Trip Summary Trip Dates: Aug 16 - Aug 22 Route Notes: CANCELLED Days: 7   Level of Support: Event Surface: Dirt Riders: 50 Type: Supported   Meals: Catered meals Accommodations: Camping Cost: $949 Booking Status: Closed

If you’re intrigued with the idea of sampling the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route but not sure if it’s your style, this is the trip for you—whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool road cyclist or a hard-core trail rider.

The adventure begins in Steamboat Springs, the halfway point on the Great Divide and one of the great ski towns of the Rocky Mountain West. You might want to arrive a couple of days early to explore some of the exquisite singletrack trails webbing the mountains surrounding Steamboat.

The first day’s ride is short but memorable, as we ride the 20 miles to Stagecoach State Park, following in part the heralded Yampa River Trail. Day two, in contrast, dishes up 60 long and hilly miles, with more than 5,000 feet of climbing and one of the most amazing downhill runs on the entire Great Divide: the 2,000-foot drop to the Colorado River at Radium, which starts in sub-alpine forest and ends in virtual desert. Earlier that day, the long climb up Lynx Pass gives way to a giggle-inducing downhill run and the very chilly fording of Rock Creek—which you’ll fondly recall if it’s ninety degrees-plus by the time you bottom out at Radium.

On day three, beginning in Kremmling, we’ll pedal mellow dirt roads along the Colorado River and around Williams Fork Reservoir before hitting the low-traffic paved road surmounting Ute Pass. At the bottom of a 5-mile screamer of a downhill, we’ll turn left to take aim at Summit County on the nice, wide shoulder of Colorado Highway 9. This is one of several stretches where the Great Divide shares itself with the mother of all touring routes, the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.

We’ll spend two nights in Silverthorne, where on our layover day you can go shopping, try out the heralded Peaks Trail that links Frisco and Breckenridge—or just rest. That might be the best idea, because on day five, after taking the Blue River Bikeway to Breckenridge, you’ll go up and over 11,482-foot Boreas Pass. From there, it’s down and out into a wide-open basin, which can be both hot and windy. By the time you reach the day’s destination of Hartsel you’ll have covered some 65 miles.

The last day’s ride has been mentioned by more than one Great Divide through-rider as a favorite section of the entire trail. The riding flows like water as you wend your way through swatches of old West landscape where you’ll half expect to see a herd of bison come storming through every next gap. A demanding climb takes us to a high divide in the San Isabel National Forest, where we’ll look down on our final destination: the wonderfully green Arkansas River Valley. Beyond that loom the fantastic sentinels making up the Collegiate Peaks of the Sawatch Range. It’s all downhill to Salida from here.

You’ll earn your wings on this tour: Riding some 280 miles, you’ll climb more than 15,000 vertical feet, or three miles. But the climbing is more than worth the effort, as you will learn if you join us for this very special adventure.

For more detailed information, see Event logistics.

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