2022 Copper Triangle

The Copper Triangle – 79 miles, 6119 feet.

It took me 4 ultras and around 5 years to realize that running just isn’t for me anymore. So I spent the rest of the summer of 2021 searching for a road bike. Not the most ideal time in history to be browsing the used bike market, but I wasn’t really in much of a hurry. One day after casually scrolling through Craigslist, I found a fleet of Lemonds on sale up in Loveland. At first, I thought it was a scam given there were so many available under $1,000. But I decided to give it a shot and made the voyage up north to check out a few in my size. I’ve always rode Treks growing up so I figured Lemond would ride similar. Plus they are classics with some sex appeal. The outfitter was “I Know a Guy Bicycles” and he runs his refurbished bike shop out of his garage. I tested out a 2006 Lemond “Alpe d’huez” and it fit like a glove so to speak. To be honest, I didn’t have much to compare to at the time, as I had been riding a steel REI urban commuter I had bought 10 years before, so I didn’t have anywhere to go but up.

I quickly learned the Denver grid, starting with commuting to work via the South Platte and Cherry Creek trails. People at work thought I was nuts and I thought to myself “its only 35-40 miles”. Then I realized I was speaking to people with 24 Hour and Orange Theory memberships. They’ve probably never even climbed Bierstadt. To each their own. With the office closed for most of 2021, I got acquainted with my neighborhood and quickly realize how bike friendly this town really is. You can basically ride on multi-use bike trails from Boulder to Denver to Castle Rock without crossing a single road if you were so inclined, not to mention everything in between.

Leading up to the race, we had a number of classic training rides. Matt, Kevin and I did the Minturn to Copper section of the race. Zambo and I did the ultra classic Lariat Loop. I learned basically every nook and cranny of the Boulder area and didn’t get run off the road once.

The weather on day of the race was perfect. Almost zero winds, cool but not cold. Warm in the afternoon but not hot. We were sufficiently surrounded by Boomers in every cardinal direction. I was mentally and physically prepared for unreasonable confrontation from a Hedge Fund Manager or VP of Sales at (insert Tech company full of Legends in their own Mind executives) wearing Lance Armstrong wannabe Postal Service tights. Fortunately (or unfortunately) that never happened. Maybe my view of cyclists is a little outdated.

Anyways, some shots of the day synched to the major segments of the course. Group was myself, cousin Matt, Zambo and Josh Schmidt:

Segment 1: Copper to Fremont Pass

This was a nice 12 miles and 1,500′ to start your morning. I peddled too hard in steep sections and strained a muscle in my upper thigh that took a while to loosen up, but all in all, this wasn’t anything too terrible.

Heading up CO-91 with Mount Arkansas in background.

Aid Station #1 at Fremont Pass.

Segment 2: Fremont to Tennessee Pass

This was the easiest segment of the day. Speeds reached 53-55 mph on the descent off Fremont. It was truly white knuckle riding. We coasted off this momentum in to the north side of Leadville, where the course took a hard right towards Tennessee Pass and Camp Hale. This was mostly flat, with a slight uphill right before Tennessee.

Grinding away.

Josh along CO-24 just south of Tennessee Pass.

At Tennessee Pass – Matt, Zambo and I. This is 40…..

Segment 3: Tennessee Pass to Minturn

Another not so terrible segment. The downhill from Tennessee Pass to Camp Hale was STEEP and the road had more potholes than CO-91. Anytime I reach around 35-40mph on a steep long descent, all I think about is visions of yard sailing and thinking to myself how many pieces I’d be in on the side of the road. Morbid, but it helps me concentrate.

The climb up to and beyond Red Cliff was my favorite part of the day and the most scenic. It was getting a tad crowded through some of these sections, putting some of the steeper descents a little on edge. I had these delusions of grandeur of nabbing a couple scenic shots around the steel arched bridge at Redcliff, but was so focused on not having a heart attack, I forgot all about it. That 500′ or so climb up to Battle Mountain sucked more than it needed to. It was around here Matt blew a tire, luckily without accident. As we were sitting there changing it out, it was crazy to witness people whizzing by. Even 30-35mph looks fast.

We coasted in to Minturn for the 3rd aid station, which we spent a lot of time at fueling up and trying to fix Matt’s tire, to no avail. He eventually had to get a ride to a bike shop in Vail to get a new tire, as his was done for.

Approaching the Redcliff Arch Bridge.

Gaping our way through the town of Minturn.

Segment 4: Town of Vail

This deserves its own segment as it took longer than it needed to. Once you pass through the town of Minturn, you hook up with the bike path that takes you all the way back to Copper (and on to Breckenridge). The temps were starting to get toasty around this part and there was enough of a long uphill to be annoying.

Segment 5: Vail Pass

This was the grandaddy of all ass rammings. Immediately after you pass the Gore Creek TH, the road reaches something stupid like a 15% grade, and there’s the 2nd to last aid right in the middle of it. Everyone stopped here, except for 1 Boomer who was trying to ride through 60-70 people screaming at anyone in his way. But hey, what’s a day out on the bike without a pissed off, snare drum tight asshole Boomer? HE’S A DIVISION MANAGER!!! HE DRIVES A DODGE STRATUS!!!!!!!

I tried to eat as many bananas as I could here without vomiting and loaded up on Scratch. There was nothing really redeeming about this section. All I remember is being in my absolute highest gear for the entire pass and dreaming of beer and a hot tub. That’s actually one of the cool parts about cycling, you can actually focus on a vivid daydream to remove you from the pain cave you are currently in. When you run, all you can think about is how much your life currently sucks. If you are able to daydream, you’ll eventually trip over a tree root and crack your ribs.

I think this was the only picture I managed to take on the Vail Pass section.

Once you hit the Vail Pass parking lot, its all downhill to Copper. There was a bottle neck further down, and one ornery little fella kept trying to pass like 10 riders on a narrow path with people coming up the other way. I was trying to understand the risk vs reward there, but to each their own.

This was a fun tour with a fun group. I actually kind of wish it was a timed race in a way, but also appreciate and enjoy the laid back, community-like atmosphere of the day as well. It combines all the classic roads of Summit and Eagle County with just enough vert and mileage to feel like a genuine accomplishment. I’ll be returning for years to come for sure.

The finish – with Matt and his busted ass tire bringing up the rear. Josh looks like a cyclist, Dave kind of looks like a cyclist and I don’t look like a cyclist.

I also don’t feel like a cyclist.

But this beer makes cycling worth it.

Thanks for reading.