The 2018 Ride The Rockies Route Announced

The Ride The Rockies Tour route

Theresa Rose, North Forty News

The Ride the Rockies (RTR) bicycle tour, presented by Flexential, announces their 2018 tour route as a loop beginning and ending in the mountain ski town of Breckenridge on Saturday, June 9 and ending on Friday June 15. The 33rd annual tour will encompass Edwards, Steamboat Springs, Grand Lake and Winter Park. The tour covers 418 miles and will ascend 25,935 feet in elevation. The trip will schedule alternate endurance and lower mileage days. This year, on June 12, the tour will allow outside participants for the Steamboat Springs 1-Day-Loop, open to locals as well as RTR riders and covering 48 miles.

The Ride the Rockies VIP Prologue Experience will happen on Friday, June 8, through Sunday June 10 near the starting point in Breckenridge. Prologue participants will celebrate the beginning of the tour with local cycling celebrities, including Mara Abbot and Chris Anthony.

Ride the Rockies is the biggest fundraiser for the Denver Post Community Foundation. In a departure from the lottery process of previous years, applicants sign up on a first come, first serve basis. The first 500 applicants received a lower price for registration ($525). As of this date, that tier has been filled. The second tier remains open at $575. Once that tier has been filled, the price will go up to $625. All teams will register at $525 per rider. The fee covers such amenities as camping space, showers, transportation of equipment, shuttle services, aid stations, bike techs, and a commemorative jersey as well as teams of volunteers to assist the riders with whatever else they might need. The tour will admit 2000 cyclists from the U.S. and around the world.

Cyclists will have the option to camp or stay at hotels in the host communities along the route.

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