Pugs2xLove

Have you completed the Triple Bypass ride? If so, what kind of bike did you ride with? It's one of many things on my bucket list.

JohnJ80

We're midwesterners (Minnesota) and we frequently go out west to ride and ski - usually more than 5 times per year.

To deal with most of the mountain passes, you'll definitely want to acclimate first. Altitude makes grades that are easy for you at home a challenge to complete without stopping - frequently. Loveland is way up there (~12,000'), Vail Pass is ~11,000. The average grade from Copper to the top of Vail pass, if memory serves, is about 7-8% with a couple of short 12-15% sections but steady up hill all the way. Copper is a base elevation of around 9100' and Vail Pass is near 11,000'.

Besides lack of oxygen, it's a lot easier to get dehydrated. The climate is much more arid than in Pittsburgh and because of the altitude, you're breathing faster and going through liquids considerably faster. Since you're hitting the climbing right out of Denver, you're probably going to have a tough time staying ahead of dehydration with out acclimating.

Once you get to the top of Vail Pass, it's largely downhill from there and for certain, lower elevation.

tcs

Cycling Colorado's Mountain Passes by Kurt Magsamen lists Vail Pass as 10,600 feet. It says the east side is 6.1 miles from Wheeler Junction (Copper Mountain), with a 3.0% grade for 2.2 miles, a 3.5% grade for 3.2 miles and a maximum grade of 6.0%. It's listed as a comparative Difficulty = 1. The west side is 9.7 miles from Gore Creek Campground, with 5% for 4.3 miles, 6.6% for 2.6 miles and a maximum grade of 7%. It's listed as a comparative Difficulty = 2.

"Vail Pass is the most civilized and recreational pass in the state. It is the only one with a bike path. Vail Pass is a meandering ride in the woods instead of a long push up a big hill." (2002)

cyccommute 

I think your source is incorrect on both the east and west side. According to Ride with GPS, the maximum grade I can find on the east side is 8.3%. The max on the west side is 13.3% with several other pitches between 10% and 12%. It’s not “a meandering ride in the woods instead of a long push uphill”. Both sides are substantial climbs with the west side being steeper.

JohnJ80

could be but I don’t think so. There’s a sign just as you leave Copper Mountain that lists the specs and that was my recollection.

but that doesn’t tell the story - if you were fully acclimated to 11,000’ then I agree most could ride over it with little problem. But if you’re not acclimated to the altitude then that adds a lot of difficulty. Most estimates will tell you full acclimation takes a day per 1000’ of elevation change (give or take). While a
couple of thousand feet is inconsequential for acclimation, going from near sea level to 10,000’ is consequential amd has a big impact
on difficulty.

it is a gorgeous ride and being on a bike path is nice. The scenery is incredible.

tcs

Also from Ride With GPS we get an altitude @ Wheeler Junction of 9702' and Vail pass @ 10624', for a climb of 922'. The distance on Ride With GPS between these points via the Ten Mile Canyon National Recreation Trail is 5.8 miles or 30,624'. 922 ➗ 30624 = 0.0301 or 3.01% average grade.

Parts of the climb are 8.3% or "12 to 15%"? Okay by me. But then to average 3% a fair amount of the climb must be darn near flat. It's just arithmetic.

cyccommute 

No, it is not “just arithmetic”. Math can provide information and is a model of the real world. But as George Box said “All models are wrong, some are useful”. “Average”…or, more correctly, “mean”…is just one measurement and not all that useful. It shouldn’t be used to describe the ride as “easy”. Short, steep sections aren’t going to have much of an impact on the average while slightly longer flatter sections are going to have more of an impact on the average. There is also altitude to consider. The 8.3% grade section is very near the top of the pass. Even for me…someone who has lived above 4000 feet for my entire life…that section is hard because of the reduction in air pressure.

I’ve been up this pass many times over my life on many different kinds of bikes. I’m not a weak rider but I would not call Vail Pass an “easy” ride on either side. I’ve been over many passes in Colorado. I would rate Vail as harder than most of them because the bike path route has several steep pitches that motorists don’t have to deal with.

Slasharoo

I did both Vail Pass and Hoosier Pass in June coming from the west at Glenwood Springs. Vail pass from the west is as described. Living at 700 feet elevation, 10,000+ was a bit of a reach for me. Vail pass is equally difficult to Hoosier Pass, but I enjoyed it more because I didn't have to worry about auto and truck traffic. The steeper grades of Vail Pass were not as near the top as the steeper grades of Hoosier Pass, so that also made it more enjoyable. I will always remember Vail pass near the top when I was going so slow, I knew I needed to stop and rest. Within 5 seconds of stopping, two young women ran past me chatting gaily away without a care in the world...I have no doubt they would have passed me if I was still riding! Altitude acclimation is real, especially as we age. I'm 62 now and I did Ride the Rockies 20 years ago without as much altitude difficulty.