A year after the event called Summit County home for its start and finish, the annual Denver Post Ride the Rockies Cycling Tour will not come through the county this summer. Rather, it’ll be back to the Roaring Fork Valley for the first time since 2016, with overnights in Snowmass Village and Carbondale.
The ride, entering its 34th year, will feature a seven-day loop route beginning and ending in Crested Butte. This year’s ride will include stops in Gunnison (June 9), Buena Vista (June 10), Snowmass Village (June 11), Carbondale (June 12) and Hotchkiss (June 13), before returning to Gunnison and Mount Crested Butte for the final two days.
Ride the Rockies takes place from Sunday, June 9 to Saturday, June 15, and is prefaced with a opening day prologue, which starts on Mount Crested Butte on June 8 and is limited to 50 riders. The daily mileage varies between 40 and 83 miles, with a total of 445 miles and approximately 28,230 feet in elevation gain. Points of interest the cyclists will cover include Kebler Pass, Ohio Pass, the Castles, Monarch Pass, Collegiate Peaks, the Arkansas River Valley, Independence Pass, the Maroon Bells overlook, McClure Pass, Paonia State Park and Reservoir, Black Canyon, Blue Mesa Reservoir in the Gunnison River Valley, Almont and the Elk Mountain Range.
FULL RIDE THE ROCKIES ROUTE
Saturday, June 8
Prologue fundraising event (limited to 50 riders) Crested Butte to Cochetopa Pass – 67 miles/3,283-foot elevation gain
Stage 1 – Sunday, June 9
Crested Butte to Gunnison (the back way) – 34.36 miles/1,437-foot elevation gain (Kebler Pass, Ohio Pass and the Castles). Day Loop from Gunnison – 62.8 miles/2,925-foot elevation gain
Stage 2 – Monday, June 10
Gunnison to Buena Vista – 83.2 miles/5,393-foot elevation gain (Monarch Pass, Collegiate Peaks, Arkansas River Valley)
Stage 3 – Tuesday, June 11
Buena Vista to Snowmass – 73 miles/5,779-foot elevation gain (Arkansas River Valley, Independence Pass)
Stage 4 – Wednesday, June 12
Snowmass to Carbondale – 78.6.miles/5,253-foot elevation (Maroon Creek Road climb, Maroon Bells overlook, Roaring Fork Valley)
Stage 5 – Thursday, June 13
Carbondale to Hotchkiss – 65.4 miles/3,958-foot elevation gain (McClure Pass, Paonia State Park and Reservoir)
Stage 6 – Friday, June 14
Hotchkiss to Gunnison – 79.1 miles/6,861-foot elevation gain (Black Canyon, Blue Mesa Reservoir)
Stage 7 – Saturday, June 15
Gunnison to Mount Crested Butte – 31.2 miles/2,086-foot elevation gain (Gunnison River Valley, Almont, Elk Mountain Range)