Summer is here! Time to kick off the best season of the year by pedaling up high mountain passes and running up 14,000ft peaks. Strap some bags to your bike, toss in your running shoes, grab the sleeping bag, and head for the hills! The idea behind this trip was to embrace the beginning of summer by enjoying the long days around the solstice. There is something so simple and rewarding about going places all under your own power. Self propelled and self supported. Just you, your bike, your feet, the big wide open world!

Day 1: Boulder to Quandary Trailhead via Rollins & Ute Pass

Starting any bike trip from Boulder is going require some motivation. There is basically no way to avoid a colossal amount of vert from the get go. The thing that motivated me, was the idea of traveling quiet(er) roads and getting up high. I’ve pretty much biked all the ways you can go from Boulder to the higher concentration of 14,000ft peaks in the central part of the state. I literally decided the days route the night before. I was waffling about where to go/what to do. That shouldn’t be the reason you don’t go on a tour. I figured I would just find out the route as I went. Set a few waypoints along the trip for some guidance and then do what I could do based off on how the legs felt.

The day before I saw on Strava that someone said Rollins was bike able….boom! I will take that. Rollins Pass is a summer right of passage, and the perfect way to kick off my Solstice Tour. To get there, I biked up Boulder Canyon. Highlight was seeing a Moose on the road right after passing Castle Rock. When I rolled into Ned, the smell of pastries at New Moon willed me to stop. Espresso and croissant to get me up n over Rollins! RP is a grind….feels like the pass went on forever. Most of the road was a creek due to all the runoff. Hiked 3 or so snow fields, nothing that long or deep. I mistakenly hiked up too high with the bike, so I ended up missing the Trestle section, oh well….I’ve been there before. It was super breezy up on the Pass and this gave me a bit of pause because I knew I would be dealing with the element for the rest of the day. Descending the Winter Park side of the pass is much more chill and smooth in comparison to East side. I somehow took a wrong turn near the bottom and added on a bit of mileage, luckily it is downhill and didn’t really matter.

45min lunch stop at a grocery store in WP. There was a nice little bike station out front and a outlet to charge my phone while I ate. Sandwich, chips, Coke. You can’t be a picky eater on trips like this. Sorta just hop on the raccoon diet and eat what you can and when you can. Climb up Crooked Creek was super dope, really nice dirt road in a tunnel of greenery. The top of the road crested right at 10,000ft which was rad. The following descent down Simpson/Keyser Creek was rad, quiet area back there. Seems like there is a lot of dirt roads to explore back there in future.

Then I hit pavement and my next destination was Ute Pass. On this section, I passed 3 what I presume was Tour Divide riders. They were stoked and give some hoots and howlers as I biked by. Ute is paved, but still a worthy pass. The descent down to highway 9 was so fun…amazing views of the Gore Range. I was dreading riding HWY 9 to Silverthorn. Luckily, I had a tailwind and the miles went by super quick. Was mashing on the pedals and having a blast! Riding around Lake Dillion always feels like it takes forever, but eventually made it to the Whole Foods in Frisco for dinner. Bubbly water, pizza, salad. Good fuel before pedaling the almost 20 miles and 2k to the Quandary TH at 11,000ft. It was a long day and those final few paved miles to the trailhead went on forever. Pulled into the trailhead and found a perfect spongey pine needle bed just off from the trail. Perfect! Set up the sleep system and passed out. Need to rest up for Day 2!

Day 2: Quandary to Princeton (Grouse Cyn) via Hoosier & Mosquito Pass

I was up before 5am. It was surprisingly warm out, but still happy for the puffy pants to wear while I drank a cold brew and ate a bar. Packed my bike mostly and then was headed up the trail towards Quandary at 5:30am. The thought behind going up this peak was 1): tag a new to me 14er 2): check out the hill so I’m ready for the Quandary Crusher later in the summer(underground race put on by friends). Quandary is a pretty chill 14,000ft peak. Only 6 miles and 3k or so of climbing. Super approachable to beginner hikers and thus sees a lot of traffic. I was up the hill earlier, but there was still quite a few people out there getting after it! Cool.

I was back down at the bike at 7:30am. Ate a breakfast burrito I had packed the day before, packed everything, and was pedaling up Hoosier Pass at 7:51am. It is always tough to get back on the bike and begin the ride going UP. Just tough to get the legs to cooperate. Luckily, it was only 500ft or so to the top of Hoosier. This whole area is new (to me) terrain and that helps the miles go by easy. The descent to Alma was quick, and I found some dirt to ride to get off the highway to avoid cars. I was happy to find a general store in Alma, in what otherwise seemed like a very quiet and limited town. Coffee, donut, lots of water — mentally preparing for Mosquito Pass. Which surely would be hard given its reputation.

Right out of town, you are faced with a grunt of a climb just to access the start of the pass. Steep pitch and loose. Then it mellows out and its pretty cruiser all the way to treeline. Then the business starts. Basically 3+ miles of hike-a-bike up a completely blown out mining road that was also a raging creek due to the runoff. At one point, 2 ladies coming down starting taking pics of me pushing my bike. They were extremely surprised to see me and had LOTS of questions. They asked me if I was setting a record. I replied NO haha. They also told me that there was 50mph winds up at the pass. Which obviously wasn’t the case. Funny interaction. I kept pushing the bike and eventually came to a saddle before the final grunt to the top. Here, there was one heinous snow crossing. It was super warm out and the snow was DEEP. Probably took me 10 mins to cross this section. Take a few steps, sink, rest, repeat. Mosquito is a rad pass because of how high it gets; 13,185ft ! Also, to think about all the mining activity that happened back here is pretty crazy. The descent to Leadville starts off VERY rough. I had to stop twice to give my hands a break, but then the roads turns to primo gravel and the following miles to Leadville are a blast. In town, usual routine. Fuel up, charge the phone, drink a lot of water, coffee. My goal for the rest of the day was to get to BV and then the Southern base of Princeton. Leaving Leadville, there was a ripping tailwind so I just decided to ride the wind and the pavement. When I arrived in BV, I went straight for an ice cream cone and then a swim in the Arkansas River to clean up. Then it was an early dinner which was banger, and then biked out towards Chalk Creek. Missed the rail road grade gravel on the south side of the creek (whoops! sorry TK). Found a nice spot by the start of Princeton via Grouse Canyon, but damn….the Mosquitos were heinous! Funny how the most trying moments of the day involved the word Mosquito. Luckily, my bivy has a bug net, its claustrophobic AF, but better than being eaten alive. Kinda just bad right at sunset till 10pm or so. Also, most of gotten the most micro puncture in my sleeping pad, because it was flat by morning. Bummer.

Day 3: Grouse Canyon to Half Moon via BV & Leadville

Morning routine - cold brew, eat a bar, pack the sleep system. Was hiking by 6:30am. On all of the runs on this trip, I went shirtless, carried a jacket-phone- and 1 gel just incase things went epic. Princeton was a definite highlight of the trip. It is an iconic peak and visually very aesthetic. Grouse seems to be a mega classic and its a steep consistent climb — one of the longer climbs you can do in CO! 5k vert to the summit in only 3.5 miles. The lower section of the climb took a sec, all the downfall is pretty hard to navigate at times. So many trees to hop and work around. The nettles are intense down low…leaving your legs itchy and on fire. The route starts to clean up as you get higher. Once at treeline, you follow this bangerrrrr grassy ramp up to the ridge. Like one of the dopest segments in CO. Then ridge itself is pretty cool too, just ride it all the way to the summit with only a few drops in elevation. I had the summit to myself and soaked it in! Views for days. 2ish hours up and another hour down. Cyklons did surprisingly well on the descent, although…I was by no means charging. Not as stable or bomber as the Mutant. But where it lacks in downhill performance, its light and snappy nature sure is nice for going uphill.

Back at the bike, I went straight to Chalk Creek and dunked my legs in the water to try and sooth my scraped up legs. It helped. Took a sec to get. going, but was biking back towards BV at 9:46am. In town, I had a nice breakfast n coffee. Today would be the easiest day mileage wise of the trip — as I was headed back to Leadville and then to Half Moon for Elbert in the morning.

I actually was dreading the miles back to Leadville. I knew there would be a headwind (STRONG headwind) and its all slightly uphill. I know that there is a gravel way, and I will most certainly do that next time. But for some reason, I just wanted to grit it out and take the pavement — thinking it would be quicker and more efficient. I had I thought about it, I would of just packed dinner and gone straight to the Elbert Trailhead to avoid the out n back to town, but alas my brain clearly wasn’t thinking that clearly. I made it, but damn…was hard! Didn’t even make it all the way to town without having to stop. Gas station 3 miles outside of town was too tempting to not stop and drink/eat something. High Mountain Pies was closed; so no pizza for dinner. Mexican spot across the street was pretty good. High calorie count and speedy service. Miles to the Elbert trailhead were nice and easy. The last mile or so to the TH is still closed to cars which means that the Trailhead itself was quiet, awesome! Found a good bivy spot right at 10,000ft. Was a bit weary going to bed as I knew my pad would slowly leak throughout the night. Mosquitoes were heinous again too. Oh well….you’re so tired that it really doesnt matter. You pass out and forget about it. Another great day with a couple moments of having to truly try hard. But mostly just riding the flow!

Day 4: Elbert to Boulder via Fremont & Loveland Pass

Woke up at 5am and it felt a bit too early to get up, plus it was a bit chilly. Sleeping pad was flat but I dosed back off for 40mins. Then I woke up to blood everywhere. Fuck……my hair had blood in it, sleep pad was covered in blood. Bloody nose going crazy! Ended up having to use my socks to clean up the mess. Jeez, the shit that can happen out there. This was probably the worst thing that happened to me, but is pretty minimal and a non-issue in the scheme of things.

Okay blood cleaned up — time to run up the tallest peak in Colorado! Right as I took my first step up the trail, a fellow runner popped out of the bathroom and started chasing me up the trail. Okay…time to actually see if you can run after all this biking. Legs felt the best they have all trip and maybe even had some SLIGHT pep. I eventually broke away and found myself hiking up at a good clip. 90mins or so to the summit, which is sorta average and not spectacular by any means, but I will take it after the last few days. I also wasn’t trying to go full tilt…as I had to bike 130 miles back to Boulder after haha.

Back at the bike, I tried to be quick and efficient. I had a lot of ground to cover and it was a bit intimidating. I was rolling towards Leadville right before 9am and was at City on the Hill before 10am. Bfast burrito, coffee, carrot cake — fuel up! Good chat with a fellow there that was training for the LT100 later in the summer.

Okay time to get rolling! Getting over Fremont Pass is pretty chill. Not sure if you even gain 1k of vert before rolling down to Summit County. Bike path miles to Frisco was cool, first time on that bit. Stopped at a Gas Station in town there for some liquids. TD rider came rolling through headed northbound and then 3 girls were riding the TransAM. Always motivating to get back on the bike when other folks are out there getting after it. To get to Keystone, it seemed like the quicker was to go over Swan Hill versus riding north around the lake. I don't know if its worth it….Swan Hill is a punt. Maybe better to save that energy for Loveland and just take the longer more mellow way around the lake. Things kinda got real when I passed the sign that said Loveland Pass was 8 miles away. OOF. this is gonna take a second. It never is really that steep, just consistent and long — long way all the way up to 12,000ft. I put the headphones in, tuned into Gary Clark Jr’s Live album and let the guitar solos melt my head off. This got me amped and gave me the necessary energy to make it up n over the pass. Cresting Loveland Pass was satisfying, I knew I would make it back to Boulder! All downhill here from there! Like almost 60 miles of downhill with a few bumps along the way. The bike path after Loveland is a roller coaster. SOOOOO fun! Glad I was paying attention though, because there was a downed tree and I was hauling ass! Close call. Stopped in Idaho Springs for a snack and water. Didn’t really wanna stop, but I knew I should so that the ensuing miles weren’t associated with a bonk. Floyd hill disrupts the downhill flow and is a grunt. Coasting down Lookout Mtn is always a treat, especially as the golden light started. Miles from Golden to Boulder were the ultimate low point of the trip and sucked. It was a grind. It was super fucking windy. Head/crosswind. Nowhere to hide. Lots of traffic. Sunset hour, so sorta sub optimal time to be on that road. I had to dig really deep here and try hard. It was the hardest section of the trip mentally and psychically. All I had on my mind was getting to Under the Sun for a pint and burger before they closed at 9pm. Rolling down 93 to the Eldo corner at sunset was magical!

I did it. It wasn’t really anything heroic. Touring like this is basically a series of overcoming mini challenges and obstacles linked together with extreme high and low points. Times of euphoria and pleasure and other times of doubt, negativity, and hardship. Times of extreme clarity and then moments of confusion and fogginess. There is something in my head that says “Do you think this is possible? and my response is “Let’s go find out”. Putting yourself out there in this context is extremely rewarding. Doing everything under your own power. Biking to the peak. Running up the peak. Biking towards the next peak. It is a simple way of living. It is satisfying and SO fun. It is really is the good life. Your whole life is on the bike. Time flies out the window and its just you and the place. Learning the intricacies of yourself and the landscape. Extracting my curious thoughts and playing them out in real life. There is a lot of time out there to think and ponder life’s questions and how you fit into the mix. Sometimes things just feel right and work out. That is how this trip went for me. Not every trip is like that, but I will surely never forget this one. I try and strive towards excellence and perfection, hoping that every once in a while you rub up close enough to those words — giving you a taste of what it’s like to be in perfect harmony with your surroundings. You reach the FLOW. You have a moment of clarity and things make sense. I remember and cherish those moments, but also remember the harder times. Taking note of everything.

By no means did I do anything new or ground breaking. There are people out there that have gone on much longer and more difficult tours. But for me, this was a moment to embrace my love of the mountains and moving freely through them. Embracing Summer! I see myself doing many more trips like this in the future. Maybe one day I will link all of Colorado’s 14,000ft peaks by bike. Not any time soon, but there definitely is a spark for doing this kind of stuff.

Simply, it just so much fun!

Route & Gear:

Link to Strava where you can find all the daily activities —> HERE

Gear List & Bike info:

Sleep System:

• Polycro Ground Sheet

• Black Diamond Twilight Bivy

• Nemo Tensor Air insulated sleeping pad

• Sierra Designs Nitro 35 bag

Clothes & Footwear:

• BD notion short

• BD cutoff button down

• 2 pairs of socks

• BD approach puffy jacket

• Enlightened equipment puffy pants

• BD prototype windbreaker

• BD WIND HOOD GRIDTECH GLOVES

• Cycling cap + Distance run cap + Buff

• La Sportiva Cyklon

• Rapha Explore cycling shoe

• BD prototype belt

• District Vision Nagata Speedblade sunglasses

Equipment & Stuff:

• 2 regular sized bike bottles

• 1 500ml soft flask + Katadyn filter top

• Anker 10,000 mAh battery pack + cables

• Garmin Enduro Watch

• BD SpotR headlamp + Emergency light

• Crank Brothers Klic HV Pump

• Bike repair kit (2 tubes, Dynaplug, m17, Pack pliers, Quicklinks, extra SPD pedal, Valve core remover, C02, extra valves & plugs, patch kit)

• Wallet, iPhone + Quadlock , Garmin in-Reach

• Ottolock

• Emergency/Health kit (toothbrush-paste, E-blanket, ibuprofen, repair kit of sorts, lighter)

Bike & Bags:

• Salsa Cutthroat w/ Rival 1 drivetrain (11-46 + 34t chain ring) & Force 1 brakes/shifters

• 2.25” Vittoria Mezcal Tires

• Salsa Cowchipper bars

• Salsa Full Frame bag

• Swift Industries Zeitgeist Bag

• Porcelain Rocket Saddle bag

• 2 bottle cages on fork

Feel free to comment and reach out if you have questions!

Thanks to the support from Black Diamond, La Sportiva, District Vision, & Gaia GPS