Ride the Rockies 2016 Route Announced

It's the perfect route - Carbondale to Fort Collins

Get ready to train with purpose, ride hard and enjoy the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Tonight the route of the 2016 The Denver Post Ride the Rockies presented by Viawest (RTR) was announced. Organizers have created a fine tour this year with a dream route that will prove to be very popular. Registration is now open for the June 12-17th tour with 2000 lottery spots available.

Host cities for 2016 include: Carbondale, Aspen, Copper Mountain, Grand Lake, Estes Park, and Fort Collins. This will be the first time Grand Lake will host Ride the Rockies.

Highlights for 2016 include, in order: Missouri Heights, Rio Grande Trail, Independence Pass, Fremont Pass, Tennessee Pass, Red Cliff Bridge, Battle Mountain, Vail Pass, Ute Pass, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Devils Gulch and Horsetooth Reservoir.

Ride the Rockies affords road cyclists an opportunity to ride a route in quick succession that would otherwise be near impossible without support. I have been fortunate to ride every climb and road on this year's route - although it took me many years to get it done piecemeal. I promise you, this year's route is special.

If you have been wanting to visit Colorado to ride a bike, now would be the time. Tonight at the announcement party I met a woman who had ridden twenty-four Ride the Rockies and a man who was hoping to ride his first. You will meet all types and ages out on the roads of Colorado. Next week I will share with you, comments from a number of the enthusiastic guests at tonight's Ride the Rockies announcement party. For now here is the route:

2016 Ride the Rockies Route - point to point

DAY 1, Sunday, June 12, 2016 - Carbondale to Aspen, 50 miles, +4253ft
DAY 2, Monday, June 13, 2016 - Aspen to Copper Mountain, 85 miles, +7655ft
DAY 3, Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - Copper Mountain to Copper Mountain, 79 miles, +6537ft
DAY 4, Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - Copper Mountain to Grand Lake, 85 miles, +3939ft
DAY 5, Thursday, June 16, 2016 - Grand Lake to Estes Park, 49 miles, +4636ft
DAY 6, Friday, June 17, 2016 - Estes Park to Fort Collins, 55 miles, +2762ft

6-day 403 mile route of the 2016 Ride the Rockies in Colorado

Quick Facts about the 2016 Ride the Rockies tour:

• 6-days (no rest day)
• 403 miles and 29,782’ elevation gain
• Website & registration: www.ridetherockies.com
• Ride the Rockies 2016 lottery registration dates: Sunday, February 7, 2016; 12:00 a.m. – Sunday, February 28, 2016; 5:00 p.m. MST. Notifications will be sent out on March 4, 2016.
• Tour Cost (registration only): $5 lottery fee + $495 
• Included in registration fee: sag support, basic camping, showers, transportation of one 70lb bag, shuttle services, aid stations, medical support, water bottle, jersey, entrance into Rocky Mountain National Park, free concerts & entertainment, mechanics, bike or wheel demos.
• Services provided for a fee: parking, bike & luggage shipping, sherpa camping, food trucks along the route, your own support vehicle, refunds with limitations. 
• Read more about the logistics

2016 Ride the Rockies Tour (7-days)

START CITY: Carbondale, Colorado

DAY 1, Sunday, June 12, 2016 - Carbondale to Aspen, 50 miles, +4253ft, 3 Aid Stations

Route map - Day 1 Ride the Rockies 2016

DAY 2, Monday, June 13, 2016 - Aspen to Copper Mountain, 85 miles, +7655ft, 6 aid stations

• Independence Pass
• Fremont Pass

Route map - Day 2 Ride the Rockies 2016

DAY 3, Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - Copper Mountain to Copper Mountain, 79 miles, +6537ft, 3 aid stations

• Traditional Copper Triangle route

Route map - Day 3 Ride the Rockies 2016

DAY 4, Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - Copper Mountain to Grand Lake, 85 miles, +3939ft, 6 aid stations

• Ute Pass

Route map - Day 4 Ride the Rockies 2016

DAY 5, Thursday, June 16, 2016 - Grand Lake to Estes Park, 49 miles, +4636ft, 3 aid stations

• Trail Ridge Road

Route map - Day 5 Ride the Rockies 2016

DAY 6, Friday, June 17, 2016 - Estes Park to Fort Collins, 55 miles, +2762ft, 4 aid stations

Route map - Day 6 Ride the Rockies 2016

FINISH CITY: Fort Collins, Colorado


2016 Ride the Rockies Prologue Ride (2-days) 

Jun 10-12, 2016 - Aspen, Colorado. 47 miles, +3632ft. $2500, first come first serve (no lottery). Come ride with the pros - Ted King, Tim Johnson, Ron Kiefel, Nelson Vails and more. Think of the prologue as a top-notch local bike tour prior to your week (guaranteed lottery entry) of Ride the Rockies. Read more about the RTR Prologue.

Ride the Rockies Prologue route map 2016

If you arrive into Carbondale area a day or two early, consider these bike rides highlighted in one of my earlier posts: Pedal Dancer® Recommended Road Bike Rides Near Aspen.

Read more information and facts about the climbs by Pedal Dancer® Colorado Climbs

So you want to tour Colorado on a bicycle?

The best week-long or multi-day bike tours of Colorado

In an effort to provide residents and visitors to Colorado with a summary of the best options to tour Colorado this summer, I have compiled a fine list of organized event rides, professional bike tour companies, USA Pro Challenge tours, and Do-it-yourself planning tips to encourage you to get out and cycle the great variety of cycling routes we have to offer here in Colorado.

Quintessential Colorado cycling - the view down Independence Pass (west side). Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer.

I have collected the best ways that I know to tour Colorado on a bike:


ORGANIZED EVENT RIDES

If you like having set dates on the calendar to aim for to be in top form and you like the atmosphere of thousands of people in colorful lycra populating the best climbs and roads in Colorado - you will enjoy these cycling events listed below. They also happen to pass through some of the most welcoming cities in the state where you are sure to see a few cowboy hats and find a craft beer or BBQ. These challenging tours are guaranteed fun to register with a pack of old friends or to meet new friends along the way. But word of advice - you need to like people to go on these huge bike tours. Come prepared - in body and gear - for an entire week of riding outside in Colorado and you will have a successful vacation.

Three to seven day cycling tours of Colorado (in date order):

June 6-8, 2015 - Death Ride Tour, Silverton, 225mi (3-days)
This tour begins in Silverton, rides to Telluride on Day 1, to Durango on Day 2, and back to Silverton on Day 3. Description: Fantastic scenery, tough long climbs, mixture of some group meals, you must arrange your own hotels, mandatory fundraising for ALS is required. ROUTE, Registration cost: $125 + Fundraising minimum $250

June 13-20, 2015 - The Denver Post Ride The Rockies (week-long tour)
The biggest name in Colorado week-long tours. RTR is a full week of perfect routes, post-ride entertainment, tons of services and thousands of participants. This year's route starts in Grand Junction and travels to Hotchkiss - Gunnison - Crested Butte - Sailda - Canon City - Westcliff. The route includes the Colorado National Monument, Grand Mesa and Cottonwood Pass. This is NOT a loop route, so allow more travel time. The event is so popular there is a yearly lottery for registration. When I did the event, we arranged hotels and I have to say the costs added up! ROUTE, Registration cost: $495.

June 21-27, 2015 - Bicycle Tour of Colorado (week-long tour)
If you are an experienced hard-core rider - you will be more at-home on this ride (or if you like to start your rides at 6AM!). The top 8% of Ride the Rockies riders will find themselves in the mid 50% of this ride. At least that was my experience after riding both events. This year's route is a beauty: starting AND ending in Breckenridge, you will ride from Breck - Leadville - Carbondale - Hotchkiss - Crested Butte - Salida - Breck. You will climb Fremont Pass, Independence Pass, McClure Pass, Kebler Pass, Cottonwood Pass, and Hoosier Pass. This list is creme of the crop. I enjoyed the full camping services offered: set-up and tear-down of tents and hot coffee in the morning! ROUTE, Registration cost: $450-495.

July 18-20, 2015 - Courage Classic, Summit and Eagle Counties (3-days)
Now this is a great cause! The event benefits the Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation. If you prefer to stay in the same location and cycle out is various directions - you will like this ride. Based in the scenic Copper Mountain Village, this ride has a mandatory fundraising obligation. Meals are included in your registration and camping is available. July is the perfect time to ride in Summit County - one of my favorite areas of Colorado. ROUTE,  Registration cost: $95-120, + Fundraising minimum of $300.

July 18-25, 2015 - 109˚ West Bicycle Tour, SW Colorado (week-long tour)
They call themselves The Best of the West, and if you live in the southwest corner of Colorado, or in California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas, this event ride is more accessible to you (and you will likely be more used to the hot weather of July). This event offers ride options: single-day, multi-day or full-week. The week-long route begins in Telluride - Montrose - Crested Butte - Buena Vista - Aspen - Hotchkiss - Palisade. This is NOT a loop ride. ROUTE,  Registration cost: $650.

July 24-26, 2015 - Hop, Rock and Roll, bike and music, Northern Front Range  (3-days)
This is something totally new: I am not sure which takes priority on this event ride - the beer, the music or the bikes, but you get all three in an event packed 3-days in the hills outside of Fort Collins, CO. You will ride 35-miles per day and stop at local breweries along the way, followed by food truck nourishment and evening live music. You will camp at Parrish Ranch on Friday and Saturday night, with bag transport included.  ROUTE, Registration cost: $99-150.

August 2-8, 2015 - Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour, Gunnison, 472mi, (week-long tour)
This is a road bike tour, not a mountain bike tour, and it is a LOOP route. The event takes place in central Colorado in August - the ideal month for high-country cycling. You will start and end in Gunnison, riding to Salida - Frisco - Leadville - Glenwood Springs - Hotchkiss - Gunnison. Hotels, camping and catered meals are an option. This is the perfect ride for those wanting to use that terrific form they have worked all summer to attain. ROUTE, Registration cost: $470.

August 9-14, 2015 - Breck Epic, Breckenridge, 6-day 7-stage race, 35-50mi a day (MTB) 
This is a race. Not for the meek, but if you love mountain biking you will love this week of riding around the hills of Breckenridge, Colorado. Again you will get to stay in one place and ride your heart out (it's all at altitude) every day. By the end of the week, you will have ridden (raced) the best mountain bike climbs near Breck. ROUTE, Registration cost: $799.

September 7-10, 2015 - 4-H Clover Ride, Fort Collins (4-days) 222 miles total
As a fundraiser for the 4-H Foundation, this is a ride where you ride out and back from the same location daily but experience different local rides near Fort Collins. Expect to ride 222 miles and climb 10,000 feet in four days of riding, returning to the comfort of the same hotel room nightly. This event selects a post-ride brewery every day plus organized groups meals out at local restaurants every night. This is the closest thing you will find to combining a professional guided tour with an organized cycling event ride. ROUTE, Registration cost: $700-800 ($300 donation to 4-H included in registration).

September 18-20, 2015 - The Denver Post Pedal the Plains, Eastern Plains, (3-days)
I would describe this ride as a collection of friendly people riding their bikes out on the plains (translate that to mean continuous pedaling over rolling hills). Scheduled in the fall, this ride is prime for those wanting to get in those last miles before snowfall. Organized by the same hard-working folks who plan Ride the Rockies (with an easier to operate website this time), they know what riders need on an event ride. They also offer a family-fun ride, a century ride, or the 3-day tour. ROUTE, Registration cost: $280-295.

The kind of scenery we got to ride through daily on Ride the Rockies event ride. Photo not by me because that is me on the right.

PROFESSIONAL BIKE TOUR COMPANY

If you do not have the time to plan out all the details of route finding, hotel, sag and services - consider joining a professional cycling tour company. They have put in months to years of time into planning the details of one single route. They also receive feedback from clients to continuously improve their services. You are the recipient of all this knowledge. For a price. Sure it costs more, but if you need to condense your vacation time for biggest bang for buck and reduce your time away from family or job - these guided tours are perfect for hard working, hard playing cyclists. They are also ideal for those who enjoy riding in smalls groups of 12-30 cyclists.

Colorado Bike Tour Companies (in alphabetical order)

Road Bike:

Adventure Cycling Association
This national and international company runs fairly priced tours that book up fast to popular areas. Tours start from various cities around Colorado, compare tours to see your options.

At-your-Pace
Offering self-guides, multi-sport, day trips, custom trips, and brews and cruise tours, this is the company for families or persons wanting to make cycling part of their vacation to Colorado (because there is more to Colorado than just cycling).

Heart Cycle
Very established, very popular, very reasonably priced tours which basically cover your costs and the costs of the guides and support people. Based in Colorado, but volunteers guide tours locally, nationwide and world-wide.

* The Tour Companies listed in the next section (below) also guide general bike tours in Colorado: Lizard Head Cycling, Finish Line Cycling, Colorado and Wilderness Rides and Guides.

Mountain Bike:

Front Range Ride Guide
Guiding mountain bike rides in Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins and along the front Range of Colorado.  Locally owned and operated.

Hermosa Tours
Offering self-guided tours, Kokopelli Trail and Colorado Trail tours. Based in Durango, CO and Sedona, AZ ,this premium mountain bike tour company has been operating tours throughout western USA since 2007. They have a great informative website.

Womens Quest
These women get to have a good time mountain biking, running, hiking, doing yoga and reconnecting to nature, nutrition, body, mind and spirit. Owned and operated by a local woman named Colleen Cannon who recruits a group of inspiring women guides.

For a larger list of tour companies said to be operating in Colorado, please visit: Page 97 of Bicycle Paper. I just recently discovered this resource. 

Expect this many people to be at the summit of every pass you climb in Colorado to cheer you over the top. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer. (Actually they are waiting for the pros to arrive at the top of Independence Pass in 2011 but if you need to imagine this scene to get you to the top, please do).

FOLLOW THE PRO TOUR

Why not let others plan your route for you. The organizers of the USA Pro Challenge, study, discuss, and plan the best routes to bring a squadron of pro riders and team cars from town to town every August in Colorado. Follow their lead on where to ride. You might not always want to take the big highway options, and you probably won't want to exceed 80-100 miles a day on a bike (the pros sometimes ride 120 miles or more), but looking over their carefully chosen routes (which change yearly) provides an excellent window into options for outstanding local cycling. There is nothing the pros can do that you cannot, you might just do it a little slower, over a revised route.

I have learned a lot about cycling in France, Belgium and California by watching where the pros ride. By combining your own rides with a half a day of viewing the race is highly recommended. I have learned by chasing the Tour de France that three days of race viewing combined with a rest day and 3-4 good hard days of riding, per week, is just perfect (you'll need the rest day from chasing the race, not from riding hard). Watching a race cover ground you know well because you have ridden the route yourself, is thrilling.

If you have a plenitude of cash and ride a bike quite well, you can join a guided tour that follows this race:

Tour Companies that will guide you to the 2015 USA Pro Challenge (in order of cost)

Finish Line Cycling - August 17-24, 2015 (4 or 8 day packages)
Meeting point is in Denver; you will ride 30-50 miles a day with options for longer rides. Small group size; during the 8-day tour you will see all stage of the pro race. Exact details not yet published. TOUR DETAILS, Cost: *approximately $1400-3000 per person.

Lizard Head Cycling Guide - August 16-22, 2015 (7-days, 7-nights)
Meeting point is in Denver; you will ride 150-550 miles, ranging from 25-123 miles a day. Recommended for Intermediate to Advanced cyclists knowledgeable of long mountain descents and climbs. This is a fully supported tour offering different mileage options for intermediate riders. TOUR DETAILS, Cost: $3,095 per person (double occupancy).

Cognoscenti - August 21-26, 2015 (6 days)
You won't see the whole race (just Stage 6 & Stage 7), but you will hobnob with local celebs and enjoy five-star treatment based out of Boulder, CO. Cognoscenti has formed to show us how to treat guests the Italian way: food, wine, pro guides, pro photographers and the best hotels. TOUR DETAILS, Cost: $5940

Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides - August 20-29 (7-day trip)
Guided by professional bike coaches, this is to be a four star treatment of riding the best segments and watching the race live. 20-guests only (7 spots remaining). TOUR DETAILS, Cost: $7500.

Train Right - USA Pro Challenge Experience - August 17-23 (7-days)
This is the sponsored tour of the USA Pro Challenge ,guided by Chris Carmichael and his troop of coaches, mechanics and support personnel. A 5-star tour/challenge of cycling, you will ride your hardest and then find yourself inside the VIP tents to watch the pros. Making your way post race to the comfiest hotel rooms in town and diner with the pro riders that night. You will ride the entire length of every stage of the tour before the pro riders. You may even attend a training camp in Colorado for $2799 the month before, to make sure you are in top shape. TOUR DETAILS, Cost: $10,750 per person.

I have no direct experience with any of these tour companies listed above, although I have a friend who rode the route of the Amgen Tour of California with the Carmichael group and his experience catapulted him to ride many more difficult tours world-wide.

You too could ride your bike through this mass of fun before the race on race day after paying $10,750. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer at the USA Pro Challenge on Independence Pass 2013, or 2012, I've lost track by now.

D-I-Y BIKE TOURING

For those of us (and I am in this camp) who enjoy planning a ride as much as doing the ride (and talking about the ride after the ride) - you will want the joy (read: control) of researching the resources and planning the route yourself. Destination rides, exploring a new area or chasing a cycling event often spark my interest to plan a cycling vacation or get-away. Here is my tip: google madly for information written on the websites of organized event or tour companies; use their knowledge of routes, distances, and tourist resources to plan your own trips.

I also search for local blogs or local bike clubs, as well as city websites that might list local rides. Bike shops are another great resource. Ride with GPS, Map my Ride or STRAVA can help you narrow down the best local rides, while instantly providing you with a map. Ride with GPS has a new Ambassador program where a local cyclists recommends 4-6 routes in a given area. This is a PERFECT for planning your cycling vacation. All you need on top of that is a good hotel or campsite, the best coffee shop and beer place, where the local bike shop is located and where to find a yummy meal. Chances are the Ride with GPS Ambassador will have all that listed for you.

Planning my own routes and daily agenda gives me the freedom to go when I want, where I want, with whom I want.

Most days riding in Colorado, you will have the entire road and mountain to yourself (and maybe a dozen other cyclists).

Peering down a juicy descent. Just me and the mountain. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer.

Where to road bike ride in Colorado

You will notice the same city names being mentioned throughout all of these tours. That is because the best cycling in Colorado centers around these same towns, making them the locations where you should concentrate your cycling vacation: Gunnison, Crested Butte, Buena Vista, Salida, Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper Mountain, Vail, Avon, Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Hotchkiss, Palisade, Delta, Telluride, Durango, Silverton, Golden, Loveland, and Fort Collins. I would add Boulder to the list - a lovely place for a bike ride but a nightmare for road permits for any event ride or race.

At the bottom of this page I give some suggestions for Putting It All Together: how to combine one location with various local climbs.

I created this map below to indicate where some of the most popular climbs are located in Colorado.  However never underestimate the joy of a more horizontal pedal along a river or through a grand glacial valley.

A map of my favorite climbs in Colorado: Map of 26 recommended bike climbs in Colorado: interactive map link

Additional resources by Pedal Dancer® to help you plan your Colorado cycling vacation:

• SUMMIT COUNTY CYCLING
• COLORADO CLIMBS
• COLORADO CYCLING
• Cycling Climbs of Colorado - a Fine List
• Recommended Road Bike Rides Near Vail, Colorado 
• Recommended Road Bike Rides Near Aspen
• Exact route maps of USA Pro Challenge 2015 Announced Summer in Colorado!
• Route of 2015 Bicycle Tour of Colorado (BTC) announced in January.  
• I am a Ride with GPS Ambassador to Summit County, Colorado

Links to more cycling event rides and races in Colorado can be found on this Pedal Dancer® Guide Page:

• CALENDAR OF RACES AND EVENTS

I hope this post provides you with more options for your cycling vacation to Colorado.

Cycling Resources and Recommendations Updated

Tons of work

When I speak of tons of work, I am not only speaking of the hours I just spent on this snowy Presidents Day holiday in Colorado, reviewing my extensive Guide Page of Cycling Resources, but of the many hundreds of people out there creating an enormous variety of cycling information on a daily basis for cyclists around the world.

To update the Pedal Dancer® resource page - one I began in 2010 and have added to ever since - I clicked through to hundreds of web links. I wanted to be sure these fine people where still out there producing their goods and services just for you. What I found is that many have gone to the wayside, vanished or closed shop.

I noticed a number of the blogs or podcasts have given up.

Perhaps given up is too harsh a description, although I have heard three years is the marker for a blogger. Not surprisingly, some of the brightest have burnt out. If a blogger/podcaster is not hired away (like Dan Wouri to VeloNews) or grows into a much bigger project, hiring more workers (like Cycling Tips) through incredibly hard work (it is known that Shane Stokes at Cycling Tips never sleeps!), then it takes a lot of self motivation to keep any solo publication going.

It also takes many many hours. Those hours directly correlate with missing out on other things in life. For me it was taking care of my own health. I used to spend two to five hours a day exercising. Quick math will tell you it is not possible to do that level of exercise, and manage a job, home owner maintenance, pet care, maintain and grow relationships, and write daily on a blog. Life is going to fail dramatically in a few of those areas. If I made tons of money to match the tons of work, I might be able to justify it, but I don't, and I can't.

Some of those cycling publication authors who faded away wanted to refocus on their own riding or on their own family. This happened to The FredCast cycling podcast, after 9+ years on the air. David of The Fred Cast, also sited a distinct loss of interest in pro cycling for his reason to close shop. Which I admit, I suffer from as well. It is not simply my own loss of interest in reading daily about the pros, it is that most of the people I used to talk cycling to, have also lost interest.

The truth is we need other people in our lives to sustain interest and form our humor which helps us cope through the ups and downs. There is a reason poets and artists gather together. There is a reason comedians hone their craft around other comedians. There is a reason cycling media need each other. One blogger who authored the There and Back Again blog, truthfully stated he had "run out of things to say," after 4-years of blogging. 

I find it interesting to watch this happen to others when I too have pondered my future as a blogger. The fact remains that I love the bike, I love a mountain pass, I love compiling information. Yet I admit it is nice to find I am not alone in growing wary of pro cycling, or in justifying my returning interest to the individual who gets out and does it themselves (have you noticed the growth of GCN!).

Cycling is growing regardless of the future authenticity of pro cycling.

I respect the best of the best. I enjoy watching an athlete at the top of his or her field perform at their best. Yet this is not the only source of inspiration I see in cycling. I can see it in the weekend warrior who gets out and does their best. Perhaps since I am an over-injured cyclist myself, simply enjoying the act of pedaling a bike, now seems good enough.

One thing for certain, I have lost interest in local bike racing. I find the environment harsh and unwelcoming. I tried to cover it through stories and photography, but I find the intensity and egos make for an pleasant place to hang out. I go to a marathon or triathlon and feel the palpable energy of personal triumph that seems absent in local bike racing. I feel much more at home at those types of sporting events, or at the top elite level of cycling where human interest stories still grab my attention.

Apparently I have created a gap in cycling for myself. I seem to like the best of the best, or the least of the worst.

When I look at my photos of Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, I smile, because it feels like I am glancing at a photo album of old friends. Yet yesterday, when I walked my dog to the local coffee shop, I noticed a man at a table in his long sleeve cycling jersey, slouched in a chair with a relaxed belly, chatting with a friend. He appeared as happy as can be. Nearby, rested his crusty dirty Eddy Merckx bike that was probably 23-years old and had clearly not been washed for the past 15 of those years. In no way was he elitist and in no way did I judge him. I looked at him admiringly and thought, how cool, he is out riding his bike and loving it. He represented many thousands of cyclists around this country.

I reason it can never be a bad idea to return to the simple things in life.

I explained to a friend recently that I felt I had done so much in cycling and was wondering what would be next.  I fondly remember being a newbie where even the slightest up in the road terrified me. I took clinics and read extensively. I met a great training partner and we both headed to France to ride stages of the Tour de France. I formed a women's cycling club in Boulder, Colorado, which sparked a national track champ - Cari Higgins. I went on bike tours to France and Italy. I rode many of the Colorado cycling events and even headed to France to ride the Etape du Tour. I hosted National and World Champions in my home. I joined a bike racing team in Boulder. I returned to Europe repeatedly to climb many of the highest Cols and best routes. I chased the Grand Tours and Classics. I started a blog, became media, worked so hard my own fitness suffered, but I learned the personalities in the biz and the inside scoop. I became a photographer, tried to contribute to the community, and then got disillusioned. 

Now what? I'm not sure, but it is very nice to know I am not alone in this evolution of cycling.

I absolutely agree with Steve, the author of the ex There and Back Again blog, when he stated, "I would like to share with you one last thing – the biggest surprise (and joy) to me was the relationship I built with so many of you..." Without a doubt - now that I have surpassed over one million visitors to my own blog - the greatest joy has been meeting so many people who have broadened and added immeasurably to my life.

Now please review my long list of updated CYCLING RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. You know how I love compiling info! And then come back for more, because I am not giving up!

Holy cow that's a lot of information on one blog!

Amgen Tour of California Race Experience

Meet Greg Brown

Greg is an amateur rider taking part in the CTS Amgen Tour of California Race Experience, also known as the guided tour for amateurs riding every stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California ahead of the pros. This is the third year that Carmichael Training Systems will provide this ultimate race simulation challenge for avid cyclists. They will also be providing the experience at the Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.

Greg Brown

Pedal Dancer would like to introduce you to Greg. We will be following Greg's journey as he tackles every stage of the ATOC along with 22 total riders in his group of high achievers. Greg's goal is to "do every stage," he said. The Amgen Tour of California is 750-miles over 8 days. Carmichael Training Systems' (CTS) group will be fully supported, with support vehicles, hotels, food, 3 mechanics, 3 masseurs, 5-7 coaches, and VIP passes. Chris Carmichael will be riding every single day with the team. The ticket price ain't cheap at between 10-11K for the week, plus they have to start riding by 7:00am most days, and ultimately they have to pedal every mile, but what an incredible challenge for an amateur.

Their goal - to beat the pros to the finish line!

Greg has met only five of the riders he will be spending the week with. One rider is from Switzerland, 1 from Australia, 1 from New Mexico, another from the east coast, only 1 is a woman. They are gathering in Santa Rosa this weekend to begin the first of 8 stages on Sunday, May 13th. Greg has been provided with a Race Bible with complete daily details. "We have rules, and there are fines if we break the rules," Greg said. The guides are serious about getting Greg's group across the finish line of every stage ahead of the pros, to add both incentive and fun, the riders will be fined for arriving late for meals or start times, for not dressing to code, loosing items, not communicating, over-use of cell phones, not hydrating, and most importantly not having fun. All fines are to be paid to KidsonBikes.net as a fundraiser. 

At 6'4" and 180lbs Greg considers himself a big rider, but enjoys hill climbs, "the harder the better," he said. He expects the race experience to be "very hard, but fun". He is most looking forward to riding Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California from Palmdale to Big Bear because the route is unknown to him. Last year he participated in the l'Etape du California up Mt Baldy, he suffered, but two months later when he saw CTS again advertise for this ride, he immediately signed up. He figured "if they choose me, I'm in."

Greg is certainly in and ready for the challenge. When I asked him what was the most important factor in preparing to ride every stage, he answered, "miles, and completing the required power allotments." He has used Carmichael Training system for coaching since 2008, when he became a client to prepare for an Andy Hampsten cycling tour to the Dolomites. When I asked Greg what he thought would be the most important factor during the race, he acknowledged this part was "way more important: Don't go too hard too early," he replied, "Second is nutrition, third is routine." He added that a set routine every day reduces his stress.

It's true, he once beat Lance Armstrong

Greg Brown would know about how to prepare for a race, he competed in triathlons for 18 years, 7 as a professional in Australia. In fact Greg has a story of competing at the Bermuda Triathlon in 1986 or 87 for $100,000 in prize money, "All the guys were there - Mark Allen, Scott Tinley, and some new young cocky kid named - Lance Armstrong. Greg was 30-years old and thrilled when he passed 15-year old Armstrong on the run to take 8th ahead of Armstrong's 12th.

Every CTS team member will be provided VIP passes at stage finishes, I asked Greg if he plans to attend as a fan after he rides the stage. "Absolutely. I hope I have the energy, I'll make myself have the energy, that will be half the fun." There will be a sag wagon if one of the 22 riders needs to abandon for the day, but let's think positive and root for Greg Brown, if you happen to see a 6'4" cyclist on a Parlee in a Chris Carmichael kit (below) - cheer really loud - "Go Greg, Allez!"

Greg Brown (left) training for CTS Amgen Tour of California Race Experience

Greg Brown at a glance:

Born and raised: San Fernando Valley/Los Angeles, CA

Current home: Newport Beach, CA

Family: Wife (they met in Australia), 2 twin children (a son and a daughter), 2 dogs

Age: 54 (his birthday is a day after the ATOC finishes in LA)

Years cycling: 30

Local Bike Club: Velo605 in Corona Del Mar, CA

Favorite sports: Basketball (played in High School, College, Finland, and in Australia).

Proudest achievement in life: his 2 kids, twins:1 boy, 1 girl. Both finishing their 1st year of college.

Favorite Grand Tour: Tour de France (Greg's children share his interest, waking early to watch the race together)

Favorite climb: Stelvio pass in Italy

Favorite ProTeam: BMC because of George Hincapie and Aussie Cadel Evans

Bike and wheelset: Custom made Parlee, Enve Power Tap wheel

Groupo and gearing: Shimano Di2 electronic, Compact 53-39 12-27 (the same gearing he rode over the Stelvio).

Next big adventure: Greg and his wife are moving to London in July. He looks forward to learning about cycling in England. 

Greg and his favorite climb - the Stelvio Pass in Italy

Follow Greg's journey along all 8 Stages of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California 

Follow Greg Brown during his ride (daily 1min updates) on his blog at: GregBrown.posterous.com or at @gregdbrown

Follow the daily video updates by CTS go to CTS Amgen Tour of California Race Experience

Pedal Dancer will be following Greg during Stage 5, 6, 7, 8. Pedal Dancer photographer Willie Reichenstein and Greg Brown are good friends (Greg also coached my nephew Kevin in Basketball). If you are wondering about the logistics of a team of 22 riders coming through prior to the pros, Greg said they follow all the traffic rules as everyone else and do not have priority, rolling closures or road closures like the pros. They will begin most mornings by 7:00am, 3 or more hours before the pros depart. Their goal - to beat the pros to the finish line. Good Luck Greg!

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An Interview with Thomson Bike Tours

On being a cycling guide operator in Europe - a fun and informative interview with Peter Thomson of Thomson Bike Tours

Have you ever dreamed of taking a vacation trip to France to ride your bike? Have you watched the Tour de France from your home and yearned to be there, riding and cheering? Your dreams are possible - experienced bicycle tour companies are ready, whenever your are, to turn your dreams into reality. But the tour operator you select matters, as a fan who has traveled to France and the Tour de France for many years, I appreciate the hard work that goes into providing excellent experiences for cycling fans, I also recognize quality.

I was happy to have a Skype conversation with Peter Thomson of Thomson Bike Tours (www.thomsonbiketours.com) last January. I specifically wanted to interview Peter because of his company's deep and broad experience. They operate bike tours in Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium, guiding trips for fans to the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España, Criterium du Dauphine, and the Paris-Roubaix as an official partner with A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organization), organizers of the Tour de France. 

Thomson bike Tours is one of only two operators worldwide to hold a "Master" License as official tour operator for Paris-Roubaix Gran Fondo and all other ASO cycling events.

As a partner Thomson Bike Tours is eligible to lead bike tours and offer VIP access to any A.S.O race. In 2012, they will be registering riders for both acts of the 2012 L'Étape du Tour, held in July, as an official tour operator. Thomson Bike Tours is also known for their popular non-race chasing trans trips offering avid cyclists the opportunity to cycle across a choice of mountain ranges in Europe. In addition they run cycling tours to the Alpes, Tuscany, or Lombardy and Lake Como.

Looking for a challenge - ride across a mountain range in 1 week. 2012 trip schedule.

You could be here (on the Col d'Aubisque).   Photo by Thomson Bike Tours

Prime road side race viewing    Photo by Thomson Bike Tours

I would love to have a staffed support vehicle behind me     Photo by Thomson Bike Tours

always another climb just around the bend

I know enough about cycling in France to recognize a very well planned itinerary. I believe Thomson Bike Tours does it right and is contributing to making the fan experience a good one. In 2008 I rode to the top of Col d'Aspin on a stage of the Tour de France, and there I witnessed the happy Thomson Bike Tour clients gathered under this tent at the summit of the col. Believe me, I wanted to join them. I never imagined when I clicked this photo below that I would be meeting Peter by Skype years later.

Thomson Bike Tours at the Tour de France, photo by PedalDancer.com

Thomson Bike Tours created one of my all-time favorite lists - a list of the top 50 climbs in Europe. A purely fun list which instantly creates a bucket list for every cyclist who dreams of cycling in France and Italy. Request your copy of their recommended top 50 climbs by writing to Thomson Bike Tours at: Send me my new to-do list.

What are the benefits of joining a tour company?  

Experience; a professional tour company will save you 100's of hours in planning a trip on your own. They remove the guess work, the probable blunders, the communication gaps, the need to check your GPS every 12 miles, the need to rent a car, arrange accommodations, or pack all your water and food on your back during an already hard-enough climb up a mountain side. Tour companies are a smart luxury. 

By the looks of their profile maps they also count the Cols for you, and maybe encourage you to keep climbing!

Thomson Bike Tours Trans-Alps route, do this in 7 days!

Now that we have covered who, where and why, it is time to hear from Peter. Knowing that the readers of Pedal Dancer are a group of fun-loving professional cycling fans who like to ride a bike and enjoy the culture of other countries, I contacted Peter Thomson with some simple questions. I finished the conversation wishing I could spend a week cycling with Pete, his enthusiasm and knowledge were evident but relaxed.

Peter Thomson

Thomson Bike Tour clients riding in the Pyrenees

Interview with Pete Thomson of Thomson Bike Tours:

One comment can change your life 

In 2002, after moving to Barcelona with his wife, Peter headed to the Tour de France organizing a trip for 4-5 friends to watch the race in the Pyrenees. Two or three days into their own trip, one of those friends suggested to Peter that he "do this for a living." That very night they happened upon a Graham Baxter tour group at their hotel in town. After listening to the comments (and yes complaints on logistics) from some of the 60-80 guests, it occurred to Peter that he could do it better. He returned to Barcelona where he currently lives, had a friend put together a website, organized his trip to the 2003 Tour de France, within one month he had bookings. "Ok Paul what do we do now," he laughed remembering his comment to his friend. 

The next year he lead a dozen clients on his first tour to the Pyrenees and the Alps. "It all just took off from there, pure chance, I had never thought about it before," Peter said. They had a great time, the clients returned home and told their friends, the next year they had 60 clients. Peter had been working in IT at the time, he was a project manager at SAP. He marveled how that one comment at the 2002 Tour de France had changed his life (and many others). The last 4 years have been particularly busy for Thomson Bike Tours.

Interview:

Karen: Not everyone is suited to lead a tour or build a company as you have, to complete the logistical work so that others may enjoy themselves. What made you think this was a good fit for you?
Peter: I have always loved cycling, I have always loved the mountains. I grew up in Scotland, we would ride our bikes to get to the mountains so that we could climb every weekend. And I have always loved maps. I could sit and look at a map for hours. I could ride my bike, I could share all these great bike rides with people, and I could use the maps. All the skill set I learned in project management - I could use in organizing bike tours. I had my resource and gantt charts (he laughs) - it all worked. All the planning that went into the trip, everything just worked and the client really appreciated that, they loved being able to relax and enjoy themselves. I get emails from people that say it has changed their life forever, just phenomenal emails. We have clients who come twice a year. They say, "I don't have to pay for a therapist, I just come to Thomson Bike Tours." I have built up so many friendships over the years. I view most of the clients as friends. 

85% of Clients are returning customers 

Karen: Do you have a large percentage of repeat customers?
Peter: About 85% of clients each year are either repeats or word or mouth. It is a huge network, we don't have to do much advertising. If you put on a good trip and everyone has a great time, they will go back on their Sunday morning ride and tell everyone about it. If you put on a bad trip, the same will happen, so you just have to continue to put on great trips and the clients will do the work for you. They absolutely want to come back. People come every year, or two years, on some trips we have 20-30 repeats on the one trip. It becomes a club atmosphere, the old clients take care of the new clients.

Karen: I saw your group at the top of the Col d'Aspin in 2008, I saw your tent and I have to say your clients were having a great time. On over five trips to the Tour de France I have seen most tour companies out there, some are over the top, some are huge, sometimes the people are clearly not happy; I wanted to speak with you because you appear to do it right.
Peter:: We have a lot of fun, the staff are all personalities in their own way. It is what I want to have; we ride hard, each tour is very very challenging, but at the end of the day we want to have a good time, we want to have a good laugh. It is that mix of having really good rides, behind it all you have to have good support, the clients are willing to get out and try to ride 4 cols in one day because they know the support is there. The support has got to be there, then have a nice time at night. That night before the stage of the Col d'Aspin, there was a huge thunderstorm at 1:00am, all the tents blew off the top across the road and down the mountain side, it was wild, but it all came off pretty well the next day. 

Karen:  Do you have a guide that stays overnight in your locations?
Peter: Yes, to get that place on the Col d'Aspin we have students that work with us, they will go up and camp out 2-3 or 8-10 nights before the stage comes through. They camp out and hold the spot, then set up the day before. It is the only way to get a good spot. On Mont Ventoux we had a team in place 10 days before. People will say to us, "oh your trip is kind of expensive" but once they have been on the trip and see all that goes into it, they say "wow". Because a lot of tour companies abandon their clients on the mountain tops, one year on the Peyresourde, we had the entire Steve Bauer Tour inside our tent watching the TV. 

Favorite climbs in Europe

Karen: I have always enjoyed the list you put together of the top climbs in Europe. Which is your favorite?
Peter: Your favorite is often the climb you rode well on the year before, but I would say one of my favorites in the Stelvio, or the Col d' Bonnette, it is a beautiful climb from the northern side.
Karen: What about your clients?
Peter: The ones they want to do before they come over are Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, and the Stelvio. After they have been over the most popular climb is probably the Stelvio. Have you done the Stelvio?
Karen:  No, I haven't.
Peter: Oh, from the Plateau de Stelvio, is beautiful.

Karen: Last year A.S.O. began offering two stages in L'Etape du Tour, are you guiding both and why did they decide to offer two stages for cyclotourists?
Peter: Yes, and demand. There is a massive demand in Europe, they sell out. From an organization and logistics standpoint it is big, I will be going to both of them this year. Our tours will be limited to 20-30 people for each stage, I want to maintain a level of quality and control.

Karen:  Which tours have already sold out this year (this interview was in January)?
Peter: Trans-Dolomites is completely sold out. Trans-Pyrenees, Trans-Alps, and our Trans-Swiss. We have a series of trans trips and they are doing really really well. It is the level of difficulty, and the aspect of crossing a mountain range that appeals to people, it captures their imagination. 
Karen: That kind of imagination is especially nice when sitting at an office desk throughout the winter months. 
Peter: If you look at our typical client they are definitely Type A personalities, they love the challenge, they love it to be hard, they have been successful in their business life and now they want to do something else. 

Logistical planning at the Tour de France

Karen: Have you ever been blocked off at the bottom of the Tourmalet on a day of the Tour de France? 
Peter:  Oh ya, many times, for various reasons sometimes they change the [closure] time. It happened on Mont Ventoux. I was waiting for the last few clients to come through, I have a checklist of clients, as I waited they [the Gendarmes] closed the road. I always have a plan B, I had scoped out another route through a vineyard, so we ran through the vineyard and hopped back on our bikes. There is always a way around, you just have to know the area, and keep going at it. 

Karen:  Where do your clients come from?
Peter:  80% from North America, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Hong Kong. If Europeans want to go to the Tour de France, they jump in their car. There has to be an overseas clientele [Peter speaks English, Spanish, French]. By 2013 there is a good chance we might begin offering tours in North America.

Karen:  I am not certain people understand the level of quality you offer on your tours.
Peter:  Unless you have been with us, people cannot understand the level of service. We have clients who have been with 8-10 other tour operators but once they have been with us they realize this is a whole different level of service. It is like the Tour de France, unless you have been, it is hard to explain to anyone what it is like. [so true!]

Karen:  Some of the cycling tour companies are huge, I don't know how they don't loose people.
Peter: Oh we have found people. I think the first one was two guys we found in the Pyrenees at the top of a Col de Peyresourde. It was between 7 and 8 at night, they were completely lost, they hadn't seen their tour group in the past 2 days! They had stopped and found their own hotels. They had a .pdf with the tour hotel names, we took them to the bottom of the valley [2 valleys away], and set them on the bike trail to Lourdes. They were two climbs away, they were cold, lost and starving, so we took them in the van. That is terrible. There was another tour operator team of a husband and wife at the Giro who had 3 clients and managed to loose all three. The husband was standing outside the hotel with a pair of binoculars at 8pm looking for them. There are lot of good tour operators, but some are an embarrassment.

Mountain top finishes

Karen: Do most of your clients want to go to a mountain top finish, time trial, start or finish of a stage?
Peter: The mountain top. They might want to go to a stage finish, just to hang around the technical area and meet some of the riders. But the main focus is the mountain top, because we have the tents and the satellite TVs, and the big buffet lunch, and such a nice atmosphere - they really enjoy that.
Karen:  I am smiling because for me, when on my own, a mountain top finish means I will be out there for hours, hungry, thirsty, cold, absolutely wiped out the next day. I need a full rest day after a day at a mountain top. No wonder your clients like the experience if you make it so nice for them.
Peter: It is a bit of a fear factor for me, I am going to take 30 guys to the top of the Tourmalet, it can snow in July at the top, I can't leave them at the top without shelter. It can be miserable up there. 
Karen:  If your clients are well taken care of, it means they can enjoy every day of their vacation.
Peter: If you have ridden up Tourmalet, and you have sat up there freezing all day, and you need to ride up over the Peyresourde to get back to your hotel ... what a miserable day. I think of myself, what would I like to do? Every client has a backpack we bring up for them so they can change out of their wet clothes and have a nice time up there, it is a different philosophy.
Karen: I want to sign up.
Peter:  For us it is a logistical nightmare, but there are ways of getting the supplies to the top.

Difficult beautiful bike riding

Karen:  Do your clients come with proper gearing?
Peter: No. I recommend they come with a triple or at best if they are a strong rider come with a compact 34-27/28. Take my recommendation. But every year someone comes with a 39-25, by the second day they are cooked. People don't understand if you ride these climbs one-off you can get up, but if you ride 4 cols in a day, and then the next day and the next day, then your legs start to hurt, so you need the small gears to get through the entire week. I could be a millionaire if we had a stock of triples and where selling them halfway up the Tourmalet. It doesn't help that it looks relatively easy on the TV coverage [by the professionals].

Karen:  Every year when the route is announced, is there an area where you are excited to see included and pleased to go back to? 
Peter: Probably around La Clusaz near the Col d'Arvis/Col d'Croiz Fer (Grand Bornand area east of Lake Annecy). It is a beautiful area [this happens to be my favorite as well]. Other than that I am always happy when there is something around St-Lary-Soulon, Col d'Azet/Val Louron, Col de Peyresourde [all in the Pyrenees].  There are some areas where you know the hotels are hard to find or there will be van transfers, we avoid van transfers at all costs, clients come to ride their bikes.

Karen: What is your favorite region of France?
Peter: Definitely the Pyrenees. A lot of people start on the Tour de France with us. Then they realize they want to come back and do the rides without the chaos of the Tour de France, and that is when they do the Trans-Pyrenees trips. You do not want to see the Tour de France every day. Keep it simple, see it once or twice to experience it but not get exhausted. I really believe for a week at the Tour de France if you see it twice that is enough and ride the other five days, it is perfect. [so true!]

A master of logistics

As much of a logistical wizard that Peter Thomson is, he is also a good rider and an excellent story teller. He has been to the Tour de France for 30 years, guided for 10 years, if you enjoy stories of race history, travel, and key riders through the years - Peter Thomson is a treasure trove of stories. I will save these stories so you may hear them first hand during your trip. You will be assured of hard rides during the day and entertaining stories over dinner in the evenings. During our 1'20" interview I enjoyed Peter's stories of Bernard Hinault (an old teammate of his), Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Poppo, and others.

This morning Thomson Bike Tours published an interview with two of their recent clients in their newsletter. Sign up today and you can read Fred Schwartz from Larkspur, California and Gary Mann of Seattle, Washington tell their stories.

Related posts and links: 

I wrote a previous post about Thomson Bike Tours and their top 50 climbs list included in the Grand Tours of 2011: The best climbs in Europe in the Grand Tours, or A non-cycling fan trip to the TDF (also offered by Thomson Bike Tours). An earlier post about cycling tour companies Take a Tour. I have included sections of this interview with Peter in other posts in recent months: George Hincapie, Contador and Armstrong.

View the 2012 Thomson Bike Tour trips, view their trip photo albums. Sign-up for Thomson Bike Tours' regularly published newsletter with stories and wonderful photography. Watch a video of their clients at the 2011 Tour de France (with loud music). 

I wish them luck and hope to see their happy clients out of the road in France this July, where I will be wishing I had a buffet lunch waiting for me on a mountain top in the Pyrenees. I am encouraging Peter to come to Colorado to lead his quality of tour at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, if interested - please ask him. Perhaps one day soon we can see this level of tour operator within range of an easy national flight.  www.thomsonbiketours.com

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