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Boulder, Colorado
Words by Sean Bragstad
Boulder, Colorado is a town of about 100,000 that sits at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains, at the gateway to the Great Plains to the east. And while Colorado likely conjures up images of staggering fourteener peaks custom-made for epic mountain adventures, it’s Boulder’s proximity to the plains that makes for some pretty epic road adventures instead. Many top professional triathletes, roadies, and mountain bikers in need of extra cardio training make good use of the hundreds of miles of available roads in the Front Range. Some 170 million years of plate tectonics, glaciation, and erosion have formed terrain that is sublimely graded with just enough steep ups and downs thrown into the mix to make this place heaven on earth for road biking.
My favorite Boulder ride has a few key components: It’s short, but challenging; throws a surprising amount of dirt in the mix, and can be the jumping-off point for a truly epic ride if you’ve got the time and legs for it. It’s a ride with soul, history, challenges, and fun, and you don’t have to get in your stupid car to do it! I can bang this 24-mile ride out in less than two hours, and still get home to my family and be useful for the rest of the day.
Starting out from Vecchio’s Bicicletteria in downtown Boulder, head west on Pearl Street almost to its end at Canyon/ Highway 119. Off to the right, take the sidewalk which hooks up to a secret-squirrel bike path that goes under the highway to connect with Boulder’s beloved Creek Path, a very popular multi-use trail that can be crowded on the weekends, but generally not so much at this most western end of it. Continue west, next to the highway—which is also rideable, but definitely not as safe due to the speed and volume of traffic and distinctive lack of any shoulder. After a bit, the path will duck back under the highway; as you exit this short tunnel, the path turns to a dirt-crushed granite hybrid. Be careful here, as you can carry a bit of speed from the slight downhill heading into it, and the transition can catch you off guard.
The path continues, paralleling the Boulder Creek and the granite cliffs on either side, which are wildly popular with local rock climbers. This goes for about a mile and a half and brings you tothe most dangerous part of the ride: crossing Highway 119. The path ends behind a line of concrete barricades where you stop and wait for a break in the traffic, which is going 40-50 mph from sight-limited turns in either direction. If you time it badly or miss a pedal, you run the risk of joining the local road kill club. It’s better to go with the flow of traffic for a bit until you can see better, then clip in and make the turn onto Four Mile Canyon Road.
The pavement here is in excellent condition and is a nice gentle grade, not going over 4% in as many miles. A sign warns of “steep, winding road with no shoulder, and limited visibility” but it’s not that bad, especially if you avoid the obvious daily commute times. When I last rode it on a Sunday morning, I saw probably twenty vehicles in either direction, and I exchanged the “thank you wave” with a quarter of them.
At the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Salina, take a right onto Gold Run road. Climb on pavement for another 3⁄4 mile and then you’ll round a sharp, steep turn that opens onto some damn steep dirt. Yes, dirt. When I first moved here from the San Francisco Bay Area, I was a bit surprised when the guy leading the training ride I was on suddenly took a right turn, off the asphalt and onto a rutted, sandy dirt road that was much less direct and way more fun than the route I assumed we were going to take. After that, I was hooked. It took me a bit more time to get my skills fine-tuned, but the experience paid off greatly. Already a good bike handler, riding dirt made me much more confident descending twisty pavement and more aggressive in technical crits.
This first taste of off-road dirt is where those with triple cranks will be thankful for their set-up. It is only really painful for about a mile and a half, but it seems much longer. When you bear right towards the Summerville Homestead, you know that you are getting closer. The road then offers three Grand Tour-style hairpin turns into a high alpine desert setting, with peek-a-boo glimpses of the valley below.
As you near Gold Hill, the road unceremoniously becomes Boulder Street, leveling out and ending in a four-way intersection. Here you’ll take a right up another short, steep section of dirt on Horsefall Street, which mysteriously morphs into Sunshine Canyon Drive at the top. (At the four way intersection, if you go straight instead of right, you will plummet down Lickskillet Road, the steepest county road in the Unites States, and if you go left, you’ll head west to the Peak to Peak Highway, which links Boulder to the towns of Estes Park and Nederland. That’s the direction to head in to turn this ride from awesome to epic…) As you climb out of town, don’t forget to steal a glance over your shoulder—spectacular views of the Continental divide loom behind, pushing you ahead.
The dirt descent starts soon and before you know it you’re up to speed. This is not the time to outmatch your own abilities; 30 mph on dirt is much more treacherous than 30 mph on pavement. There are several tight, decreasing radius turns that come up quickly. Remember to control your speed well before entering the turns and go easy on the front brake. Ask any good mountain biker, and they’ll tell you how sketchy that sucker can be in tight turns on loose dirt.
The total dirt descent from the top is about 3.2 miles, and after that it turns to fast, swoopy pavement with a few turns that come up quick and are neutral camber, so stay alert and responsive. The only other hazards are the occasional deer and cars coming from the opposite direction passing other riders. Before you know it, you’re back into town, with Mount Sanitas on your left and the Historic Mapleton Hill residential district before you. Follow Mapleton Avenue to Ninth, take a right and drop down to a left on Walnut to the Amante Coffee shop for refreshments and, if your timing is good, Grand Tours played live on TV.
