Loosely based upon Bill Deverell’s extended tour of Colorado, we hope to continue Bill’s tradition of sharing Colorado’s beautiful mountains, valleys and of course visiting local brewpubs. The tour will start with a kickoff dinner at a local brewpub on August 18th and the next day, we will ride in the Dillon area to help participants acclimate to the altitude. On Day two, the adventure begins with a ride up and over Fremont Pass (elevation 11, 318) to the old mining town of Leadville. Day three, we will begin an easy ride to Twin Lakes, a challenging ride up and over Independence Pass (elevation 12,095) and down into the lovely ski town of Aspen. Day four, we will ride up the Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valleys to the Redstone Inn, an historic landmark in the mining area. Day five we begin by biking up and over McClure Pass (elevation 8,780), downhill to Hotchkiss and up and over Redlands Mesa to Cedaredge. Day six is a generally downhill ride thru farmland to Montrose. Day seven, we have an easy ride from Montrose to the hot springs in the old mining town of Ouray. Day eight we ride to Ridgeway, over the Dallas Divide (elevation 8,970) and a long uphill to Telluride; a town with an interesting mix of old Colorado, Hollywood and ski resort. Day 9 is a well deserved rest day. Day 10 begins with a chairlift ride up the mountain to give us a head start on Lizard Head Pass (elevation 10,250) and down the extraordinary Dolores River Valley to Dolores. We complete the last two days of our journey, with a visit to Mesa Verde National Park for a farewell dinner, and the next day cycle into the western town of Durango. The ride ends in the town of Durango after cycling over 500 miles and 5 high mountain passes. All roads are paved, most are US and Colorado State Highways with modest traffic and little to no shoulder. This ride is at high altitude and rated a 3C which strongly suggests the need to train for mountainous cycling and changing weather conditions. Dillon is served by the Denver International Airport and Mountain Express Shuttle Service. Durango is served by Durango/La Plata County Airport. If participants request, we can arrange for shuttle service back to Dillon, Colorado for an additional cost. Cost of 13 nights lodging, 10 breakfasts (continental), 3 group dinners, 8 happy hours, and a luggage van is $1,350. To sign-up, use the "links" just below this Ride Description. When you are accepted onto the ride, you will be notified by e-mail and requested to send a $400 deposit to the Ride Director, James Shaughnessy, P O Box 775428, Steamboat Springs, CO. 80477. Phone: 970-879-6870. E-mail: meshaughn@yahoo.com. For questions, BAC members may contact the ride leader by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.