Twisty Turvy Thru the Trees 31-Mile Road Ride
When: 9:00 AM, Saturday May 27th, 2023
Where: Monument Park-n-Ride, NE corner of I-25 and and highway 105 off Woodmoor Drive. We’ll meet at the north end of the parking lot.
How: A no-drop ride, with regrouping (details below). Also an opportunity to customize your effort by shortening the ride (details below).
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42967951, 31 miles, 2,500+ ft of climbing (although my GPS showed closer to 3,000)
Details: Let’s go for a ride through the trees, with lots of turns, but great roads and views as your reward. Here are the highlights:
- Scenic and secluded roads of Woodmoor and Kings Deer
- Not steep but steady Woodhaven climb
- Fun descent down Sanctuary Rim
- Along Rangely, see if you can spot
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- an observatory (no, not on the AFA)
- a giant-sized marble
- downtown Colorado Springs
- Higby descent, with a twist
- Woodmoor descent
- Only 3 traffic lights
Road Conditions to Note:
- Watch for holes drilled in the asphalt along Roller Coaster. Many have been refilled, but some have not.
- At mile 14.8 you take a left through a traffic circle to transition from Sanctuary Rim to Gleneagle Drive, but there is no cue on the Ride with GPS route.
- At mile 21 the paved road makes a hard left (with a gravel road straight ahead), but there is no left-hand-turn cue on the Ride with GPS route.
- Roller Coaster is currently open, but is due for closures this summer due to the Northern Delivery water project. If they happen to close the road early, there is a pretty simple detour available.
Regroup: We will regroup at the following locations:
- Mile 3.1: Top of 1st climb after we turn onto Kings Deer
- Mile 10.4:Top of 2nd climb before we turn onto Hodgen
- Mile 16.4:After we turn onto Rangely, and are at the start of 3rd climb
- Mile 20.6:Top of 3rd climb on Roller Coaster (please pull off the road at one of the driveways)
- Mile 24.5:Before we turn back onto Higby
Customize your Effort: For those who want a shorter ride (about 23 instead of 31 miles), at mile 12.3 you can turn north onto Roller Coaster rather than continuing west, to cut out the extra loop.
Note on any possible ride updates or cancellation: Given we are in fire season (at least Canada is), I’ll be watching the Air Quality Index as well as the weather. If the AQI reaches 150 or above (“Unhealthy”), I’ll cancel the ride. I would both email those who have signed up, and update the club calendar noting the cancellation.
Leader Contact: John Beckman, members can find my cell # in the Members section of the club’s Wild Apricot App, or in the MembersSection/Directory page of the club’s website.
This ride is open to SOCO Velo members. SOCO Velo has a 30-day trial membership if you would like to check out our club and ride with us.
Safe Group Riding: Our group practices safe riding by communicating with each other along the ride, and following the rules of the road.