Wow. What a day of incredible natural scenery, challenging climbs, auspicious descents, mammoth mountain valleys, and not much oxygen. Amazing was a huge understatement as we crossed the Continental Divide, another “halfway point” on this journey, at least according to water. Snow, stones, and flowers intermingled at the highest points where not even the pines dared to grow, and it truly felt like standing on top of the world in that moment. The way there and the way out were also very memorable as we faced the challenge of climbing and descending the Loveland Pass. This will be one for the books.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 46.1
Elevation: +5292’/-3574’
General Direction: Head west out of Idaho Springs onto Stanley Road, transfer to County Road 308 at mile 4.8 and 306 at mile 6.7, at the roundabout in Georgetown, take the second exit and begin the climb on Loop Drive past the railroad, follow Water Street through Silver Plume to the Loveland Bike Trail, take this for 4.9 miles to meet U.S. 6 at the base of the Loveland Pass, climb to the Divide and descend all the way past the Keystone Resort to turn left onto Swan Mountain Road at 40.1, climb and descend on this road for 4.9 miles, then turn left onto CO 9 to reach the stayover.
Points of Interest: Clear Creek, many historic mine sites, Georgetown Lake, Georgetown, Georgetown Loop Railroad, Loveland Trail, Continental Divide at Loveland Pass, Dillon Reservoir, Rocky Mountains
Tales of the Trail
First, it is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we are saying goodbye for the rest of the summer to our teammate and friend Laurel Racette. She has a knee injury that will not allow her to bike for the remainder of the ride, and she decided that it would be best to continue to support us from home while she recovers. This is in no way the end of her story with regard to I4K; she is still our teammate and friend and has done an incredible amount to support this organization as well as putting forth mile after mile on the bike all the way into the middle of Colorado from New York, an absolutely incredible feat. We will miss her very much and will keep in contact with her throughout the rest of the ride.
The day began with the sharing of this sad news and with sharing teary goodbyes, and we dedicated this ride to her. After taking a few pictures for the Idaho Springs local newspaper, we rolled out before the sun reached the mountain valley. We continued to follow I-70 on adjacent county roads and similarly continued to be awed by the trees, rivers, lakes, and mountains passing us oh so slowly by. A brief stop at Georgetown Lake was absolutely worth it just to take it all in, and take some pictures too. We had our first rest stop in the vibrant mining and tourist town of Georgetown before starting the most tremendous climb of the ride so far: the Loveland Pass.
The climb began by mixing roads and bike paths as well as passing the scenic Georgetown Loop Railroad before reaching a gorgeous forested path with mountains peaking out on all sides. We met and talked to many fellow cyclists on this route which, like their jerseys, were very cool; it garnered the same sense of community in cycling that we had when leaving New York. Following this trail, the final 4.6 miles of the 16.3 mile climb had us climb through the pass itself on a winding U.S. 6. Absolutely grueling, we took the shoulder of this busy pass, and with every pedal-stroke could see more and more disappearing below us and the peaks themselves coming into view. It was incredibly difficult, but worth every moment when we reached the top. 12,000 feet of elevation, our high point for the entire summer, on the Great Continental Divide itself.
Possibly the coolest lunch stop of the entire ride, riders took photos, ate, talked to many mountain-goers, and hiked a tiny bit in the immediate area. The wind whipped across the peaks, but the weather complemented everything we could see for miles and miles perfectly. It was a joyous time for the whole team. The following eight miles consisted of our most intense descent on the ride so far to match, with a near constant average 6% grade. Tree ridges rushed by us as the peaks began to tower over us once again. Truly an epic way to leave the Divide. The team honed their skills with cornering and signaling on these descents, and everyone made it safe and sound and had a blast while doing it.
New angle for the van.
Our final miles maneuvered us through another climb and descent past the massive Dillon Reservoir dotted with boats, as we passed ski resorts and attractions nestled between neighboring peaks. Tonight, we are staying at the Church at Agape Outpost just south of Frisco. Our wonderful host Carolyn provided us with an equally wonderful dinner of lasagna, salad, and awesome bread knots. Some riders opted to explore town while most rested, still feeling the elevation at 10,000 feet and exhausted from the day. Tomorrow, we ride 60 miles to the town of Eagle.
Nabeel’s expression pretty much sums up the climb.
Jean in Frisco, CO, her favorite town on the ride so far! :)
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Nina Rosas, Assistant Ride Leader
How are you today? I’m pretty tired, today we essentially climbed a mountain. Definitely pretty exhausted but very proud of myself and my group today for finishing this ride.
You’ve fundraised thousands of dollars for our cause. What has been the most impactful fundraising experience you’ve had? There wasn’t just one main impactful one for me. A lot of my family donated to me for this cause, and those individual fundraising experiences really showed me how supportive they were in helping me to complete my mission and believing in me.
What keeps you going when it gets difficult to put in all of those miles or even to get on the bike? Thinking about all of the work I’ve already put into the trip in terms of fundraising, training, and already doing the first half - and knowing I can do it. That and knowing the amount of support my family is giving me gets me on the bike in the morning.
Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform? Probably my bandanna, I wear a different color every day, just to mix things up!
What’s your rest stop routine? I feel like I have a not strict but timed routine, I’m definitely strict about the time the group spends at the rest stop, and within that time I take care of everything I need to do such as snacks, water, and sunscreen.
In the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most? I would say any of the upcoming camping days. Not a specific location, but I know they will be opportunities to have some fun outdoors with the team at night.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
Group 3 spotted by Group 2 from near the top of the final climb.
