Ride the Rockies, Announces 2019 Route

Announcing the annual Denver Post Ride the Rockies Cycling Tour 2019 route. Ride the Rockies is a seven-day loop, from Sunday, June 9th to Saturday, June 15th, starting on Mt. Crested Butte on Saturday, June 8th. Riders will ride west out-of-town, straight up Kebler Pass. The daily mileage varies between 40 miles and 83 miles, with 445 mi., and approximately 28,230 feet in total elevation gain. Open Registration to the public begins on January 18th.

The tour is celebrating its 34th year as one of the Denver Post Community Foundation’s signature events, presented by Flexential. “The 2019 Ride The Rockies showcases some of our Colorado’s most iconic passes, and it is an epic climbing Tour. They will ride over beautiful passes and have vistas and views of the surrounding mountain ranges and valleys. Not only will the participants in this year’s Tour want to come back and visit but some will never want to leave,” said Ride the Rockies Tour Director, Deirdre Moynihan.

Certain days riders endure higher mileage rides, counterpoise, with lower mileage days. The final 31.2-mile on Day 8 from Gunnison to Mount Crested Butte serves as both a home stretch and recovery ride from the previous Day 6. On Day 6, riders will complete the climax of the race in terms of elevation gain, gaining almost 7,000 feet from Hotchkiss to Gunnison. Other tour highlights include the Collegiate Peaks, Monarch Pass, Independence Pass, Black Canyon, and Gunnison National Park. Day 2 will serve as the longest day of the 2019 Ride the Rockies tour, and while the first 32 miles on this day are mostly flat, the climbing will begin as riders will grind their way up towards their second encounter with the Continental Divide.

“We are proud to put our name behind this iconic Colorado event for the sixth consecutive year,” said Jason Carolan, chief innovation officer of Flexential. “The event continues to gain notoriety, attracting cycling enthusiasts from all over the world to the Rocky Mountains, and supporting a great philanthropic cause.”

The ride embraces iconic scenery and strides through Colorado’s most spectacular mountain towns, including; Buena Vista, Snowmass, Carbondale, Hotchkiss, Gunnison, and Crested Butte gives riders traveling from farther distances the convenience of a home base to park automobiles and leave essentials where the ride will begin and end.Cyclists can camp, stay in a yurt or stay at hotels in the different host communities along the route.  Loyal volunteers run the event since its inception.

For the second year in a row, RTR will open the ride to outside participants for “Ride The Rockies’ 1-Day Loop,” on Sunday, June 9th. The loop-day ride, open to riders and locals alike, will be a 63-mile loop starting and ending in Crested Butte.

Ride The Rockies is a non-competitive event that is no longer held as a lottery event, and they encourage all riders to travel at their strongest individual pace. The ride is open to cyclists of all ages. Registrations are on a first come, first serve basis, until they sell the ride out.

Proceeds from the event benefit The Denver Post Community Foundation, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, which improves and enrich the lives of those in our community by raising and distributing funds to metro-area and Colorado nonprofit agencies serving the areas of arts, youth, education, and human services.

All monies raised go to Colorado nonprofits. Local businesses in each host community enjoy an estimated $250,000 in economic impact each day of the tour. Increasing this impact, The DPCF will award a $3,000 grant to a nonprofit organization in each host town. Since 2001, Ride The Rockies has presented 115 grants, totaling more than $620,000, to nonprofit agencies in host communities. These organizations focus on youth education, cycling safety and increased access for low-income participants.

Ride the Rockies’ premier sponsor, Flexentiall helps organizations optimize their journey of IT transformation while simultaneously balancing cost, scalability, compliance, and security. They commit the company to build trusted relationships and delivering tailored solutions that suit the individual needs of its customers please visit them online at www.flexential.com.

Ride The Rockies is made possible by these sponsors: Flexential (formerly Peak10 + Viawest), Suncor, King Soopers, Honey Stinger, Skratch, 5280 Magazine and the Denver Athletic Club

FULL ROUTE

Prologue

Saturday, June 8

(The Prologue is an additional fundraising event held 1 day prior to the Tour and is limited to 50 people)

Crested Butte to Cochetopa Pass

67 miles/3283’ Elevation Gain

Highlights–Gunnison Valley, Cochetopa Canyon, Cochetopa Pass

Stage 1

Sunday, June 9

Crested Butte to Gunnison (the back way)

34.3.6 Miles/1,437’ Elevation Gain

Highlights–Kebler Pass, Ohio Pass, the Castles

1 Day Loop

Gunnison to Gunnison

62.8 Miles/2,925’ Elevation Gain

Stage 2

Monday, June 10

Gunnison to Buena Vista:

83.2 Miles/5,393’ Elevation Gain

Highlights – Monarch Pass, Collegiate Peaks, Arkansas River views

Stage 3

Tuesday, June 11

Buena Vista to Snowmass

73 Miles/5,779’ Elevation Gain

Highlights – Arkansas River views, Independence Pass

Stage 4

Wednesday, June 12

Snowmass to Carbondale

78.6.Miles/5,253’ Elevation

Highlights – Maroon Creek Road climb, Maroon Bells overlook, Roaring Fork Valley views

Stage 5

Thursday, June 13

Carbondale to Hotchkiss

65.4 Miles/3,958’ Elevation Gain

Highlights – McClure Pass, Paonia State Park, and Reservoir

Stage 6

Friday, June 14

Hotchkiss to Gunnison

79.1 Miles/6,861’ Elevation Gain

Highlights – Black Canyon, Blue Mesa Reservoir

Stage 7

Saturday, June 15

Gunnison to Mount Crested Butte

31.2 Miles/2,086’ Elevation Gain

Highlights–Gunnison River, Almont, Elk Mountain Range views

A  list of everything that the tour fee includes can be found on the website at https://www.ridetherockies.com/registration/.