buelito

I did "Ride the Rockies" a few years ago and had a blast. It was 7 days in June of riding between 50 and 100 mies per day. I went alone, which was the bad part, but I always had someone to ride with. I am thinking of going in 2007, and I thought, why not ask the 50+ers is they're interested in going. You have plenty of time to train for it... In February you need to log into their website and print out the application and send it in. It is done via lottery, so there are no guarantees, but you will know sometime in March if you are in. The route always does 2 or 3 mountain passes and you get to see a lot fo the Colorado landscape. They change the route every year, so if you've done it before, chances are you will be going through towns you didn't go through before.

On Labor day I am going to try something that will determine which bike gets taken to Colorado. I have a fixie, which I love to ride-- I have over 3300 miles on it this year-- I am going to Skyline Drive to do 62 miles (with over 7000 feet of climbing). Thirty one of them will be uphill. If I can do that with the fixie, that is the bike I plan to take to Colorado in june...otherwise, it's the multi-gear.

At any rate, I would enjoy meeting some of you there and riding along as well.

train safe-

DnvrFox

If the RTR is full, you can sign up for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, which is supposed to also be a lot of fun. When did you do RTR? I did in 1998 and 1999.

Also there is Pedal the Peaks but they went to New Mexico last year - don't know their route this year.

Sorry, not going to do it again. I just don't seem to like large group rides.

Grampy™

LOL, me either. Every year people that know I ride ask me if I'm doing R.A.G.B.R.A.I. this year... I really don't like to ride with 20,000 people at the same time.

nmichell

I'd like to try it in 2007, depending on the route. It would be great if they went over Trail Ridge road, perferrably starting from Fort Collins (see my location)

Doing RTR on a fixed gear would be impressive. Of course, riding 3300 in less than a year on any bike, much less a fixie, sounds pretty impressive to me.

Sandwarrior

I for one, would love to go. Do they allow recumbents? I will be working dilligently to get my "bent" muscles tuned up for this ride.

buelito

Dnvr- I did it in 2002.
Sandwarrier- I don't think they discriminate against any type of bike...
nmichell- I am hoping I can keep my fitness up to do it on a fixie--my test will be over Labor Day-- although the hills around here are not as long as in the Rockies--they tend to be steeper, so maybe that will make up for the difference.

train safe-

DnvrFox

There are all kinds of "bicycles."

I have seen folks on unicycles, large Norwegian "commuting scooters," BMX's, bikes with bars and riders wearing tux's, a large contingent of folks using hand propelled bikes. I think a bent would be real common and sort of boring!

chipcom 

If you enjoy riding Skyline on a fixie, you're a better man than I.

hawkijohn

DITTO here, when friends or family heard about me going on a 550 mile bike tour this yr, last week of July everyone assumed it was RAGBRAI. BTW, I live less than 20 miles from Cedar Rapids and I've never ridden in RAGBRAI. I'll buy ya a cup of coffee some day tho!

Proximo

I did the third Ride the Rockies in '88 and had a great time. I'm not sure why I never signed up again but I hope to get on it next year.

DnvrFox

BTW, I made the official "movie" for the RTR.

There were a bunch of us on USENET who, after a heated typical helmet war discussion on helmets, decided we would meet.

As the efficacy of helmets was the order of the day (it has never ended) and one person had said that a helmet was no better than a plastic milk jug, I fashioned a "milk jug" helmet to wear during registration as a signal to others of who I was.

Sadly, amongst the 1000's of folks there, no one recognized me except the cameraman who featured me with the milkjug.

Ah fame, how fleeting you are.

MyPC8MyBrain

I rode this this year's RTR, it was the first time for me. I will be riding next year as well. Like you, the I rode alone. It was nice in regard to riding at my own pace, but having others to hang with after the day's ride would have been cool.

dauphin

Do you still have that "helmet"...I've been researching....

DnvrFox

It is in the foyer of the "Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute" featured as the safest model ever made. However, it was so inexpensive (I dare not say "cheap") to make that all the manufacturers revolted against the idea. I never patented it and Bell quickly usurped the design, much like those devices that give you 100 miles per gallon for your car have been buried under patent law by the automobile manufacturers working in cahoots with the petroleum companies. Sigh! I could have been a hundred-aire!