Mountain - Plains - Denver Area Info

Hello all! I've just relocated to the Denver area and am trying to find some good sources for group/club rides as well as any info or insight into local shops. I know not everyone has the same experiences at each shop so I will take that into account. So far I have visited a few of the shops, even though I haven't found one that is really "local" to me, with mixed experiences. I have ridden several miles on the MUPS around the area but would like to learn and experience more. Thanks in advance for any help or insight!

What part of town are you in? Lots of good shops. Depends on your location. Also, one of the best city path systems in the country!

I have a Commerce City address but probably live closer to Brighton. The MUPS are nice but I'd prefer a little more variety, less flat, riding too...

Hmm...don't know anything up there. I'm polar opposite side of town.

The Rocky Mountain Cycling Club has rides both weekend days and a few during the week, their rides start from all over the front range. Usually a good turnout and a range of speeds from Cat 2 to Old Fast Guy. They provide maps at the beginning of the ride, so if you get dropped you can at least find your way back to your car. You can ride with them 3 times before you join, it only costs $25, and you don't have to be exclusive so if you join a race team later, it's ok to be on both. where you live, you're going to be driving to the interesting rides anyway, so you may as well check them out.

www.rmccrides.com

I just looked up where Brighton is, you're going to have to drive (or ride a long way) for real hills/mountain riding. This weekend, if you like real climbing, I would suggest doing the Golden Gate/COal Creek loop from Golden, and the leaves up on top of Golden Gate Canyon should be spectacular.
55 miles, 6000' climbing, very straightforward route finding. Park at the Starbucks on the north end of Golden.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=CO-93+S&daddr=39.84261,-105.48898+to:39.8767896,-105.2732683+to:CO-93+S&hl=en&ll=39.820139,-105.317688&spn=0.41083,0.652313&sll=39.785851,-105.323181&sspn=0.411035,0.652313&geocode=FYL5XgId5Em6-Q%3BFTLzXwIdrF22-SnlEtYrpb5rhzFilLWikDdwJg%3BFbV4YAIdTKi5-Sn9NHohyZNrhzFnXTKg6JBxAA%3BFVj7XgIdmEq6-Q&vpsrc=6&gl=us&mra=dme&mrsp=3&sz=11&via=1,2&t=m&z=11

Here is a map of the local trails. The Bear Creek Trail has a couple of climbs, along with Chatfield and the west side of C-470 trail. But, mostly pretty flat.

http://www.ourwebs.info/denverbikemap1.jpg

besides rmcc rounding out the big three

denver bicycle touring club dbtc.org
team evergreen evergreen.org

Thanks for the info everyone! DnvrFox that is the best map, with info, that I have seen of the local MUPS. I have noticed a lot of the maps on the paths are hard to figure out, at least for me right now. valygrl thanks for the info on the loop from Golden, I was actually in Golden yesterday and recalled hearing people talk about Lookout Mt but that seems like a pretty straight forward loop you posted. I would probably be best off driving over and riding it as it would be about 100 miles if I were to ride the MUP to Golden and then hit the loop. Is the Starbucks you suggested parking at the one in downtown? I saw one about a block from Big Ring Cycles there.

THere's another starbucks at Hwy 93 and Washington, it's just a convenient location, you don't have to make your way through town.

Yeah, unless you really want an extra lots-of-miles of flat riding, drive. Lookout is a short climb, that doesn't really get you into the mountains, it gets you to mountain suburbs. The other loop gets you to the mountains, and has some beautiful views and a big aspen forest at the top of GG canyon that is probably amazing right now. I just got back from the Peak to Peak farther north from there, and it was great.

Good source for those city trail maps, http://www.bikedenver.org/maps/

Good source for those city trail maps, http://www.bikedenver.org/maps/
Third reference on that list is for GeoBiking.Org
Not too many road routes on it, mostly MUPs, connected into a network of over 1,900 miles.
If you have a Garmin Mapping GPS, or DeLorme, you can download a map overlay to your GPS, or load tracks as desired.
You can view the network in Google Earth to get a better feel of the trails.

I've looked into geobiking.org and it looks pretty helpful but I haven't figured out how to upload the maps into my Garmin yet? That should be pretty good info once I figure it out!

I've looked into geobiking.org and it looks pretty helpful but I haven't figured out how to upload the maps into my Garmin yet? That should be pretty good info once I figure it out!

Loading depends on Garmin model. If you have a newer model with internal memory, you can rename the .img file as desired and drag/drop onto it. If it doesn't, you can load it into gps on top of base map. I need to figure out how to load it into BaseCamp, where it can be merged with other maps you load thru it. Don't have a second PC w/o mapsource installed to do trials. (Basecamp recognizes what's loaded into MapSource.)
Was looking into writing a script to modify the registry to add the map that way. It took a backseat to summer activities though.

Did the RMCC Rist Canyon ride Saturday and I can only say I need to do more climbing to get better adapted to the altitude and the length of climbs here! While this ride was good for me I'd be interested in finding some rides my wife and I can do together, not necessarily the same route but leave from the same location. She could've never done this route and there was no alternate route this weekend. Not to mention these rides are not "no drop" so I'd be a little wary of her going alone? Maybe it's just the time of year? Hopefully we'll be able to find out more as we go along and maybe find something that fits well for both of us.

Also drove up to Golden Gate this afternoon and I think valygrl must have been trying to kill me, or at least hurt me really bad. :cry: That route will definitely have to wait till I'm better acclimated and there isn't so much traffic.

:D Yeah GGC is steep.

RMCC rides are always not-no-drop, but there are usually shorter alternatives, Saturday is climbing and Sunday is flat, and the rides are shorter in winter.