Ride Reports

Fourteen club members ventured out for a chilly 1st outdoor gravel ride of 2024 up to Palmer Lake and back.  The temperatures were much colder than anticipated with a start in the high 30s.  We stopped at Ice Lake for a quick nature break and then proceeded up to Palmer Lake regrouping on several occasions.  At Palmer Lake, several members expressed interest in stopping at a local cafe while others wished to make the return trip back to Criterium Bike Shop so we split the group to accommodate everyone's wishes.  The trail was in pretty good shape with the exception of some ruts between Monument and Palmer Lake.  Unfortunately, this caught one of our riders off-guard and they had a tumble.  Luckily, the rider's spouse was in the area and picked up the rider to ensure proper medical checks were conducted.  The rest of us proceeded back to Colorado Springs on the Santa Fe (fighting the wind the whole way).  

It was a great group of riders and, as always, it was nice catching up with everyone's stories, checking out new bikes and gear, and just sharing laughs along the way.  I can't wait for many more of these rides in 2024!  

I'll start by stating this is a very challenging ride that I typically like to do once a year (one and done).  I was joined by a great group, Chris F., Austin, Al, Anthony, Curtis, Robin, Helen, Kimberly and a guest Cindi B.  We regrouped often and at one point going up Rampart, Helen decided to ride solo to the overlook and back while Curtis and Robin turned around at the radio towers.  The rest of us continued the relentless climb up Rampart Range and descended down into Monument where we had a quick refill at Trails End Taproom before heading back on the Santa Fe to Criterium.  

Could not have asked for better weather or company and l'm already looking forward to this epic ride next year.  

The weather forecast was not very predictable and a few people dropped out prior to the ride start; however, those of us that showed up enjoyed perfect weather and a great ride up Rampart Range road.  A big thanks to Christine, Nico, Jeremy, and Kimberly for showing.  

Shorter ride and I ended with 18.64 miles, almost 2k feet of climbing at a 12.3 mi/h average.  

Eight of us enjoyed a beautiful morning wandering through areas of the Black Forest. After riding over to the Cathedral Pines area we enjoyed the secluded roads and nice views. We had some challenging climbs, and some fun descents as our reward, and regrouped periodically to stay together. The mostly downhill final section of the ride down Sanctuary Rim and Gleneagle was welcomed after all the earlier climbing.

An awesome evening for a fun ride through Red Rocks.  We had a great showing with John, Matt, Nico, Tessa, Kevin, Robin, Kimberly and I.  Of all the Tuesday gravel rides, I think I prefer this one over the others due to the challenging climbs and the rewarding sweeping single track that brings us back down into Red Rocks.  I ended with 20.74 miles, almost 2k ft of climbing and an average of 12.3mi/h.  After the ride, most of us hung out at Red Leg and had a cold beverage.

After just a little mist and maybe a rain drop or two in the parking lot before we started the ride, all twelve of us decided to brave the elements and proceed to the Air Force Academy. One of the guards opened the second security gate onto the Academy for us, so we were quickly proceeding with the ride. After a moderate pace down Stadium Blvd, the riding got more spirited on the Pine Drive and West Monument Creek Climbs. We regrouped several times at the top of climbs, and then enjoyed the descents. A few opted for a single lap, while the rest of us went for a second. Mother Nature cooperated, and we stayed dry, and enjoyed riding in some cooler weather after the heat we've had.

There was a request for a short notice gravel ride on Sunday, so I obliged and led up a spirited ride to Palmer Lake and back on the Santa Fe trail.  Great smaller group and we had a brisk pace to the lake and back.  Conditions on the Santa Fe kept us on our toes with some deep sand in locations.  As I rode from home and back, I ended up with 52.5 miles, 2000ft of climbing and a solid 15.3 mph average.  

We had a great turnout for Tuesday gravel with JimmyDot, John Jamison, Tessa Muir, Nao Nozawa, Kevin Percy, Sarah Roueche, Robin Schroyer, Kim Trogdon and myself.  The ride was from our great sponsor, Criterium Bike Shop heading North on the Santa Fe.   I pushed the pace a little heading out and was accompanied by John who always rides super strong.  We regrouped at around 45 minutes of riding and stuck together (for the most part) on the return.  Beautiful weather and a great group of cyclists.  

This past Tuesday a couple of us (John Jamison and I) tried out a proposed gravel route from Jimmy Dot.  Jimmy modified the existing Red Rocks gravel ride to connect/include some of Bear Creek Regional Park.  John and I ran into Jimmy outside of Garden of the Gods and he rode with us briefly before turning back.  John and I continued at a brisk pace and tackled some somewhat technical steep downhills in Bear Creek before working our way back to the Sinton Trail and home.  I really enjoyed the route as it was very challenging and John kept me on my toes as usual with a competitive pace.   Total distance was 29 miles, 2,434ft of climbing at a 13.2mph pace (Note:  I added four miles to/from home).  

Our Tuesday Gravel ride went up Rampart Range Rd.  Nao Nozawa, Al Marshall, LeeAnn Perea and Kimberly Trogdon joined me on the ride and we stuck together through Garden of the Gods up to Rampart Range Rd.  Everyone rode their own pace up, but typically within eyesight of each other.  After about 45 minutes, we decided to turn around and enjoy our hard work by descending back into the Garden.  Nao led the way with some impressive bike handling skills.  

Kimberly and I had a couple of extra miles as we road from home.  Ending stats were 22 miles, 2,280ft of climbing with an average speed of 12.1mph.