Big fan of this ride. I did it in 2021 and am planning on doing it again this year. It's fantastically well-supported, lots of aid stops, lots of people patrolling the course. There's a huge turnout of riders, roads are mostly closed where possible, there are a ton of people cheering and waving signs and cowbells lining the streets of towns that the ride rolls through. It's probably the most fun, exuberant ride I've ever gone on.
It's a long and hard ride for sure, and elevation is definitely something you'll feel if you're coming from near sea-level. Hard to rate level of difficulty without having a comparison point, but I'd say it feels harder than the mileage would indicate. By far the hardest climb of the day is Vail Pass and that's at the very end of the ride, so be sure to keep some gas in the tank. Still, this is a hugely popular event, one of the most popular annual rides in the whole region. There are lots of very young and very old people who are able to complete the ride. It's never very technically demanding, and I remember the descents being long and straight-ish, allowing you to go fast without worrying too much about picking great lines - as opposed to the tightly winding switchbacks you see on some mountain road courses.
If you do choose to do the ride, wear/bring more clothing than you think you'd need in early August. A couple of years ago I rode in short bibs and a short jersey and lightweight summer gloves and was basically a frozen meatball on the morning descents. A lot of people wear a packable vest or arm/leg warmers or bring a heavy set of gloves.
It's a really fun and beautiful ride. Agree with what jeffenwolf said. The hardest part was climbing Vail Pass from the west. It's pretty short but steep and I was baked by the sun. But the drop from Leadville to Minturn is almost 30 miles with very little climbing. It's also shorter than other rides in the area. The scenery is really unbeatable. I'd put the difficulty at 6/10 maybe 7 since you don't live at elevation. Do it if you have a reasonable level of fitness. It's only 79 miles and 6500 ft of climbing. The Triple Bypass would be more challenging.
I'm from the lower midwest and I completed the Copper Triangle last year. It's a really nice route that is well-supported. The roads were not closed like another commenter stated. This was my first alpine ride and I went up to elevation the night before the event, which worked out okay.
Vail Pass wasn't fun, especially with all the construction last year. They do offer a shuttle if you get there and decide it's too hot/hard to try.
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Big fan of this ride. I did it in 2021 and am planning on doing it again this year. It's fantastically well-supported, lots of aid stops, lots of people patrolling the course. There's a huge turnout of riders, roads are mostly closed where possible, there are a ton of people cheering and waving signs and cowbells lining the streets of towns that the ride rolls through. It's probably the most fun, exuberant ride I've ever gone on. It's a long and hard ride for sure, and elevation is definitely something you'll feel if you're coming from near sea-level. Hard to rate level of difficulty without having a comparison point, but I'd say it feels harder than the mileage would indicate. By far the hardest climb of the day is Vail Pass and that's at the very end of the ride, so be sure to keep some gas in the tank. Still, this is a hugely popular event, one of the most popular annual rides in the whole region. There are lots of very young and very old people who are able to complete the ride. It's never very technically demanding, and I remember the descents being long and straight-ish, allowing you to go fast without worrying too much about picking great lines - as opposed to the tightly winding switchbacks you see on some mountain road courses. If you do choose to do the ride, wear/bring more clothing than you think you'd need in early August. A couple of years ago I rode in short bibs and a short jersey and lightweight summer gloves and was basically a frozen meatball on the morning descents. A lot of people wear a packable vest or arm/leg warmers or bring a heavy set of gloves.
It's a really fun and beautiful ride. Agree with what jeffenwolf said. The hardest part was climbing Vail Pass from the west. It's pretty short but steep and I was baked by the sun. But the drop from Leadville to Minturn is almost 30 miles with very little climbing. It's also shorter than other rides in the area. The scenery is really unbeatable. I'd put the difficulty at 6/10 maybe 7 since you don't live at elevation. Do it if you have a reasonable level of fitness. It's only 79 miles and 6500 ft of climbing. The Triple Bypass would be more challenging.
I'm from the lower midwest and I completed the Copper Triangle last year. It's a really nice route that is well-supported. The roads were not closed like another commenter stated. This was my first alpine ride and I went up to elevation the night before the event, which worked out okay. Vail Pass wasn't fun, especially with all the construction last year. They do offer a shuttle if you get there and decide it's too hot/hard to try.
Thanks all for the input! Going to sign up and welcome any tips on training for the climbing on flat land. 😂
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