Cycling

Centennial Cone

October 21, 2009 By Gordon

Centennial Cone is a sweet mountain bike loop in the foothills north of Clear Creek Canyon. Drive up Clear Creek Canyon and turn off the highway at Douglas Mountain Road, then, follow signs to Centennial Cone Trailhead. The trail is mostly single track, always ride-able, no big ups, not rocky, and no technical sections. Just baby-butt fun. Alex H. recommends riding the 12 mile loop clockwise. There is also a northern trailhead approached from the Golden Gate Canyon Road. You can also ride up from Clear Creek on the new Mayhem Gulch Trailhead parking area which provides a direct linkup to the Cone loop.

Filed Under: Cycling Tagged With: Centennial Cone, Clear Creek, Colorado, cycling maps, Jefferson County, mountain biking

Euro Tour 2009

September 30, 2009 By Gordon

Cycling in Switzerland and Northern Italy

We spent September in Switzerland with some time in northern Italy. Quick beta is: 28 days away, 18 days of cycling, one via ferrata, one night in a hotel, 4 people, no flats, too many bottles of wine to count (and who needs to?), and plenty of chocolate. Below are shots from the four regions we visited.

Meiringen-Bernese Alps

Meiringen sits at the base of 3 passes – Susten, Brunig, and Furka, in the Bernese Alps. The closest tourist area is Interlaken. And in between is the Jongfrau, the Eiger and the Wetterhorn among others. It rained at night, but gave us three days of good riding and insane waterfalls on demand.

Locarno-Lago Maggoire

A favorite spot straddling the Swiss and Italian borders. All the efficiency of Switzerland plus all the romance of Italy. Killer good camping, great rides and a huge lake.

Arco-Lago Garda

Arco and Lago Garda’s environs are excellent for outdoor pursuits. Exceptional riding, both road and mountain, world-class climbing and plenty of via ferratas. We were hampered by weather so we headed to Venice for 24 hours – amazing in its own right. Ran out of time in Arco so we’ll be back for further exploration.

Thurgau-Appenzell

Appenzell is in the hills behind St. Gallen and is known for it’s cheese, cows and little people. We rode around the area for days on small one lane roads that turned into gravel at times. Appenzell itself is touristy, but out on the roads one can experience the land and it’s people.