Altitude training

[mschol17]

So I just found out that I will be vacationing with my in-laws in Fairplay, Colorado for a week in the middle of July. Being that I essentially live at sea level in DC, and Fairplay is at 10,000 feet, how long is it going to take me to adjust?

Also, does anyone have any advice for rides in the Breckenridge area? I'm looking forward to the long, moderate grade climbs I've heard about. Out here everything is pretty short and pretty steep.

Finally, I'm flying into Denver, so I am thinking about renting a bike from one of the shops in town rather than dealing with transporting mine. Does anyone have any shop recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[Blue Jays]

You'll be fine pretty much overnight and should get accustomed to the altitude with just a quick warm-up ride.
Remember to drink LOTS of water up there. You'll notice you're parched almost instantly, so stay ahead of that water-deficit curve! Enjoy your trip to that beautiful part of the country.

[djg]

You'll be fine pretty much overnight and should get accustomed to the altitude with just a quick warm-up ride.
Remember to drink LOTS of water up there. You'll notice you're parched almost instantly, so stay ahead of that water-deficit curve! Enjoy your trip to that beautiful part of the country.

This is possible but not that likely. I've had many ski trips to Colorado from the East and I've never felt completely adapted the first morning after arriving or even the day after that. I'm not saying it's a problem -- I've been able to ski fine from the time I arrive, but I definitely stop a lot more than normal the first couple of days and have never had my breathing, while working, feel normal during the first couple of days -- basically, I suck wind for a while. In fact, I've more or less given up on Colorado for short trips, because, among other reasons, it's just easier to acclimatize more quickly at the places near SLC than, say, Summit County. I know people who've done better in the 10-12k range than I have, and people who've done worse, but everything I've seen suggests my experience is pretty normal.

I'm not saying he shouldn't ride, just that he should have reasonable expectations for a few days. Personally, I'm looking forward to taking my own family to Keystone for a week in July (to meet my own in-laws) and I plan to ride some while I'm out there, but I think I'll have to take it easy at first.

[Blue Jays]

I've flown there for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado (http://www.BicycleTourColorado.com) and been fine arriving the morning before the event to take a quick 25-miler to acclimatize.
I find the increased water consumption to be the most-striking change from lower altitudes.

[Dave]

Altitude sickness and actual acclimation to altitude (with increased red blood cells) are two different things. If you suffer from altitude sickness (likely if you go straight to 10,000') then a few days will take care of that.

Acclimating to the elevation with increased quantities of red blood cells, so you can cycle as well as those who live at that altitude, takes more like 6 weeks.

There are lots of good rides listed here.

http://www.teamevergreen.org/HTML_MAIN_PAGES/roadrides.html

Someone who's more familiar with the area will probably chime in with some suggestions. I'm not as adventurous as I should be, living in the Denver area. I have a sufficiently challenging mountain ride that I do three times a week (in season). I've done Idaho Springs to the top of Mount Evans six times and Evergreen to Echo Lake a number of times, but not much else. When I vacation in Colorado, I don't take my bike, since my wife is not a cyclist.

[mschol17]

The "altitude training" title was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I just wanted to know if I would feel like death for a week as I was getting used to the O2 deficit... :beer:

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

[konstantkarma]

The "altitude training" title was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I just wanted to know if I would feel like death for a week as I was getting used to the O2 deficit... :beer:

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

I find that the biggest obstacle in adjusting to altitudes above 9k ft is the change in sleep pattern caused by apnea. It is fairly common, and prevents some people from getting restful REM sleep. I usually feel cruddy for 2 days, and then fine. As far a riding at altitude from sea level, riding at 10k ft the day after arriving will be noticeably more difficult. I usually do a ride or two in the Denver foothills that involves moderate climbing (1.5 to 2k ft) before heading up higher for rides. These rides, such as Lookout Mountain in Golden start at 6.5-7k range. After one or two of these rides, riding at higher elevations feels fine. Last year I rode Lookout mountain and a loop out to Morrison and back from downtown Denver on consecutive days before riding the Copper Triangle. It helped a lot.

[Blue Jays]

For our week-long ride that commences on a Sunday morning, our preference is to arrive in time for lunch on Friday, take a warm-up ride on Saturday, and then we're good-to-go for the week.
We even took a side trip on the "off" day and crested 12,000 feet with no notable issues. You'll be fine and you certainly won't feel like death. Drink LOTS of water. Enjoy!

[chuckred]

For a description of some great rides,
order this book (http://www.amazon.com/Road-Biking-Colorado-Statewide-Guide/dp/1565794338/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201198896&sr=8-14). I have no interest in the book other than it's been a good one for me.

From Breck, you can do the trip to Vail over Vail Pass or over Swan Mountain, past Keystone and up Loveland Pass. Both are parts of the Triple By Pass ( so don't schedule to do it on July 12 unless you want to join 3500 of your new closest friends, but you'll be doing at least part of it in reverse...).

You could also easily do part or all of the CopperTriangle unsupported...

Can't really help you much on rentals - Bicycle Outfitters in Evergreen has some demo bikes, they may be able to help you out.

Do you mountain bike? That area is mtn bike heaven, so even if you don't, you may want to try it out.

The Team Evergreen site as mentioned before is a good one - there are PDFs for many of the routes mentioned.

Hope this helps...

[FMS_rider]

This might be useful when you make your plans: http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5266

[gdw]

Are your in-laws into South Park or Burro racing? That said, Hoosier Pass and Kenosha Pass are close by and decent rides. Beuna Vista is about a half hour drive south and is a good base for day rides. Cottonwood Pass is west of town and a scenic ride with a long gradual climb. If you want a long day in the saddle ride from Beuna Vista to Leadville and circle Tourquoise Lake before heading back.

You really should consider doing some mountain biking if you're there for a week. Kenosha Pass is a classic ride as is nearby Mt Bross. Mt Bross is a 14er and can be accessed by county and old mining roads. It's not technical but challenging because of the altitude.

I don't know of any shops that rent quality road bikes.