. It wasn’t any of those. Basically a double-track of loose sand and gravel with lines where the ground was more solid, as in frequently embedded or maybe exposed rock. Think pavés on edge instead of laid flat. The rock sections were often the easier choice even if that meant a lot of jolts.

This was concentration alley, physically and mentally. Mile after mile, no idea how far in fact, of full on effort with the eyes constantly searching out the good line, the arms pulling and pushing the front end around through the rocks, the legs maxed out in the power department, driving the bike over ledges, through troughs of sand and gravel, up and up.

Followed by one way fast plunge off the mountain, on dirt that was scary fast. Followed in turn by more plunge but now on asphalt. All the way back to Boulder (Mat stopped and grabbed the truck while Steve and I kept going) and all the time with the tires singing their songs of speed.

And thus ends my Boulder passage, three days of intense riding, big climbs, vast views, insanely fun descents. Now up into the real mountains, up to Crested Butte then on to California and Marin County. Should be quite the drive. With bikes of course. Roads to ride along the way.

Like I said back at the beginning, someone looking for a place to ride might want to add Boulder to the list, especially if the objective is stoner riding. Huge selection immediately at hand, place is overrun with cyclists of every sort, a town with lots to do and lots of good restaurants (pricey some of them though), lots of bike shops and particularly Vecchio’s, and as a rule stunning weather. Also a wonderful bike path system that is a marvel to ride.

Boulder is cool, but crested butte and the gunnison basin area are one of my favorite places in Colorado. I love the old mining town feel and isolation of crested butte. Be sure to visit their mountain bike museum there on main street. If you really want a fun trip, go past almont to Taylor reservoir and then the town of tincup. I've never been In a place where I felt like I was in an old western quite like tincup.

Love hearing of your exploits and remember, pics or it didn't happen ;-)

[Ralph]

As a visitor from Florida, and while I'm familiar with the Denver to Ft Collins area in a car.... not a bike.....I'm satisfied to just ride the paved trails around Boulder....while I enjoy and take in the view of the mountains. Stay out of nose bleed territory. Takes me a while just to be able to walk well at 8000 feet. On my next trip....may stay in Westminster.....and ride up to Boulder on that new trail and other paved trails out of there. Usually by myself....maybe less chance getting hurt 2000 mile from home. Can't ride like Velotel anyway. (I'm a little older than he is....but even if his age....doubt if I could hang with him. He's good!) These are amazing ride reports.

[sandyrs]

Boulder is cool, but crested butte and the gunnison basin area are one of my favorite places in Colorado. I love the old mining town feel and isolation of crested butte. Be sure to visit their mountain bike museum there on main street. If you really want a fun trip, go past almont to Taylor reservoir and then the town of tincup. I've never been In a place where I felt like I was in an old western quite like tincup.

Love hearing of your exploits and remember, pics or it didn't happen ;-)

Pretty sure velotel is in the MTB hall of fame...

[Ciavete]

Sounds awesome. Any "Bike Hotel" options?

[AllanVarcoe]

Sounds amazing!

[witcombusa]

Did you stop and see the sights in Sunset? :rolleyes:
One of my very favorite rides out of Boulder is the bike path to Four Mile Canyon, all the way to Sunset, then up Switzerland trail to Gold Hill Rd to Gold Hill then across and down Sunshine Canyon to Pearl St strait to Old Chicago for a deep dish pizza and a pitcher of Fat Tire... :D

A perfect loop during a weekday :beer:

[oldpotatoe]

Did you stop and see the sights in Sunset? :rolleyes:
One of my very favorite rides out of Boulder is the bike path to Four Mile Canyon, all the way to Sunset, then up Switzerland trail to Gold Hill Rd to Gold Hill then across and down Sunshine Canyon to Pearl St strait to Old Chicago for a deep dish pizza and a pitcher of Fat Tire... :D

A perfect loop during a weekday :beer:

Yowser, varsity ride.

[gdw]

No bike motels in Boulder so it's less expensive to stay in one of the surrounding towns and visit during the day. Boulder has gotten very expensive recently so the only cheap places are the youth hostel, the campground west of town, or the Broker Inn with the drug dealers and addicts. You can try to stealth camp along the bike paths Ralph talked about or in the open space around the city but it's illegal and judging from the transients I encounter on my night rides in the area you'll want to avoid that at all costs.

[witcombusa]

And just a PSA for riders coming in from other parts. You need brakes, real brakes, no china copy pads in your calipers. SERIOUSLY. If you are on a rental make sure you know what you've got before heading down.

Descents like Flagstaff, Magnolia, Sunshine Canyon, etc. are serious. Some have mixed surfaces, tightening radiuses and are seriously steep. I still remember the first time I flew down Sunshine Canyon many decades back!!!:eek:

[VoyTirando]

I saw this and just swooned. Many years ago I and my then-lady moved from Chicago to Denver (long before my current digs in Brooklyn, NY). I thought I was a pretty good mountain biker: I had spent countless weekends at Kettle Moraine in WI, ridden every godawful dirt track in Northern Illinois, and figured I'd be 'fine.' Ha! We headed up to Boulder one of our first weekends there, and asked around about a great loop. Someone described Walker Ranch, and we thought, 'cool.' Wowzie! What a magic, magic (and haaaaard!) loop that was. I learned I was a pansy, that I was weak, that I was arrogant, and that I had a lot to learn. Which I did. Loooong climbs. Bomber downhills with tire-munching thorns and rocks and jagged edges. A river crossing or two. A secret, secluded spot under the cliffs in the woods by the creek for sexy times. A sense of wilderness isolation. Walker Ranch had it all.

Walker Ranch remains one of my all-time favorite routes, even after three years living in Winter Park and trips to the Crusted Butt. Yay, Boulder!

[Flying Pigeon]

It's almost a secret how good Boulder's road riding can be in the fall. I remember lots of days in October with perfect weather wondering 'where is everyone?'.

For full value here's the Boulder Big 8 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/184020), covering about 120mi and 17,000'.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/full/184020.png

Given all the possibilities for an all-day buffet this is one with 100% pavement that omits the smaller climbs. They are:
-Lee Hill
-Ward
-Super James
-Super Flag
-4 Mile
-Magnolia
-Sugarloaf
-Sunshine

I thought this linkup compared to the Marmotte loop and similar 200km days in the Alps. But there is nasty stuff beyond 20% on Magnolia and upper Flag. And it has the unique challenge of cutting short all the espresso stops and creature comforts in town.

[oldpotatoe]

It's almost a secret how good Boulder's road riding can be in the fall. I remember lots of days in October with perfect weather wondering 'where is everyone?'.

For full value here's the Boulder Big 8 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/184020), covering about 120mi and 17,000'.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/full/184020.png

Given all the possibilities for an all-day buffet this is one with 100% pavement that omits the smaller climbs. They are:
-Lee Hill
-Ward
-Super James
-Super Flag
-4 Mile
-Magnolia
-Sugarloaf
-Sunshine

I thought this linkup compared to the Marmotte loop and similar 200km days in the Alps. But there is nasty stuff beyond 20% on Magnolia and upper Flag. And it has the unique challenge of cutting short all the espresso stops and creature comforts in town.

Some(road to ward and Jamestown) still have a lot of construction/damage from
Flood in 2013...road is open and going up no problem but coming down fairly slow going(one way dirt road)...

[witcombusa]

It's almost a secret how good Boulder's road riding can be in the fall. I remember lots of days in October with perfect weather wondering 'where is everyone?'.

For full value here's the Boulder Big 8 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/184020), covering about 120mi and 17,000'.

Given all the possibilities for an all-day buffet this is one with 100% pavement that omits the smaller climbs. They are:
-Lee Hill
-Ward
-Super James
-Super Flag
-4 Mile
-Magnolia
-Sugarloaf
-Sunshine

I thought this linkup compared to the Marmotte loop and similar 200km days in the Alps. But there is nasty stuff beyond 20% on Magnolia and upper Flag. And it has the unique challenge of cutting short all the espresso stops and creature comforts in town.

The best riding in both Boulder County and CO for that matter is OFF the pavement by far. Asphalt is for places without an almost endless supply of amazing dirt roads, old rail beds, jeep tracks, etc., all with fantastic views and real backcountry feel.

[d_douglas]

I visited Boulder for a friend's wedding a few years ago. I flew in to Denver, bussed to Boulder and rented a FS bike that I rode everywhere.

I had the idea that the only riding to do there was MTB, so I didn't bother with road bikes and upon arriving, I realized that was a big mistake. The roads/climbs were amazing.

The MTBing didn't suck either. The best man was obliged to take me out twice on some pretty fun, gnarly, dusty trails where the air smelled like torched pine forests :)