My wife and I just completed a short tour along the Front Range from Denver. We moved to CO 6 months ago, so this was an exploratory trip prior to some longer tours in the years to come. Our ride was 4-day round-trip from Central Denver to Fort Collins, with the first night at a friend’s house in Boulder and then 2 nights at Lake Boyd campground in Loveland, from where we did a day-trip to Fort Collins. Day 4 was a long 70-mile ride back to Denver. We’re completists so we rode it all, but this last day could easily be shortened by getting the bus from Boulder or the RTD from Westminster.
A few observations
– Probably 70% of this ride was on dedicated bike paths. Credit to the cities of Denver, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins for their extensive trail networks and bike infrastructure.
– On the road sections, there were often wide shoulders and CO drivers were generally very bike-friendly
– We did a few gravel sections but all the gravel was really easy on our touring bikes with 28mm tires
– The Lobo trail from Boulder to Longmont was a particularly nice stretch of silky-smooth gravel
– The scenery of the farmland with mountains behind was outstanding
– The route was fairly flat with 4500ft of ascent over 200 miles. You could make it a lot more sporty by coming back to Denver via Lyons and Nederland, which would add about 20 miles, but 7,500 feet of climbing… We had considered that, but a forecast of rain and snow in the mountains gave us a convenient excuse!
Just sharing for anybody who is new to CO (as we are) or passing through. Happy to answer any questions.
by Ambivalent_Name71