Just back from a big Colorado "workation:" I had seven dates of work in Colorado Springs, flew back to Austin to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday and then flew back to CO and drove out to the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen area).
I got in over 330 miles of great riding in those varying parts of the state so I thought I'd list my big rides and offer my thoughts.
Hardest ride: Deer Creek Canyon
> Nearly 66 miles and over 4600' of elevation, this was pretty ambitious (for me) but it was made harder because I was trying to stay up with a friend who is a former semi-pro and his wife who can climb like nobody's business. I don't have a lot of pics (the ones that came out well are on the Strava activity page) because I was huffing and puffing up and then absolutely flying down. We don't get descents like that here in Texas--the better part of 22 miles!
I had hoped to do Pike's Peak, Mt. Evans, Independence Pass or Trail Ridge Rd but we had some truck woes and time issues (marriage and cycling are a hard thing when only one spouse loves the bike) that prevented that from happening. I'll be back in October and will tackle one of those biggies, I hope.
Prettiest ride: Frying Pan Rd
I do love a mountain stream! From Basalt, I took Frying Pan Rd up to the Ruedi ("ROO-dye") Reservoir. This route takes you gently (~1% grade) upstream for about 12 miles past beautiful red rock formations, pines forests, ranches, resorts and numerous fly fishermen. I'm not an angler but, apparently, these are some primo, "Gold Medal" waters, and it was fun to wheel by and absorb their blissful excitement. The final 1-1.5 miles is a climb of about 6-7% which takes you up to Ruedi, a lake set in the mountains. The descent was a blast and provided a different vantage. Colorado has given me a new appreciation for the out-and-back, which I have ardently resisted most of my life--funny how much prettier things look going downhill than up!
The road is high quality and the motorized vehicles were few but I was warned by a local that the traffic can be bad on weekends as revelers tow their boats up this road to the aforementioned reservoir.
Castle Creek and Maroon Bells were the rides I heard most about but, for my money, I like this route. I was there during a drought, so the wildflowers were compromised and that may have affected my final judgment. All are spectacular so, if one is easier for you to reach than another, all will leave you lucky to be alive and healthy enough to enjoy pedaling a bike.
Most Under-rated ride: CO 133
As mentioned above, I was hoping to get in at least one mountain pass ride while in Colorado. I was staying in Carbondale so was pretty close to Independence Pass but I'd heard that traffic was bad and that the road was narrow and twisty, especially on the Aspen side.
I had floated the idea of McClure Pass by a couple of locals and they had said that it was steep and didn't offer much enthusiasm. I can't compare it to the more famous, challenging Colorado passes, but I will say that CO 133 is spectacular and the climb to the pass was a good challenge--1250' at about 7-9%. I happened to catch it within weeks of being repaved so it really was cycling perfection, imho.
Total elevation change from Carbondale would be about 3000', but that's mostly mild, barely-noticeable grades of 2% or less. The real climbing starts right at the turnoff for Marble (a lovely stretch of road down to a tiny mountain town with a world-renowned marble quarry--the marble for the Lincoln Memorial came from Marble, CO).
Being from Austin, where there are a number of hills with 15-25%+ grades, I didn't really find the climb to that steep; I believe it was mostly in the 7-9% range. Elevation tops 7855, with a total gain of about 1250' from the Marble turnoff (about 3.3 miles), so it's nothing at all like the challenge of Pike's or Evans but I think it was a good intro for the likes of me.
Like Frying Pan Rd, it follows a mountain stream (the Crystal River, in this case) and passes through some beautiful rock formations and forests. I recommend stopping at the Hays Creek waterfall. It doesn't look like much from the road but, as you approach from the trail and get a better look, it really is worth pausing the ride to enjoy.
There are many pull-offs along 133 to stop and enjoy the scenery. I was limited for time (that marriage/cycling thing again) so I drove about 7-8 miles up from Carbondale and parked while I rode.
NOTE THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO CELL RECEPTION IN THIS AREA, at least if you're on AT&T.
I drove back up this road with my wife (who says it's her favorite road she's ever been on) and we saw a black bear basically tumble out of the trees and scurry across the road and into the river, so, yes, I can affirm that there are bears in the neighborhood, for what it's worth...
I'll post about other rides (Cheyenne Canyon/Gold Camp Rd, Lookout Mtn, Maroon Bells, Garden of the Gods and Castle Creek) soon so stay tuned or ping me if you don't see that and want more details.
