The Incline - Manitou Springs, CO

The Manitou Springs Incline is immediately apparent when driving into the hamlet of Manitou Springs, CO (home of witches, geode shops and Clayfest). It is a vertical scar up the front of Mt. Manitou, once hosting train tracks for a pulley-operated train car/tourist attraction. Summer floods sent boulders into the track more than a decade ago, resulting in the tracks being removed by the company that owns the land. In their graciousness the company left behind the railroad ties, essentially creating a huge StairMaster. A brutal, never-ending, incredibly steep StairMaster with lots of people that are ill prepared to climb it mixed with an equal number of incredibly fit and attractive people. Awesome, and good for Olympics training.

The hike is all uphill. There are no downhill sections of the ties, so be prepared for very little in the way of breaks. Breaking the Incline into thirds, the first 1/3 is fairly gradual with a few flatter sections, the second 1/3 is typified by a 50% vertical grade that makes the Incline a brutal wildabeast of a workout (this middle section is where the Barr Trail bailout is), and the last 1/3 that is more similar to the beginning with a final short and steep section to the summit.

Once on the summit, and slightly recovered, a common question often arises; "how in the fuck do I get down?". There are a couple of ways - which one you choose depends on the shape of your knees and how much time you have. The quickest way down is a well-worn trail that begins immediately to the left of the summit and runs into Barr Trail (the light blue line on the map). The longer way down is found by continuing to walk as if the Incline kept going. You will eventually run into a trail that heads steeply up before heading downhill and running into Barr Trail (the dark blue line on the map). Both of these routes put you onto Barr Trail which will bring you to the trail parking lot (the green line on the map), or to the creek and Ruxton Ave. On a hot day the cutoff to the creek is a great way to cool down before climbing back in the car. Lastly, and most painfully, you can just go back down the Incline, either all the way to the bottom or to the Barr Trail bailout (the pink line on the map). I used to do this a lot and there are various arguments against it. One, it hurts and two, it contributes a lot to the erosion, and I have seen hikers heading up get pretty annoyed at those coming down.

The company that owns the Incline, and the nearby Cog Railroad, ostensibly prohibits people from accessing the climb. I have not heard of them ever attempting to enforce the "No Trespassing" prohibitions, and from what I've read lately it appears that the town and the landowner are attempting to create some sort of easement in order to allow legal access to the Incline. Once you see a Manitou cop or two, you'll quickly realize that nobody is going to chase you down to give you a ticket.

Distance: about 1 mile from the start of the ties to the summit, and about 3.5 miles from the summit to the parking lots

Time: anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your fitness

Directions: From downtown Manitou Springs: take Manitou Avenue west and take a left on Ruxton Avenue. The start of the Incline is right above the Cog Railroad's upper lot. Park along Ruxton or in the Barr Trail parking lot.


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Sugarloaf Road - Boulder, CO

For some reason, Sugarloaf Road is the red headed stepchild of our cycling routes. When deciding on a ride we rarely through it out as an option, and when someone does the response is usually a mix of groans and eye rolling. Sugarloaf is the pain in the ass ride that we all know exists, rarely want to deal with and prefer to avoid for more promising options (we apologize if you actually are a red headed stepchild. We think you are amazing. We love you. More than your parents do).

However, as the red headed stepchild is often the swan of the children, Sugarloaf has a combination of elements that make it one of the better out and backs in Boulder. The ride is scenic, has very little traffic, a lot of great climbing and the descent can be incredibly fast. So why don't we usually consider it as a viable option? It is a pain in the ass to get to; requiring a somewhat lengthy ride up Boulder Canyon Drive/CO-119, where peace loving Boulderites turn into Subaru encased missiles. The narrow shoulders and rough pavement make heading up Canyon Drive more daunting than getting to rides like Sunshine or Flagstaff, but once on Sugarloaf Road, the near miss of the 18-Wheeler quickly fades from memory (unless you pooped your pants, then it sort of stays with you until the end).

Sugarloaf starts steep, quickly gaining altitude as it climbs up to a cool little valley that provides decent shade during the summer months. The road levels out in the valley before turning into a long gradual climb that eventually works it way into a long sustained climb that lasts for about 1 mile. This section of the road is also where some of us have reached our fastest descending speeds (Fat guy, spandex, missile like exhaust. Awesome). We typically turn around at the intersection of Sugarloaf and Boulder View Road, about 9.14 miles from the start. However, the road remains paved for a couple more miles before turning to dirt, and will eventually link up to the Peak to Peak Highway/CO-72.

Distance: 9.14 miles from start (9th and Pearl Street). 18.28 miles roundtrip

Directions: Sugarloaf is the next road after Magnolia. From 9th and Pearl head South on 9th and hop on the Boulder Creek Path. Take the path West until it dead ends at Boulder Canyon Drive (there is some dirt riding involved). Head left up Boulder Canyon Drive for 2.3 miles. Sugarloaf Road will be on your right.


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Sunshine Canyon - Boulder, CO

Boulder gets ridiculously hot during the summer. Like, melt your face hot. Combined with the unrelenting sun, the weather makes outside activities more arduous than usual and increases the likelihood of a painful death by rapid dehydration. No one likes to pee salt, so we suggest working out in the mornings.

Our favorite morning ride these days is Sunshine Canyon, located almost right next to downtown Boulder. The canyon is great for a morning ride because it houses a commuter community, therefore all of the traffic is going the opposite way, and its sheltered from most of the sun's death rays. The ride starts as a gradual climb, before quickly gaining altitude through a series of elongated switchbacks. Once through the steep sections, the ride turns back into a more gradual ascent, with short hills and descents. This ride contains one of the steepest sections we have found in town. You'll know it when you see it. We typically end the ride where the asphalt turns into dirt, but continuing on the dirt part will allow you to connect to Four Mile Canyon through the Four Mile/Sunshine Loop.

We like this ride because it's one of the most easily accessible from downtown Boulder, and provides a great workout in itself (steep!), or a good warm up for a longer ride. Riding back into town before most people are up and about is a great feeling, and lets you score the best spots in the coffee shops. We often see deer along the rode here, so make sure when you are descending to watch out, as to avoid painful death by deer collision.

Distance: 6.50 miles from start (9th and Pearl Street), 13 miles round trip

Directions: From 9th and Pearl, head West on Pearl and take a right on 4th Street which will end at Spruce Street. Take a left on Spruce and then your first right back on to 4th. Head north and take your first left at Mapleton Ave., which turns into Sunshine Canyon Drive.


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Flagstaff - Boulder, CO

The skyline of Boulder is dominated by the Flatirons; a series of almost vertical stone faces that frame the southwest skyline, and provide the typical background for the typical Boulder postcards. They also hide one of my favorite rides, which we simply refer to as "Flagstaff."

The ride runs up Flagstaff Road, which is what Baseline Road turns into once it runs past Chautauqua Park. The defining features of the ride are the amazing views of Boulder, the numerous switchbacks, and the sudden increase in grade around mile 4. The road also houses one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at; the Flagstaff House. We like this ride because it's quickly accessible from downtown, and is a great workout that can be done in about 45 minutes. We often pair this ride with 4 Mile or the NCAR climb if we want to do something longer.

During rush hour, traffic up the road is fairly heavy, but there is a wide shoulder and because it's Boulder, everyone is usually aware and cautious of the bikers. However, because of its views, the road is also a drawing point for a lot out newcomers and out of town folks, who either have never seen a biker before and don't know what to do, or are so amazed by the random deer that they neglect to pay attention. Either way, caution is advised, especially on the switchback turns and the descent.

Distance: 6.30 miles to summit (intersection of Flagstaff Road and Bison Drive), 12.60 miles round trip.

Directions: Starting at 9th Street and Pearl, take 9th south, climbing up the Hill towards the Flatirons. At Baseline Road take a right. Baseline will turn into Flagstaff Road, winding up above the Flatirons. We usually turn at the intersection with Bison Drive, but the road continues for another couple of miles before ending near Gross Reservoir.


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