Best cities/areas for road cycling in Colorado?

[timmytuna]

I am planning on making a trip out to Colorado for a week or so next month to look at purchasing a piece of vacation property. I'd like to find somewhere that has both good road and mountain biking.

If anyone has experience with riding in the state and has some suggestions of areas to consider please let me know. Currently I have been checking out the Durango area. And no, I'm not a Bob Roll groupie.

Thanks,
Timmy Tuna

 

[oldskoolKlein]

Boulder, of course (for both mountain and road.)
Denver and surrounding metro areas have an extensive paved trail network for cycling along the major river arteries to various parks and reservoirs. Denver's city roads have a clearly marked, thoughtfully planned bike commuter system. I also like Golden, CO (between Boulder and Denver) Lookout Mountain for a smaller, less crowded mountain bike experience as well as a 5 mile excellent hill climb with AMAZING views. Great trail running, there, also.

City of Denver Bike Map http://198.202.202.66/Bicycle_Program/template31482.asp

Rocky Mountain Cycling Club's website (their weekly rides cover all parts of the state of CO): www.rmccride.com Click on schedule link

Mountain Bike CO Trail Guide: http://www.trailcentral.com/trail/index.php
This includes city of Denver trails (paved.)

I am planning on making a trip out to Colorado for a week or so next month to look at purchasing a piece of vacation property. I'd like to find somewhere that has both good road and mountain biking.

If anyone has experience with riding in the state and has some suggestions of areas to consider please let me know. Currently I have been checking out the Durango area. And no, I'm not a Bob Roll groupie.

Thanks,
Timmy Tuna

 

[ghostpedal]

Boulder, bar none. Expensive property though.

 

[badhat]

i live in ft collins and i've found tehres some great riding in every direction from here, both road and dirt...

for road riding if you head north on 287 (college ave) you can go about 45 miles to laramie on really well gromed wide shouldered high way with a modest incline all the way, and you can turn off west to redfeather lake which is a 20 mile road in decent shape that winds thru the laramie mountains and has some pretty substantial climbing and GREAT scenery.

to the west, you have the rockies and Rocky Mtn Park, which has so great country routes like 14, the Horsetooth Centennial Loop, masonville, rist canyon road and more...

to the east it gets flatter but you can take 14 to ault and then spend all day on 85 which is a 4 lane with some great shoulder that runs from denver up past cheyeanne, and is pancake flat for most of that trip. really nice for cruising and lots of small towns along the way for gatorade and potty breaks. theres also an expasive grassland out futher east on the plains that i havent visited but on paper sounds like itd be some good riding.

to the south you have boulder and to the south east you have estes park: the route from loveland to estes park (34) is a wonderful ride, 28 miles of steady but relatively easy climb (3500 feet i think) from which you can either turn back and cut a nice downhill OR you can go south out of estes to boulder which is a little narrower but has some new surfacign and AMAZING views. north of estes theres Devils Gulch Road which is a wonderful high valley that runs thru a couple of small towns an has relatively light traffic and makes a nice loop back down to loveland. and of coruse if you're feeling hardcore you can tackle trail ridge road over the pass to grandby, which is a monster but really beautiful.

the main mtbing in the area is Horsetooth Park, Lory Park (two connected parks that make up the western boundary of Horsetooth reservois and have between them probably 40 or so miles of single track, and then poudre canyon which has several great single track routes including Hewlett Gulch and Young Gultch.

i'm more of a roadie than a MTB guy so i know less about the MTB scene up here but i'm told its very nice. and tends to be a little less crowded than boulder, which is admittedly amazing.