Gold Belt Century

Sunday June 10, 2012


Start Time: 7:00 AM

Start Location:
The Bank at Broadmoor
155 Lake Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Map to Start Location


Cost: $10


The Gold Belt Century is a loop starting/ending at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The ride is 75% epic dirt roads, with one big stretch on asphalt from the Springs to Penrose. The final decent into the Broadmoor will leave a lasting impression, or nightmares, for years to come! It's a ride designed for riders with dirt handling skills on a road/cross bike. A road bike with fat tires (25c min) would be the preferred bike, although a Mtn Bike with fast tires could also be used by a strong rider. The distance will be 100 miles with approximately 7,000' of climbing.

The organizer, sponsors, or anyone having anything to do with this ride are NOT responsible for your safety. The Gold Belt Century is a non-stop, self-supported, ride on 70% gravel roads. Riders must carry with them ALL necessary equipment. No responsibility can be accepted for riders becoming lost or stranded. Be prepared for the worst!

There is a fee of $10 for this ride to cover the cost of a sag vehicle. Everyone is welcome to use the vehicle to carry extra supplies like food, water, and clothing.

Photo's from the 2009 Gold Belt.

We can carry a fast pace on asphalt rollers down to Penrose where at mile 30 we'll stop for a short break and a cup of coffee if you like! The Coffee Den is an amazing place, the real fun starts here.

This epic 100 mile loop includes the historic Phantom Canyon, once a narrow gauge railroad from 1894 to 1912. We ride through 3 of these amazing tunnels cut for the steam engines, you can still see the black soot on the ceilings.

The 24 mile climb never breaks much more than 4%, it's a slow steady grind as we gain 4,000 ft of elevation to Victor, the 'Worlds Greatest Gold Camp'. Here we'll make some time for Pizza at The Lucky Buck.

Don't over do it on pizza because the climb out of Victor will have you blowing chunks as we climb to 10,000' next to the working mines. As we make our traverse across Gold Camp Rd to the East the views are undoubtedly some of the most spectacular in the state.

A hair raising decent (4000' in 15 miles) on washboard dirt back to the Broadmoor. If you could actually slow down long enough to catch a glimpse, the views are amazing you.

Just a quick detour to one of the most amazing front yards, the steel sculptures are a must see.

Please leave your name in the comments if you plan to attend this year!

Logistics

Date: Sunday June 10th

Start Time: 7:00 AM

Start Location:
The Bank at Broadmoor
155 Lake Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Map to Start Location

Cost: $10

Route Map: Built in Map my Ride for those with Gamins.
Gold Belt Route Map

Route Description:
Broadmoor, mile 1.
Hwy 115 to Penrose, Coffee Den (coffee, food, water) mile 32.
Ride West to Rd 67, pavement ends & climbing starts @ mile 42.
Break and/or restrooms if needed, mile 45.
Break and/or restrooms if needed, mile 55.
Town of Victor, The Lucky Buck (pizza!) mile 67.
At Victor we'll have climbed 5,700' with another 1,400' to go.
Critical Turn (headcount), mile 69.
Critical Turn (headcount), mile 71.
Kempf House, mile 99.
Broadmoor, mile 100.

Sag: Sag Vehicle and emergency services provided by Dr. Steve Sjordal. You can feel safe attacking on those dirt hills and bombing the final decent knowing we have our own personal Doc on board! An avid cyclist himself, Steve has offered up his services to fallow the group for both moral and physical support. We'll have some extra power bars, water, bicycle tubes, tools, floor pump... just in case. You can also throw a ditty bag in with extra clothing.

Ride Time and what to expect: Last years ride took over 12 hours to complete with rest stops and a lunch break to both re-fuel and thaw out. Ride time was over 8 hours with an average of 12 mph. We started in the rain, were applying sun screen in Penrose, and about froze to death in the freezing rain on the approach to Victor. I would expect the worse and hope for the best, but at 10,000' the weather can be extreme. Bring your cold weather gear, if everyone comes prepared the odds will be in our favor that we won't need it. I will have plenty of extra water and power bars. No man will be left behind.

Lunch Stop: We will stop in Victor for a Lunch break and pizza. I will send our Sag driver ahead of the group to pre-order pizza to limit our down time in Victor. If you are a vegetarian or have special requests please let me know in advance, or we'll all just throw down with some good combo pizzas.

Camping: Tent camping allowed anywhere in the Pike National Forest, it's just a bit of a drive up the steep road we'll actually be descending. Take a look at the route map for the ride, you'll go counter clockwise on the route from the Broadmoor and up Old Stage Rd, you'll have to drive a few miles up to find good camping.

Here is the closest pay camp ground
Golden Eagle Ranch