I'm actually heading to Boulder in June as well. I hear the Switzerland trail is worth running. You might want to check that out.

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

 
I'll let others comment on all of that physical activity stuff (Though riding Peak to Peak highway is a must in my opinion)

Other:

Pearl Street is basically the center of town and is what visitors typically think of when they think of Boulder. It has a few blocks that are a "walking mall" and there are lots of restaurants and shops.

Restaurants worth visiting in no particular order:
- Mountain Sun: Good burgers and local beer. The Junk Burger and an FYIPA is tough to beat. (On Pearl about 2 blocks East of the walking mall)

- Jax Fish house: Good seafood place (In colorado?!?) A bit of a scene, but its a fun place and the food is good. The guy that won last season's Top Chef was/is the exe chef here (Also on Pearl about a block West of the walking mall)

- Frasca: If you're really into wine and expensive food, this is a great place (James Beard runner up I believe) Pearl 3 blocks east of WM.

- Efrain's: Absurd Mexican food. The green chili will make you burn for about a week. Well East of town. Good margaritas.

- Radda: Can be a good Italian joint with good prices. The quality varies though, sometimes it's great, other times not so much. The price makes it worth trying. Off Broadway in
North Boulder

- Vic's and Amante both make great coffee. Vic's is generally considered a bit better than Amante. They both have multiple locations. Amante in North Boulder (Broadway) is where a lot of rides meet and leave from.

- Khow Thai (spelling) is my favorite Thai place in town. It's a really laid back place. No booze though. On Broadway about 5 blocks South of Pearl.

- Illegal Pete's: Good burritos and a great little place. Pearl on the East end of the WM

There's more, but I've got to head to lunch. Today it's Pupsas in North Boulder on Broadway.

contact Gordo, I know that he is doing some endurance guiding around Colorado. Here is a direct link to the site http://www.endurancecorner.com/...ado_endurance_guides

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"Fear is what drives you in the last part of a marathon in an Ironman. The body is depleted and the mind is fuzzy. Short course racing is driven by power and finese at the end of a race, Ironman demands so much more and is driven by will and mental strength." Chris McCormack

10/28/08 Dev Paul had 400w FTP!!!

It's been yrs, lived in Boulder from 1974-1982, Boulder HS and CU.
Swim at Scott Carpenter Pool, CU Rec Center, or North & South Boulder Rec Centers, or out by the Reservoir. I am sure you can get all the info from the City Desk etc.
Biking, you have to Bike Peak to Peak, either head up to Lyons, or down to towards Rocky Flats and take 1st Canyon up, either clockwise or reverse. You have to ride the Morgul Bismarck course this was the daily night ride back in the day. Also, ride up to NCAR and up Flagstaff these are time trial courses, ride up Sunshine Canyon and just go slow coming down, there are 2 corners that can really grab yo, and you will bounce off the guardrail or go over. Also, ride up to Lyons and Estes Park and go to the top of Trailridge Road if the road is open, depending on snow. Ride up Old Stage road and up to Ward thats a fun easy ride, it's a blast coming back down.
Running, just head west and up, no really, run the Mesa Trail all the way to Eldorado Canyon and back or loop up the Canyon to Gross Resevoir and back down through Flagstaff. Locals will know the big loop run.
Run up Flagstaff and I forgot the mtn right next to it, go up the Canyon then turn left go to the top. That was our cross country run. You can also run the Switzerland Trail, just watch out for mountain lions.
I am moving out west again not to Boulder, to crowded and overated, I guess that's because I new it when it was really Boulder. Not trying to be snobbish but I get my fill in 2-3 days when I go back and visit.
Enjoy your vacation and experience you will never forget it.

LOL, hardly easy but definitely a must do!

Also consider the every Thursday night Stroke and Stride races at Boulder Rez - 750 or 1500m swim followed by 5K run. Great low key races and gets you some good OWS. http://www.racingunderground.com/strokestride/index.html

There are tons of running trails from the rez also, watch for rattlesnakes.

And if you need a day of biking to just get in miles (more easy riding), ride up to Carter Lake - maybe you already are familiar with that from your training in Ft. Collins? You could also keep going north and bike up to Horsetooth in Ft. C.

have fun!

Definitely stop by Colorado Multisport when you're in town and we'll give you the lowdown on where to swim/cycle/run. You're more than welcome to come out to the Boulder High track workout. We meet at the track at Boulder High (just off the Boulder Creek Path near Broadway) at 7:30, or at the store at around 7:15. You're welcome to any other workouts we do as well: Monday Long rides, Tuesday/Thursday evening rides from CMS at ~6:15pm, Wednesday Track at 7:30am, Saturday Long Run from CMS. Call or email or stop by for details on any or all of these.

Others have given great training route suggestions, but I'll give a couple of what I think are the Boulder 'standards'.

Swim -- either Flatiron Athletic Club 25m outdoor pool (this is where everyone swims: Dave Scott/Wolfgang Dittrich coach here and most of the pros in town swim here) -or- Scott Carpenter Pool which is the only 50m pool in town

Bike -- Lefthand Canyon: any variation of a ride to either Jamestown and/or Ward would have to be considered a Boulder Classic -and- Flagstaff: climb West of town on Baseline and it turns into Flagstaff Mountain Road which gives you a couple thousand feet of climbing in about 5 or so miles. Almost everyone in town knows their best time up Flagstaff.

Run -- Mesa Trail: from Chataqua park just under the Flatirons do an out and back on a moderately hilly wooded trail. Great views of Boulder and surrounding areas. -and- Magnolia Road: this is a dirt road at ~8500ft. Very famous among the local running community.

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Geoffrey Nenninger

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App

 
I second the Flagstaff ride. It's my favorite hill in/near town. But I recommend you ride it in the morning during the week and not on the weekend. You'll have the road to yourself. Weekends get really buys with cars, especially in the summer.

I just might have to do that tomorrow... (Says the woefully out of shape guy.)

I was there a few weeks ago. Ride up to Ward via left hand canyon road, then descend down to Lyons. Grab some pizza then ride the 16 miles of rollers back to Boulder. 60 miles total distance with about 3500 feet of good solid climbing. Enjoy! Go to university bikes they will help you get set up with route finding and any bike needs.

If you are not feeling like a 3000 foot climb, one of my favorite rides is north from Boulder to Lyons and left on Hwy 66.
This takes you out to the Fruit Loops which (Apple Valley Road is north/right from the intersection at Hwy 7 and another one is
south) lots of fruit orchards and cliffside views.

If you are feeling leisurely you can stop at Oskar Blues for some local beers on the deck, or head East on 66 to 75th ave.
That will make for a 45-50 mile loop with about 5 stoplights.

If you've never ridden / seen a velodrome - Check out Boulder Indoor Cycling on Pearl at about 32nd street. You can watch
the local Cat 1s whip around the 45' corners on race nights 2-3 times a week.

I guess I'm going to have to go try running Switzerland trail...I've never been.

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

Switzerland is really worthwhile.

Beautiful mountainous canyons have been the subject of every post... but here's another. Ride Raymond, which ends up being 66 miles from my front door. It's not quite as ridiculously hilly, but has one of the best views around, if you're planning on riding during the day (it gets sketchy at around 4 in the evening, when people are going home).

Also, if you need long-ish rides, and aren't comfortable doing 100 miles through the mountains with 10K feet of climbing (...and why not!), the Masonville Century is great. It only has about 5K feet of climbing, but they're relatively gentle, and the whole thing is on back roads.

Depending on where you're staying, running up Sunshine and Flagstaff can be life-changing. Another vote for Magnolia.

If you bring your wetsuit, you can do a swim at Boulder Res. If you use the back entrance and don't plan on swimming into the center of the lake, you can get in for free.

Message if you have any questions on these or any other routes. I'd be happy to map them out for you.

Tell me more about a way to swim at the Rez for free...

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

I can't believe no one has mentioned Ned.

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Be Uncommon