Denver to Glenwood Springs?
#27
Senior Member
A post in the recent bike path threads got me thinking. I did not realize how far some of those bike paths extend. And with Mt. Hood under my belt, mayabe it is time for another challenge? OK Mt Hood was a struggle for me but it was mainly the mind.
My thought was to fly into Denver and head for Glenwood Springs via Breckenridge. I would not be camping.
Before I go off and do detailed analysis I was hoping to get some answers to a few questions,
First and foremost, how bad are the climbs heading west? And what about the wind? Is it typically stronger in one direction over the other?
The route seems to really hug the interstate. Is it far enough away that I won't have trucks buzzing in my ear the whole route? What about traffic on the frontage roads.
Are there enough towns with hotels every 40 or 50 miles? I can do longer if I don't have much of a climb. I did quick check and it looks like there are plenty of places between Denver and Breckenridge but I did not get to the rest of the route yet.
My thought was to fly into Denver and head for Glenwood Springs via Breckenridge. I would not be camping.
Before I go off and do detailed analysis I was hoping to get some answers to a few questions,
First and foremost, how bad are the climbs heading west? And what about the wind? Is it typically stronger in one direction over the other?
The route seems to really hug the interstate. Is it far enough away that I won't have trucks buzzing in my ear the whole route? What about traffic on the frontage roads.
Are there enough towns with hotels every 40 or 50 miles? I can do longer if I don't have much of a climb. I did quick check and it looks like there are plenty of places between Denver and Breckenridge but I did not get to the rest of the route yet.
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.
#28
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"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)
Last edited by tcs; 08-17-21 at 09:18 PM.
#29
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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)
"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)
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#30
Senior Member
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)
"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)
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.
#31
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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.
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.
#32
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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.
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.
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.
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#33
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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.
Last edited by Slasharoo; 08-18-21 at 12:34 PM.