Riding in CO - July or September?
 

I have two options for going to Colorado to ride passes around Leadvile (Tenn. Fremont, and possibly also Mt. Evans, etc). Two options are last wk of July or mid-September. Could you comment on which would be better, especially weather-wise? Thank you.

July is warmer but afternoon thunderstorms are likely every day. September is cooler and almost certainly dry. By mid September there will be some Aspen color.

mje is right. I would go with September. I think is our best riding month, but the mornings will be cold up high.

Afternoon thunderstorms are a good possibility but not an everyday occurrence in July. Afternoon thunderstorms are pretty predictable, though, so just start early and finish early if they're predicted. Snow is a distinct possibility in Leadville in September, and some of the ski resorts will start making snow at night in late September. Actually, I've seen some snow in July at and above 10,000 feet, but it's more likely to happen in September.

Either month can be great- in late July the wildflowers will be out, temps will be warmer and days will be longer. In September, aspens will be showing fall colors, crowds will be diminished, and lodging will start to get cheaper. Mornings will be cold though, and the rest of the day might not be too warm either.

A word of warning:

"September 23, 2009: Mount Evans is CLOSED for the 2009 Season!"

http://www.mountevans.com/

I'd go with July, myself, yeah there will be t-storms, but *mid* september is starting to push it.

You could get this - Battle Mountain, late september last year... or you could get a snowstorm.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1759/img1959gz.jpg

Evans is usually closed after Labor Day. You could still ride it by just hopping the gate but....

If you're going to be based in Leadville, you really should add Independence Pass to that list.