Ride of the Week -July 31st 2011

This weeks ride is a road ride. The Tour de France just ended and I am now anxiously awaiting the Colorado Pro Tour to pass through. This road ride is pretty simple, turn right out of Winter Park Resort and just keep pedaling. The ride is 10 miles exactly from the last stop light in Winter Park to the top of the pass and climbs consistently for over 2000ft making it a category 1 climb according to the UCI.





The false flats at the start act as a great warm up and once you hit the first hairpin you know you are in for a ride. It kicks up to a mile long climb averaging about a 8% grade. It then flattens out the rest of the climb until you make it to the last mile of the climb where the hill returns to an average grade of about 8% again. You will be rewarded with some great vistas on either side of the divide.

I recommend that you do this ride in the morning because the winds are more calm. A head wind can be brutal. The traffic is not bad and the lanes are plenty wide.

The best part about working your way to the top - the descent. Make sure you don't get a speeding ticket on the way down.