SEE PAGE 17 FOR 7 CARE FOR COLORADO PRINCIPLES. It takes ample amounts of blacktop, singletrack, sunshine and friendly people to create a bikers’ paradise to match ours. Lively biking communities ensure that events abound spring through autumn and that road-biking and trail-riding options proliferate. 1 GREAT MAPPING Connect with local visitor centers to get directions to hot biking spots. In Durango , for example, rides are rated from easy to difficult. Telluride has trail ratings, reviews and ascent/ descent info. In Steamboat Springs , the maps can help you decide if you need fat tires or skinny. You can get directions to in-town singletrack in Pagosa Springs . In Fruita and Crested Butte , trail networks are so vast and varied that a map is a downright necessity. For much more, download the COTREX (Colorado Trail Explorer) app. 3 E-BIKES If you prefer scenery chewing to pedaling, electric bikes offer a little boost. Rent one at Colorado E Bike in Grand Junction , Rapid Creek Cycles in Palisade , Cirque Cyclery in Paonia , JUMP bike share and Pedego in Denver , Rocky Mountain Adventure Rentals in Vail , Boulder Cycle Sport, Papa Wheelies in Montrose and many other spots. 76 / 1-800-COLORADO CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NEAR CRESTED BUTTE, MILES/LISA SEAMAN; FRUITA, MILES/DENISE CHAMBERS; NORTH FRUITA DESERT TRAILS NEAR GRAND JUNCTION, LISA SEAMAN; BIKE HELMET, GETTYIMAGES; BIKE, ISTOCKPHOTO. 8 WAYS COLORADO WILL RUIN YOU FOR BIKING ANYWHERE ELSE 2 BIKE THE BYWAYS There’s no better way to see purple mountain majesties or amber waves of grain than by collecting the 26 long-distance Bike the Byways rides. Start at Denver ’s South Platte River Trail and work your way toward the Lariat Loop near Denver before tackling mountain rides like Top of the Rockies in Leadville and finishing off with the bluffs and buttes of Dinosaur Diamond north of Grand Junction . Or, start the other way ’round at the mystifying Trail of the Ancients in Cortez and add rides to your list as you work your way north. dtdapps.coloradodot.info/bike
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2020: Page 76
