Colorado Epic

Day Weekday Route Elevation Gain Miles 1 Saturday Meet in Boulder/  Check-In & Orientation --- --- 2 Sunday Boulder to Estes Park 5,500' 55 3 Monday Estes Park to Winter Park 6,500' 80 4 Tuesday Winter Park to Vail 9,000' 90 5 Wednesday Vail to Aspen 6,000' 90 6 Thursday Day Off in Aspen --- --- 7 Friday Aspen to Keystone 8,000' 90 8 Saturday Keystone to Bergen Park 6,000' 75 9 Sunday Return Shuttle Denver Airport --- --- ... . Totals 41,000' 480 We are really excited about our new tours and can't wait to take the Black Bear philosophy and love of big challenging rides to the Rocky Mountains! After much discussion with a team of cyclists and previous guests from Colorado we have finalized our design for 2010. Although I have been warned that this tour will be extremely challenging and may even be more difficult than our Blue Ridge Parkway Epic our consultants also said this would be a phenomenal tour and is unlike anything currently being offered by other tour operators in Colorado. Along the way we will climb over 14 named passes; Wind River Pass, Trail Ridge Road including Iceberg, Milner and Fall River Passes, Berthoud Pass, Loveland Pass from both directions, Vail Pass, Tennessee Pass, Independence Pass from both directions, Fremont Pass, Juniper Pass and Squaw Pass as we test the very core of our beings! Are you ready for the challenge...If so please join us on what I am sure will be a tour for the ages! Tour Itinerary Day 1 - Boulder, CO We gather in Boulder early enough to ensure all bikes are in working order and everyone is ready for challenge ahead. After a short orientation we will spend Saturday night exploring the town of Boulder. Meals Included: Dinner Day 2 - The Colorado Epic Rolls Out! We depart Boulder in route to Estes Park via Lefthand Canyon Rd and Peak to Peak Highway. This day of front range cycling should provide a nice introduction to Colorado and serve as a warm up for the big passes ahead. We tackle our 1st pass today, although we don't actually cross the Divide...Wind River Pass at 9,130'. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 3 - Trail Ridge Road - Rocky Mountain National Park Today's ride up, up and over the Trail Ridge High Point at 12,183' will be a true alpine experience and has been described as "Quite possibly Colorado's ultimate ride, only one other route - Mount Evans - compares. While Mount Evans is a long, hard, high-altitude climb, Trail Ridge Road is longer, contains several large climbs, and is much more diverse." Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 4 - On to Vail! Every Epic has to have a Queen stage, right...well this is ours. We set out for Vail from Winter Park and cross 3 classic Colorado mountain passes in doing so; Berthoud Pass (11,315'), Loveland Pass (11,990'), and Vail Pass (10,554'). Heh but after all that climbing we finish with a wonderful 14 mile descent into Vail! Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 5 - Vail to Aspen...Two More Passes! A Colorado Classic, we start out climbing the south side of Battle Mountain before reaching the base of Tennessee Pass (10,424') and on to Leadville before turning onto CO 82 and crossing over Independence Pass from the less severe side (12,095') before plunging into Aspen. After the effort of the last 3 few days a day off tomorrow will be much appreciated! Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 6 - A Day Off in Aspen! A much deserved day off! Enjoy your recovery time and keep your eyes open, you just may run into Lance. All meals will be on your own today, this gives you the freedom to make your own decisions on the time and place you prefer to dine. Meals Included: NA   Day 7 - Aspen to Keystone The day starts with one of Colorado's monster climbs, Independence Pass (12,095') from Aspen, follows CO 91 over Fremont Pass (11,318') and concludes with a ride along the Dillon Reservoir on beautiful Swan Road before arriving in Keystone. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 8 - Our Final Day of Cycling The final stretch...we start with a climb up Loveland Pass (11,990') turn onto CO 103 in Idaho Springs continue up and over Juniper Pass (10,900') before beginning our descent down over Squaw Pass and finish at Bergen Park. After our final ride we will shuttle into downtown Denver for a celebratory night out on the town! Yes this route does go past the road to Mt. Evans...who knows what the group will decide after such an arduous week. But please note the mileage and elevation listed does not include the 14 mile 4,000' climb to the top of Mt. Evans at 14,264'! Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner   Day 9 - Departure Day...Say It Isn't So After one final meal together we depart as friends with a strong bond forged during the efforts of what may be America's most challenging tour! Meals Included: Breakfast