Dan has been getting into cycling and for his birthday, I signed us up for a an excursion with Pikes Peak Bike Tours. Pikes Peak is one of the tallest mountains in Colorado. Named after explorer Zebulon Pike, Pikes Peak has an elevation of 14,115 feet, and is full of steep grades and sharp curves.
The idea to bike it came last year, when we met a family on vacation from Ohio who had gone on the excursion. They were not fit or young, but they raved about the experience. We thought, if they can do it, surely we can do it. This didn’t mean that I wasn’t apprehensive or on the verge of bailing right up to the last minute.
Dan is great on bikes, but I’m not a confident biker. Sure, I had a bike as a child, in fact, a BMX that I won during an elementary school candy sale. However, I was always more interested in roller skating or skate boarding…or books! Last Spring, Dan bought us bikes, and we have been practicing in our neighborhood, which has plenty of hills, so I’ve building my skills.
We arrived at Pikes Peak Bike Tours at 7am, where we checked-in and got fitted for bikes. We rode around the parking lot for a bit and got used to the gears. The tour operator also had a small buffet of snack items and cereal set out. We showed up hungry and picked a few things off of the buffet. it was kind of awkward, especially as we were trying to social distance from other guests. If I did this again, I would definitely have eaten breakfast prior to arriving. Many people in our group complained about the “continental breakfast.”
It took about an hour to get everyone settled and all of the bikes loaded on the two vans. Due to covid, masks were required in the vans. At this point, this was the riskiest behavior that we had done during the pandemic. It definitely felt uncomfortable to be in close proximity to strangers, and I have to say, that the mask wearing by the employees was spotty.
Covid precautions aside, I felt like the company really pushed safety on the ride. We have since learned that there have been some recent bike accidents on Pikes Peak. Certainly, there are risks involved with this activity. We were going fast down the mountain. It is steep and there are many sheer drops. However, the company constantly reinforced safety, including instructions for using the bikes, and specific tips for each leg of the ride. They had one van leading to prevent anyone from riding too fast and one van in the back to prevent other cars from entering our space. We were reminded to stay within our comfort zone and offered a ride in the van, if it became too much. I genuinely felt that Pikes Peak Bike Tours was watching out for our safety.
The actual bike ride is twenty miles and took about two hours with several breaks. The ride to the top of the mountain took forty-five minutes and it was slow going with traffic. Pikes Peak is a busy place, and if you plan on visiting, definitely arrive early in the morning.
Here are some pictures from the ride up. The brown cabin is about half-way up the mountain and it was originally a lodge for people who would make the trek back when it would take days. Currently, it is a pit stop with a bathroom and a store. We stopped here going up and coming down. On the way down, the tour operators inspected our bikes, and Dan’s break pads needed to be swapped out!
Here’s a shot of the winding roads. We biked that!
And here is a serious cyclist, not someone from our group! I have to admit that it was intimidating to see athletes cycling both up and down the mountain. I felt really nervous and unprepared for this excursion.
At the Summit we had a brief opportunity to take pictures, visit the gift shop, and buy the famous high-altitude donuts. Apparently it is very difficult to cook donuts at a high altitude. A bit of a gimmick, but they were tasty!
in the past, the tour would begin at the summit, but due to the construction of a new visitors center, we had to load back into the vans, and start our tour about half a mile from the summit.
It was cold at the top, and I was happy to have dressed in layers ( tee-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, and a fleece) and to have brought gloves. We brought jackets, but didn’t need them. As we dropped in altitude, we shed layers.
The first leg of the ride was harrowing. I was at the back of the group, and luckily one of the tour guides stayed with me to make sure that I was okay. I truly didn’t feel comfortable until about half-way through the descent.
Here we are at the first of several stops. My heart wouldn’t stop racing and I was shaking. We were told that we needed to keep a minimum speed of about 10 mph and no faster than 20 mph, but Dan and I were both confident that we were going faster than 20. We based this vibe on the knowledge of our speed around our housing estate.
A shot of the Cannondale bikes that we used. We also ride Cannondales at home, so it felt somewhat familiar. Note the souvenir water bottles that we were given.
One of the prettiest stops was near the bottom of the mountain, where we rested in a field with stunning views of the Pikes Peak. We rode down that!!!
At the end of the tour we were dropped off for lunch at a local restaurant. We were able to choose between two restaurants and our meals were preordered. We chose Alchemy and had their BLT sandwiches with thick cut fries. It was quite a find, as the bacon in the sandwiches were British style and we noticed that they served Scotch Eggs. Dan absolutely loves Scotch Eggs, but unfortunately they had sold out of them. We will have to return.
I’m proud of myself for completing the Pikes Peak ride without quitting, although I was certainly out of my comfort zone. Dan enjoyed his birthday present and it feels like another Colorado activity that we can check-off of our bucket list. I don’t think this is a tour for someone who is uncomfortable on a bike or who hasn’t ridden recently, as it can be dangerous, but if you feel that you can handle it, it’s quite a thrill.
