A Tandem in High Places

Cycling in the Colorado Rockies, June 1996

Sarah and I joined seven other members of the West Sussex CTC for a nineteen day tour of the Colorado Rockies. We flew to Denver with our own tandem, a Dawes Galaxy Twin...

Summary

Weather

• Dry and sunny except for the first day (drizzle) and the occasional short thunderstorm.
• Temperatures varied between 10°C on the high passes to 34°C+ around Denver and in the South West of Colorado at lower altitudes. Most of the time we wore short sleeves, but windproofs and longs were needed at the tops of most of the passes.
• The altitude slowed us down on the first three days or so, but once acclimatised wasn't a problem. The rest day at 8,000 feet was a good idea, a second one might have helped too.
• We all used powerful sun cream (factor 15+) but still burned in the thin air, so hats were essential.

Roads

• Almost all were well surfaced with smooth tarmac.
• Climbs felt steep due to the altitude, but no walking was necessary.
• The usual pass has the road following a river for the majority of the climb (hence fairly easy gradient), then has hairpins at the top (steeper but not impossible).
• The hairpins are relaxed (it's America) and can be negotiated at 30mph on the descents without too much trouble. This means that the usual brake overheating problems don't happen, as you don't need to brake much!
• The roads can get narrow in the mountains, but the traffic was almost always courteous and waited before passing with lots of room.
• Try to avoid the US 285 east of Buena Vista (although you probably will need to use it) as this was like being back in England, with huge trucks and RV's roaring past with six inches to spare. This was the only road which was unpleasant to ride on!
• Unpaved roads are usually hard-packed with a thin layer of fine gravel on the surface. Not much fun for descending, but fine for the climbs. The maps we used disagreed about which back roads were paved and which weren't, so it's a good idea to ask the locals.

Food and Accommodation

• We generally stayed in motels, which were clean and comfortable and cost about $25-30 per person per night (bed only). Also stayed in the Youth Hostel at Grand Lake (Lovely timber building with views, but watch out for the mosquitoes), collapsing shacks at Sapinero, and a posh Dude Ranch in the Taylor Valley.
• Breakfasts were taken at the nearest café or restaurant, and were always huge. Generally available at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning onwards.
• Picnic lunches were needed to eat at the tops of the passes, but you can't buy decent bread anywhere!
• Evening meals were taken in a variety of restaurants, similar prices to the UK but plenty of grub. The glass of iced water that greets you on arrival is VERY welcome!
• The Americans eat early in the evenings, so restaurants often close at 9 o'clock.
• Make good use of the "bottomless" cups of coffee and glasses of lemonade!

Route and Statistics

Story

(Work in progress)

Day Zero - Airport to Denver

Our plane was held up by thunder storms, so we landed at Denver much later than planned. Luckily the airport staff were very helful, and remembered the other seven cyclists! The brand new airport has everything you could possibly want, except for a route for cyclists to enter and leave. The others had been given a police escort along the freeway (= motorway) until they could turn onto quieter roads. The police were not that keen to repeat the excercise for a single tandem, so we took a lift with a minibus shuttle (sorry about the oil mark on the seat, guys!). Arrived at the hotel at 1 o'clock in the morning, turned the air conditioner on and went to bed.

Day One - Denver to Estes Park

Put the tandem back together in record time, had a quick breakfast from the self-service bar, and proceeded outside. It was fairly warm but drizzly, so waterproofs were put on. Not very exciting roads out of Denver, then to Boulder with its cycle paths and University. Met several American cycle tourists here, who were impressed and full of advice. The rain stopped after lunch and we started our first big climb up to Estes Park. Became very depressed about lack of form, not realising that it was the altitude which was really the problem. Found an OK motel, then out for dinner. The recommended place had closed (the Americans eat very early in the evening) so we suffered in a grotty "Mexican" restaurant. Tip: avoid "Mexican" restaurants like the plague, unless you like flavourless food made from boiled beans!

Day Two - Estes Park

This was out rest day, so Edwin and Martin cycled lots of miles. Others went for walks, while us sensible people slept and did a little relaxed shopping. A thunderstorm in the afternoon deposited large hailstones on us, and had green clouds (honest!). On taking the top off my oilcan, I was sprayed with a fine oily mist - the altitude again! Ate at Mama Rose's which was a vast improvement with as-much-as-you-can-eat spaghetti bolognase.

Day three - Estes Park to Grand Lake

We cycled the Trail Ridge Road, the highest through road in America! The Rocky Mountain National Park usually charges $3 a head for a five day pass, but Sarah and I were given a $1 discount because we were riding the tandem! The climb from Estes Park was very pretty. I suffered from the altitude near the top, and it was chilly in the wind. The Trail Ridge Road was bleak, but we managed to take photographs like the postcards. We stopped at the visitor center on the way down, but the café had closed just before we arrived. Then a fun descent into Grand Lake. Spent some time trying to find a cheap hotel, and ended up in the Youth Hostel. The place was full of character, a sort of overgrown log cabin, but had plenty of mosquitoes in its garden...

Day Four - Grand Lake to Georgetown

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