Road biking, mountain biking and hiking are the three best ways to see the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We most enjoy the road biking. The Triple Bypass ride is a very challenging way to experience sub alpine, alpine and above timberline zones of vegetation and microclimates. It’s 120 miles of hard climbs and screaming steep descents. Approximately 3500 riders sign up to go east to west and 2500 go west to east. It’s a ride, not a race, so there are no statistics on how many actually finish. I have wanted to complete this ride for 4 years but pneumonia and a broken collar bone prevented me from accomplishing this goal. On the slow uphill (John at about 9 mph and I at about 7.5 mph) there’s time to smell the evergreens, appreciate the wild flowers and enjoy the hundred mile views. Coming down each of the passes, Juniper, Loveland and Vail, requires enough concentration that gazing over the spectacular scenery is just not an option. I top out at about 30 mpg, John 42. This ride really makes us appreciate the skill of the pros in the Tour de France. They regularly do 15 mpg up hill and 55 downhill. Of Course they are full time athletes and most are less than half our age.
The east to west route begins in Bergen Park and climbs 3500’ in 16 miles to Juniper Pass at 11,140’. See the video for glimpse of this portion of the route. By the time we get over the pass and to Idaho Springs, at approximately the same altitude as Bergen Park we’ve completed one third of the ride. Then we begin the long, long, gradual ascent from Idaho Springs to the base of Loveland Pass. It doesn’t look steep. The grade is mostly less than 6% but it’s a slog. It feels more like pedaling with the brakes dragging than climbing. The climb takes us through Georgetown and the station for the Georgetown loop narrow gage railroad and briefly parallel to Interstate 70. There’s a beautiful bike path through the forest although the short steep climbs make it challenging. Our friend who generously agreed to SAG for us met us at the base of Loveland Pass with lunch. After lunch we began the short, 4 mile climb to the 11,900’ summit. Great views but not much oxygen at the top. The summit is also the half way point.
For me that meant 6 hours. After the rapid descent we travel over a “bump”, Swan Mountain. It’s a climb but not a pass and does not reach above tree line. From there we travel on the bike path through Frisco and Copper Mountain. The bike path has its own hazards. There at tourists on rental bike with children, dogs on leashes, walkers. Most don’t have a clue about getting out of our way. By the time I encounter them it takes more energy than I can afford to expend to be polite and warn them that I would like to pass on their left. From Copper Mountain at about mile 88, we begin the final ascent to Vail Pass, just 6 miles of uphill to 10,560’ remaining. John blazed up it. I rather surprised myself by making it without getting off and walking the 2 difficult short sections of climbing. From the pass, we descend for 32 miles through the town of Vail to Avon and the finish line.
WooHoo! John completed this ride for the 5th time. I finally made it to the finish line. Again next year? We’ll see.