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April Rodeo Route: Peak-to-Peak Hwy, Dirt Edition
Cycling Route
Details
90.95 mi
9,147 ft
The motive behind this ride is the exploration of many of the dirt roads between Golden Gate Canyon and Coal Creek Canyon, in total about 23 miles of hardpack dirt and gravel. Peak-to-Peak Highway is beautiful, fast, rolling, and fun to ride, but there is more to be had, with less traffic, without missing any of the views. After some late-March reconnaissance, the seven-mile-long Missouri Gulch sector from Rollinsville to Golden Gate Canyon has been cut due to muddy conditions, which means more time on Peak-to-Peak, but fewer accusations of this being a "death march". It should be revisited come cross season! Also, Mountain Base Road is gated until Memorial Day-ish (late May), but the Rodeo thing to do, if it seems legal, would be to go see if it's passable.
Wheels & Feels
Wheels: Balance big rubber with ample clearance as best you can. 28s on road bikes, fast rolling cross tires on CX bikes. Expect dirt, possible snow, and bits of mud where they coexist. Your bike will get dirty. Dry/wax lube is recommended, or bring a bit of spare lube if you give a shit about your drivetrain.
Feels: Check the weather for Nederland or Rollinsville the night before. If the weather for the day is "normal", the coldest part of the day should be when you leave your house. I take this knowledge for granted, but I know a lot of guys aren't able to pull long days in the mountains often, so I mention it. This ride is endurance pace, and that's endurance pace for slow people like me who take lots of pictures of pretty things, which this ride will have in spades. Re-grouping abound at obvious junctions and high points, and a hearty lunch in Rollinsville if that's agreeable to everyone. There exists beer in this town. Last 'feels' comment; there will be some 15-17% dirt kickers after lunch, so plan for that, whether that plan be putting your low gears on, drinking a whiskey with lunch, or forming a 'grupetto' (probably with me) to share the pain.
This looks good to go for April 12th, with temps in the 40-60 range. Light rain the day before will hopefully just make things tacky without being soupy.
Meeting Time an Place: Rise & Shine Biscuits on 32nd & Perry Street at 8:00 AM. This ride will take ALL DAY to complete. That said, there are bits near the end which can be truncated. If enough people feel up for it, however, I would really like to do the 8 miles out to Moffat Tunnel after lunch, which would add 16 miles total. We'll see how it goes.
Check the Rodeo Labs Facebook group and/or Strava team page for current/further info. Now rub some dirt on your face and get to bed. This is going to be a long day!
Cheers,
Matt DeViney
Wheels & Feels
Wheels: Balance big rubber with ample clearance as best you can. 28s on road bikes, fast rolling cross tires on CX bikes. Expect dirt, possible snow, and bits of mud where they coexist. Your bike will get dirty. Dry/wax lube is recommended, or bring a bit of spare lube if you give a shit about your drivetrain.
Feels: Check the weather for Nederland or Rollinsville the night before. If the weather for the day is "normal", the coldest part of the day should be when you leave your house. I take this knowledge for granted, but I know a lot of guys aren't able to pull long days in the mountains often, so I mention it. This ride is endurance pace, and that's endurance pace for slow people like me who take lots of pictures of pretty things, which this ride will have in spades. Re-grouping abound at obvious junctions and high points, and a hearty lunch in Rollinsville if that's agreeable to everyone. There exists beer in this town. Last 'feels' comment; there will be some 15-17% dirt kickers after lunch, so plan for that, whether that plan be putting your low gears on, drinking a whiskey with lunch, or forming a 'grupetto' (probably with me) to share the pain.
This looks good to go for April 12th, with temps in the 40-60 range. Light rain the day before will hopefully just make things tacky without being soupy.
Meeting Time an Place: Rise & Shine Biscuits on 32nd & Perry Street at 8:00 AM. This ride will take ALL DAY to complete. That said, there are bits near the end which can be truncated. If enough people feel up for it, however, I would really like to do the 8 miles out to Moffat Tunnel after lunch, which would add 16 miles total. We'll see how it goes.
Check the Rodeo Labs Facebook group and/or Strava team page for current/further info. Now rub some dirt on your face and get to bed. This is going to be a long day!
Cheers,
Matt DeViney
Created By
Matt DeViney
