If you've ever dreamed of riding your bicycle through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this year's Ride the Rockies is that dream come true. The route is six days of pedaling through amazingly beautiful scenery and mountain passes.

The annual ride which attracts around 2,000 bicyclists is not for the weak at heart or muscle. The 2018 ride is 6 days, 417.9 miles, and has a total elevation gain of 25,935 feet. Since it's impossible to ride a bicycle almost 5 miles straight up, the route is more like a giant see-saw going up and down over and over.

Ride the Rockies starts in Breckenridge on Saturday, June 9th with a 55.6 mile 4,805 elevation gain rider warm-up ride. Then, its six days on the road returning back to Breckenridge on Friday, June 15th.

I crunched the numbers and found some fun facts about this year's ride.

  • Wednesday is the day with both the longest distance and the most elevation gain (93.6 miles/6,202 feet).
  • If the course for the day was all uphill, (which it's not), the day with the highest average elevation gain per mile is the Berthoud Option on Thursday with 94.2 feet of elevation gain per mile.
  • Next is the Prologue on Saturday with 86.4 feet of elevation gain per mile.
  • The lowest is Thursday, without the Berthoud Option, with 54.3 feet of elevation gain per mile.
  • The highest elevation on the course is 11,327 feet above sea level (Sunday)
  • The lowest elevation on the course is 6,614 feet above sea level (Tuesday)

Whether you're a rider, a spectator watching riders grind and grunt up the mountains, or just looking for a party in a different Colorado town every night for a week, here's where Ride the Rockies will take you.

Saturday, June 9th - Prologue Ride

  • Breckenridge to Fairplay
  • 55.6 miles 4,805-foot elevation gain
  • Hoosier and Boreas Passes

Sunday, June 10th

  • Breckenridge to Edwards
  • 77 miles, 4,429-foot elevation gain
  • Fremont and Tennessee Passes

Monday, June 11th

  • Edwards to Steamboat Springs
  • 79.6 miles, 5,055-foot elevation gain
  • State Bridge and Wolcott Pass

Tuesday, June 12th

  • Steamboat Springs Loop
  • 48.4 miles, 3,317-foot elevation gain
  • Oak Creek Loop, 2015 USA Pro Challenge Circuit Race Course

Wednesday, June 13th

  • Steamboat Springs to Grand Lake
  • 93.8 miles, 6,202-foot elevation gain
  • Rabbit Ears and Muddy Passes

Thursday, June 14th

  • Grand Lake to Winter Park
  • 32.1 miles, 1,745-foot elevation gain
  • Berthoud Option - 28.9 miles, 2,725-foot elevation gain

Friday, June 15th

  • Winter Park to Breckenridge
  • 87 miles, 5,187-foot elevation rise
  • Ute Pass and Dillon Dam

Complete information including registration, maps, host cities, events, and seminars is available on the Ride the Rockies website.

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