Last year I had 1 morning open the weekend of a bachelor party. I rented a bike in Golden Colorado and rode Lookout Mountain. It was awesome. I'm from the midwest. So riding a legit climb like that was awesome! I don't know all the other rides but that was a great one.

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202

If you're in Denver, Golden is very close. I second doing Lookout, at least if you're into a road ride. It's a fantastic climb. However, if you want to rent a mountain bike, I would absolutely suggest Golden Bike Shop. Incredibly nice guys who helped me out huge in a pinch. If I was a MTBer, I'd absolutely go there to get a bike.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

I live in Golden, awesome place to ride and Lookout would be very cool. Absolutely great views from there, and a nice challenging climb. Even on a weekday, you likely wouldn't be riding alone, so cars tend to be very aware of the cyclists. There are tons of fantastic rides around and west/northwest of Boulder as well, depending on what and how far you're looking to ride.

If you're looking for a road bike rental in that area, I'd suggest checking with Big Ring Cycles in Golden. Great folks there. They also do mountain bikes, of course.

You could make a sort of long day of it too. Rent a bike in Denver, take the bike paths that connect to the 36 highway bike path into Boulder. Ride Flagstaff Mountain, get some lunch and ride back.

If you ride Lookout and want another climb, head up Golden Gate Canyon Rd and climb to you feel you've had enough. It'll go all the way to Peak to Peak highway and you can connect to other climbs from there.

Flight is at 7pm, so a long day is ok!

Denver area locals, how much of the "Peaks to Plains" trail is complete? Saw some of it while on a Clear Creek rafting trip a couple weeks ago. Looks like a nice pathway. Heard it's eventually supposed to go all the way to the Eisenhower tunnel. I'd think Golden to Idaho Springs would be a helluva nice ride.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

I was there for a wedding last year, rented a bike and rode the Golden Gate Canyon Route that I found on Strava local - it was amazing! Some thin air at the top.... see below for the route and my activity. Just drive to Golden and park on the street.



https://www.strava.com/local/us/denver/cycling/routes/661?hl=en-US


https://www.strava.com/activities/1021237779

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Strava

That looks perfect! Thanks for the beta!

If you're set on staying in Denver then I recommend inside.

Go Big or stay in the Hotel...MT Evans

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

I used to live in Denver and I've ridden pretty much all the front range road rides.

Mt Evans is awesome if you want that long of a day and have the gear. Even in the summer, it can be cold at the top. If you want a longer day, start the Mt Evans hill climb in Evergreen. Go early to avoid the afternoon weather.

Lookout Mountain is a great little hill climb - I used to ride it every Friday night after work.

For me, though, I'd ride Left Hand Canyon. Start in downtown Boulder, take Lee Hill to Old Stage (part of the Boulder Peak course), then hang a left on Left Hand Canyon and ride til you get to Ward. If you have time, you can take the Peak to Peak and come down any one of the other canyons back into Boulder, or turn around and take Left Hand back down. Classic Boulder ride.

When you come back down, you can hit Upslope Brewing near where Lee Hill hits 36.

Enjoy!

I'll be doing evans and pike's in August. Hopefully I don't get hailed on again.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

I travel from time to time to Westminster, Co (right between Boulder and DEN). I support Left Hand Canyon. Great ride. Good portion to climb, but also an awesome way going down to Lyons. Worth it!

I do this ride about once a week. I just did it yesterday and the road up to Brainard Lake has been repaved, saw a couple of moose up there too.

https://www.strava.com/...-US&v=1531164131

Outdoor retailer?

You can always take the bus to Boulder or Golden.

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