Colorado: The Best Place in the Nation to Ride a Bike

DENVER, CO--(Marketwired - August 01, 2017) - Cyclists from across the world recognize Colorado as a premier bicycling destination due to its natural beauty, variety of terrain and notable bike rides and races. For more information on cycling in Colorado, please visit http://www.colorado.com/articles/6-ways-colorado-biking-best.

What's NEW for Cycling in Colorado:

At Your Pace Cycling Tours in Loveland. Taste the flavor of local craft brews on the new Loveland Bike & Brews Guided Day Tour with At Your Pace Cycling.

Boulder Bike Tours' New Organic Farm Tours. Riders will learn about organic farming and take in sweeping views of the Front Range on Boulder's new Organic Farm Tours. Tour options include a wood-fired pizza dinner or a four-course farm brunch.

The Colorado Classic (August 10 - 13). Pro-bicycle racing returns to Colorado with the 2017 Colorado Classic, a four-stage race accompanied by a new companion music, food and crafts festival dubbed "Velorama" in Denver.

Colorado Trail Explorer. Colorado's Governor John Hickenlooper hatched the idea for a comprehensive online statewide trail map of hiking, biking and motorized trails.

Gunnison County's TrailQuest Bike Challenge. Gunnison County has designed a new app (CBG Trails App by GoMaps) to track mountain bikers' trail exploration and enter users into the ultimate trail biking competition: TrailQuest.

Outerbike Comes to Crested Butte Mountain Resort (August 18 - 20). Outerbike will offer participants the opportunity to demo as many bikes as they choose. This is the first time Outerbike will take advantage of Crested Butte's world-class mountain biking.

14erfest in Buena Vista (September 29 - October 1). 14erfest is a new, free, three-day mountain festival happening in Buena Vista and will encompass a range of trail activities including, but not limited to mountain biking.

Must-Experience Colorado Bike Trails and Rides:

Bike-friendly Fort Collins. Road cyclists will appreciate the 285+ miles of relatively flat, wide bike lanes, trails and paths, including three main bike trails offering 19 miles of paved surface.

Blue River Trail in Silverthorne. The Blue River Trail is Silverthorne's link to the county-wide paved trail system. The 3.5-mile, hard surface paved trail begins at the top of the Dillon Dam and ends at North Pond Park.

High-Desert Biking in Eagle. Over 100 miles of singletrack mountain biking trails and paved recreational trails are accessible year-round in this high-desert climate.

Maroon Creek Road in Aspen. Few bike rides in the world can match the drama of this 8-mile road ride. Riders will round a bend and suddenly view the iconic Maroon Bells, two 14,000-foot peaks striped with snow year-round.

Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville. Leadville's famous Mineral Belt Trail gives riders views of the towering Sawatch Range and remnants of 1880s silver mines, all on a paved, 11.6-mile loop around town.

Monarch Crest Trail in Salida. Thanks to the diverse ecosystem in Salida, there's always great singletrack to be ridden year-round. The Monarch Crest Trail should be included on the Colorado mountain bike bucket list.

Trailheads in Niwot. The 6.4-mile Niwot trail system is composed of easy trails and provides breathtaking mountain views and shady cottonwood-lined paths along irrigation canals.

Winter Park, Aka "Mountain Bike Capital, USA". With over 600 miles of cross-country trails and two downhill bike parks, Mountain Bike Capital USA™ has it all. For any kind of cyclist, there are a variety of events and trails to choose from.

Fruit & Wine Byway in Palisade. Choose from three different loops from 5 to 25-miles-long through mapped points of interest for those who want to stop and experience the agriculture and industry of the area.

7-Eleven Olympic Velodrome in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center Velodrome is the official training venue for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic track cycling and USA Roller Sports. The Velodrome is open to the public and features a 333.3-meter banked cement cycling track.

Upcoming Bike Races and Organized Rides:

The Breck Epic (August 13 - 18). Now in its ninth year, the six-day Breck Epic is North America's premier mountain bike stage race that traverses the width and breadth of Summit County. This rapidly growing event attracts pro and amateurs alike.

Moots Biking Opportunity in Steamboat (September 3 - 9). The Home Ranch has partnered with Moots Cycles to offer the opportunity to test ride their bikes and tour the Steamboat factory where the handcrafted bikes are manufactured. The visit also includes biking North Routt County, one complimentary massage and guided rides.

Salida Bike Fest (September 14 - 17). The 6^th annual Salida Bike Fest, a four-day festival, will feature everything from free group rides, bike films, a chainless race, the Banana Belt Mountain Bike Race and more.

Pedal the Plains (September 15 - 17). Pedal the Plains creates an opportunity for cyclists to learn about farming and ranching, while experiencing first-hand the culture of Colorado's high plains. This year, Pedal the Plains brings riders on a tour through Weld and Morgan Counties.

Bikes & Brews (September 23). The 5^th annual Bikes & Brews festival in Cañon City offers three separate scenic bike races: The Royal Gorge Century (Total ascent 7,900 feet), Metric Mash (Total Ascent 5,300 feet) and the Red Canyon 50k (total ascent 2,400 feet).

Tour of the Moon Grand Cycling Classic (September 30). Starting and ending in Grand Junction, this 61.5-mile road ride circles the Colorado National Monument and the town of Fruita.