Cycling
Places to Ride
The beauty of bicycling in Boulder is the opportunity to suffer as much or as little as you want to.
One of the best rides out there is Lefthand Canyon, a climb into the mountains that comes at a steady and manageable grade. Take the 36 highway north of Boulder and get on Lefthand Canyon Drive. After a good amount of riding, the road forks—to the right is the ascent into Jamestown, while the left fork continues on Lefthand Canyon Drive. Both routes are favorites among local riders.
Other routes include:
- Old Stage Road is a popular ride with a giant hill. Taking the road north to south is a little gentler than going south to north.
- A good long ride that stays in the lowlands is a ride to Carter Lake in Loveland.
Events to Remember
The Buffalo Cycle Classic in September is a fundraising ride benefiting the University of Colorado's College of Arts and Sciences. The ride has a distinct gold-and-black feel to it with many CU alumni taking part.
The 110-mile ride (the Epic 100) has 6,253 feet of elevation gain, maxing out at 9,403 feet above sea level. You better be in good shape.
If you're not in the epic move, routes of 14, 35, 50 and 70 miles are also offered.
Other rides include:
- The Mike Horgan Hill Climb in June is a 22-mile race with 4,100 feet of climbing in the mountains west of town.
- The Superior Morgul in May takes place in nearby Superior. It is a three-day event featuring a time trial the first day, a criterium the second day and a road race the third day.
Stores to Check Out
Boulder Cycle Sport was opened in 2006 by two University of Colorado graduates who doubled as mountain bike racers. There are now two locations in Boulder (4580 N. Broadway and 629 S. Broadway), both providing services to high-end racers as well as regular group riders.
Other shops to check out:
- Vecchio's Bicicletteria (1833 Pearl Street)
- Full Cycle (1795 Pearl Street)
- Excel Sports (2045 32nd Street)
One Last Tip
Valmont Bike Park is one of the jewels of the town for the action sports and off-road biking crowd. The park has everything from family trails, cross country trails, a cyclocross course, a slopestyle terrain park, dirt jumps, a dual slalom race course, and a kids area.
Taking advantage of the popularity of cyclocross in Boulder, the 2014 Cyclocross National Championships are coming to Valmont Bike Park in January.
