A blog for (semi) athletic middle-aged men (and women) holding on to (the last vestiges of) their youth
by training for and competing in running, cycling, swimming and triathlon events!


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Ride the Rockies 2013 Route Announced!


Seven days. 513 Miles. Telluride to Colorado Springs. Just over 73 miles per day.

Here is the official route announced this evening at the Ride the Rockies 2013 route announcement party:

**Drumroll**

Sunday, June 9 -- Telluride to Cortz (75 mi, +2,218 ft)
Monday, June 10 -- Cortez to Durango (64 mi, +3,442 ft)
Tuesday, June 11 -- Durango to Pagosa Springs (86 mi, +3,635 ft)
Wednesday, June 12 -- Pagosa Springs to Alamosa (91 mi, +4,678 ft)
Thursday, June 13 -- Alamosa to Salida (84 mi, +1,631 ft)
Friday, June 14 -- Salida to Canon City (67 mi, +2,789 ft)
Saturday, June 15 -- Canon City to Colorado Springs (46 mi, +2,008 ft)

Click to enlarge
Here are my initial thoughts:

This is a long ride -- this would be the furthest I have ridden in seven days. Seventy-three miles per day for seven straight days is a long ride.

I love the start in Telluride. Only been there once (on RTR 2010) and loved it. One of the most beautiful places I have visited.

I've Alamosa to Salida (Day 5) and Salida to Canon City (Day 6). Alamosa to Salida is not a tough ride and I love the overnight in Salida (party at The Vic!).

Salida to Canon City IS a tough ride. The long ride down the canon at an average -2% grade is a lot harder than it looks due to headwinds coming up the canon. But the killer is the climb up the south rim of the Royal Gorge. This is the toughest 2-mile stretch of road I have ever ridden! Riding your bike across the wooden bridge (1,270 planks!) is a big payoff, however, and just a little freaky!

I like the finish in the Springs. That's only a 30-40 minute drive home and downtown Colorado Springs is a cool place to end the ride (it was also the finish line for this past year's USA Pro Challenge).

That's it for now. I'll break down each day in more detail later.

Ride on!

Daren

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