The sun sets over Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado.

A poignant simile can make a new snowfall sparkle more brightly in the sunshine. If you live in Colorado and spend too long grasping for those words in fall, you’ll miss out on the brilliant show of color right outside your door.

Several times in the last few weeks, I’ve been on my bike both at the moment the sun rises from behind the Continental Divide and when it sinks into the Vail Valley. No, I’m not fortunate enough to have time for bike expeditions in the middle of the workweek.

Shorter days are a symptom of summer becoming winter and it means I’m dazzled by the fall color show each time I commute. Yes, dazzled. Just my ride home involves pedaling under a canopy of yellow aspens and cottonwoods. It’s stunning at sunset. Check it out for yourself on one of these rides. And don’t forget the camera.

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The dirt road up to Ute Pass near Summit County, Colorado offers fabulous scenery and minimal cars.

Why wait for a week or two off work? Go overnight.

Living in Colorado makes this bike touring motto especially easy. Some would argue difficult, as for the most part in Summit County, the only two route options are uphill and downhill. And with one comes the other.

Regardless, there are many outstanding overnight bike touring choices across Colorado. Many are a snap to do from home or with a short drive.

Check out the photos on Facebook
Check out the route on MapMyRide.com

Bike Tour Route: 145ish-mile loop through Dillon/Summit County to Winter Park and back via Loveland Pass, Berthoud Pass and Ute Pass
Bike Tour Start/End: Dillon, Colorado in Summit County
Summit County/Winter Park Bike Touring Season: spring through fall, depending on temperature tolerance (cool, high-altitude sections combined with dry, warm sections means travelers should pack for various temperatures, no matter the season)

At some point, I’ll have time to go on about this stunning route and my love of bike touring. But now is not that time, and if you found this on Google, you probably only care about the route. So here goes.

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Montezuma Hammer Time

Route: Highway 6 east toward Keystone and up Montezuma Road
Start/End: Out and back from Dillon, Colorado
Season: spring, summer and fall; Montezuma is a great spring ride when trails are still snowy and the major roads are majorly dusty

Vandalism probably shouldn’t make me smile, but I’ve always appreciated the clever folks in Denver who stencil “Hammer Time” on stop signs. So it makes my day every time I turn my pedals over, make it to the Montezuma stop sign and hear M.C. Hammer in my head. And besides, what’s not to love about a town that endorses winter car bowling and has good rock climbing in summer?

But we’re not talking music or bowling or climbing. We’re here because it’s spring, I’m ready to ride my bike and I’m not yet interested in driving beyond Summit County. So that leaves us on U.S. Highway 6 headed east toward Keystone. [Read more →]

Spring riding up Ute Pass in Summit County, Colorado can make for a dirty bike.

Route:Highway 9 north from Silverthorne and up Ute Pass Road
Start/End: Out-and-back from Dillon, Colorado
Season: Highway 9 / Ute Pass is typically rideable year round, but it’s best in winter and spring when everything else is snowy or wet

Each summer here in Summit County, Colorado, I see people on the bike path using their Nordic-style roller skates and think, “C’mon people, really? Can’t you just enjoy the summer?”

And now I understand. I am one of those people, just in the opposite season. A couple weeks ago I couldn’t wait any longer to get on my bike, so I made the changeover to hybrid tires and rode the dusty shoulder through Silverthorne, Colorado toward Ute Pass. And for the record, I have enjoyed winter, and spring. But I’m ready for bike rides. [Read more →]

The Swan Mountain Road bike path is part of an excellent loop for road biking in Summit County, Colorado.

Route: Swan Mountain Road loop, clockwise around Lake Dillon
Start/End: Dillon, Colorado
Season: Spring-Fall

Since I started mountain biking in Colorado (last season), I’ve definitely been splitting the time I formerly spent solely on my road bike. I like it all, and I love commuting and touring. But with a recent back injury, I found myself rediscovering some of my favorite road bike rides in Colorado, including the Swan Mountain Road loop. Recent completion of the bike path up the east side of Swan Mountain Road has also made it much more pleasant.

Swan Mountain Road

A two-lane road, Swan Mountain Road runs between U.S. Highway 6 (near Keystone and Dillon) and Colorado State Highway 9 (near Breckenridge and Frisco). Swan Mountain Road is a much shorter route than I-70 for those traveling between Breckenridge and Keystone or Summit Cove. It can also be a preferred route to/from Dillon. [Read more →]

When you ride slow, you're never too tired to goof around. Even if you're summiting Loveland Pass during Colorado's Triple Bypass.

For the second year in a row I went online at exactly noon on exactly the right date to secure entry for myself, my husband and my dad in the Triple Bypass. Put on by Team Evergreen, this 120-mile supported, organized road bike ride summits three well-known mountain passes in one day.

This year, it was rumored that the 3500 entries sold out in 35 minutes. So if you call riding 12,000+ vertical feet over 120 miles on your bike fun, then I guess you could call us lucky for getting in on the party.

As always, the volunteers and staff were amazing. This year, we got a full-zip jersey, which sounds minor but is a huge deal for any woman committed to wearing bib shorts. I am one of those women. The post-ride grub (and grub-slinging staff) was excellent, and I’ve probably never been so excited to eat chicken in my life. [Read more →]

Pictures coming soon!

Route: out-and-back up the west side of Loveland Pass
Start/End: Dillon, Colorado
Season: Spring – Fall

One of the many, many great things about living in Summit County, Colorado is the overwhelming number of places to ride. Road biking, mountain biking, path cruising, dirt jumping and downhill; you name it, Colorado’s got it.

And right here in Summit County, there are several passes that make for excellent road biking. Since I live in Dillon, I ride Loveland Pass from home, but it would be easy to ride over from Breckenridge or Frisco. Those driving from Denver or Vail for a road bike ride on Loveland Pass could park at Dillon’s Marina Park.

Getting to and up Loveland Pass

Road biking Loveland Pass is pretty straightforward. [Read more →]

We had a HEAP of excess bike gear that had gone untouched, taking up space in the closet for some two years. What’s a pair of Colorado bike enthusiasts to do? Sell it at all Veloswap, reported by some to be the world’s largest consumer bicycle expo. [Read more →]