mt. evans

Any advice on riding up Mt. Evans? I'll be there next week.

Gracias

My husband and I rode up Mt. Evans. It was a beautiful ride. We opted to ride from Echo Lake. I expected to see more cyclist out there - we only saw one guy riding. It is definietely a hilly climb. I preferred goign up to coming down. We had an early afternoon storm that dumped on us as soon as we dropped below the tree line.
Great ride - take a rain jacket!

I just rode up Mt. Evans yesterday and was surprised at how well I did. I'm in good shape, but was still expecting to be "worn out." I wasn't very sore the next day. It's a 14 mile ride to the top from the ranger's station, just past Echo Lake on Hwy 103. Don't confuse this with the ranger's station just off I-70 (at the Hwy 103 exit) or you'll add another 6 miles uphill to your trip. (Or that's the endurance option if you'd like to try your own little Tour De France.)

This is an EASY location to find: I-70 to Hwy 103, follow signs to Mt. Evans. Park at Echo Lake picnic ground (with rustic toilets) for free. $3 fee at ranger station for cyclists, and the ticket is good for three days. The entire road from I-70 has no bike lane, but many signs warning motorists to look for bikers. On the ride up the mountain, most cars drive slow on the switchbacks, but there are blind curves so don't ride WIDE. Weekdays there wasn't a lot of car traffic to distract me.

I did not arrive until 4:30 pm. Finished at 7:45 pm round trip, taking my time and using about 4 water bottles. It gets dark in summer by 8 and it tends to rain in the afternoons. I biked through two brief rain showers and lucked out with the wind to my back going up the mountain. It was a weekday and I saw only 4 other cyclists. Some were BOOKING it.

Weather changes suddenly, so dress for rain, wind and cold at the top and a chilly ride down, in shade, going fast. You'll also get hot going up, so I'm not suggesting you bundle up for Winter at the bottom. Be prepared to change during the ride. It was about 50 degrees at the top. 70 at the bottom. Alt was 11000 ft at bottom? I could have used booties for my feet and full gloves for my hands and should have worn mid-calf or full-length lightweight tights. I brought only a lightweight long-sleeved jacket, tank and shorts.

Lots of wildlife and a Summit Lake rest stop with bathrooms past mile 8 (maybe 9 or 10- can't recall exactly. A little over half way.) Mile signs are marked 1 - 14 which helped me mentally :-) Only at the Summit Lake stop is there a break from the uphill climbing. Just start slow and stay in your lowest gear to preserve your knees. I've had worse days (physically) sprinting up 5 mile Lookout Mountain in Golden, so staying in my lowest gear the entire ride up Mt. Evans is what kept me from being sore the next day. A less fit rider could probably make this into a day trip and make more frequent stops, including lunch, than just a mid-point and be able to finish just fine.

Bring a camera!

PS Other cyclists suggested routes (continuing on 103 past the Mt. Evans turnoff) to Bergen Park. They were doing a loop from Evergreen and back.