After a one-year hiatus due to road repairs near the summit of Mount Blue Sky, the venerable to the Colorado cycling events calendar this year.
The 27-mile climb from Idaho Springs to the peak of the fourteener formerly known as Mount Evans dates back to 1962. It climbs more than 6,700 feet to its 14,266-foot summit. The event will be held this year on July 25.
“Itap going to happen,” said Jennifer Barbour, executive director of the Evergreen Ride Club, formerly known as Team Evergreen, which organizes the event. “We’ve been very fortunate with the forest service to allow us to do it again, as well as Denver Mountain Parks. They assured us (the road) would be open.”
The Mount Blue Sky road is typically open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It closes to motor vehicle traffic during the hill climb each year.
“I’m very, very excited,” Barbour said. “It is something you’ll never duplicate, being up that high — the highest paved road in America – and itap a phenomenal experience.”
The in the area with nearly 1,000 members. They conduct more than 150 group rides annually, including road cycling, gravel riding and mountain biking.
The club puts on six other events through its event-management division, , including the Triple Bypass. Here is a list of other major Colorado cycling events:
, scheduled for July 11, takes riders 118 miles from Bergen Park to Avon over Juniper Pass (11,049 feet) near Echo Lake, Loveland Pass (11,990 feet) and Vail Pass (10,662 feet). It typically attracts more than 4,000 participants. There’s also a shorter option, dubbed the Double Bypass, an 80-mile version which begins in Empire, incorporating Loveland Pass and Vail Pass.
begins and ends at Copper Mountain with a 79-mile route over Fremont (11,318 feet), Tennessee (10,424 feet) and Vail passes with 6,500 feet of climbing. Scheduled for Aug. 1, it is organized by The Ride Collective and is marking its 20th anniversary.
, also a Ride Collective Event, begins and ends in Grand Junction, taking riders over the spectacular Colorado National Monument. There are two options: a 41-mile route with 3,000 feet of climbing, and a 64-miler that climbs 4,000 feet. It’s scheduled for Sept. 12. Registration is capped at 2,200 riders.
(Shift Events) is a single-track mountain bike event on the renowned Buffalo Creek trail system southeast of Bailey in the Pike National Forest. Riders have two options, 100K and 64K, scheduled for June 13 this year. Entries are capped by the U.S. Forest Service at 500, so there is a lottery system for entry applications. The lottery for this year has passed, but it would be a great event to put on your calendar for next year.
is a gravel-bike extravaganza on unpaved roads outside of Fort Collins with distance options for all: 12, 32, 60, 100 and 118 miles. It will be held July 16-19.
