Copper Triangle 2015

The Copper Triangle 2015 did not disappoint. Well, Vail Pass Eastbound kind of did. This was our first time participating in the Copper Triangle, so we had not expectations. I had had ridden the other direction on Ride the Rockies last year, and really enjoyed it.

We had spend the night in Georgetown to get an early start on the day and avoid driving all the way up from Denver. We got a room from Air B&B and it was quite the experience. The room was cheap, and the host was very gracious. But a big talker. When we got there we just wanted to go to bed, and she kept talking and talking. Finally we got to bed. It was actually quite nice having to skip the majority of the drive in the morning.

When we got to Copper Mountain it was cold. I hadn’t planned on needing to bring any warm gear, but did have my rain jacket. It got put on right away. It took us a little while to get ready, we had to find the registration to get our packets an jerseys. Also we were searching for breakfast. I asked one of the guy where we could find the breakfast. His response was, in your condo. Asshole! So needless to say we didn’t get the complementary breakfast they offered.

Once we got riding, it was so cold I couldn’t feel my hands. The sun was up, but not over the mountains, so there was no direct light to warm us up. The good news was that we were climbing Fremont pass strait away. It wasn’t too long before we warmed up, but it felt like it took forever.

We actually got to the top of the pass rather quickly. I remember thinking wow, we are here already! And the descent was fun!, cold, but fun!

I’ve never ridden Vail Pass Eastbound. I new it was a long climb, but I was not prepared for how steep it was. Since it was the end of the ride, it was an unwelcome challenge. It was like a wall, steep, long and crowded. Because Vail Pass is a narrow bike path, it’s a challenge to pass anyone. This was not a fun time, but a great challenge.

At the top of Vail Pass is a rest stop for I-70. There was the last aid station here. Jessica and I chose not to stop because the end of the ride was at the bottom of the pass. Really a quick decent to the bottom.

As we rode back into Copper Mountain, we rode through the resort and towards the base of the mountain. There was a bit of a chute that lead us to the finish line. One very annoying rider kept getting between Jessica and I as we tried to finish. But finally we were done.

I enjoyed the Copper Triangle ride a lot, and it was a good challenge. I don’t think I’ll pay to do it again though. The ride was not long enough that I felt I could not do it self supported. Also there were too many people to fully enjoy the ride. I’m sure I’ll be riding in the area again, but not at the Copper Triangle.