2014 Caribou Classic: A Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance Special Event

The 2014 Caribou Classic is behind us so we’ll have to wait another year to do this all over again.  This year the start was in the north meadow of Caribou Ranch and a great deal of thanks to the Guercio’s for hosting such a great event.  The BMA did one heck of a job putting it all together and many thanks to all the volunteers who kept the wheels rolling safely and responsibly.

It was a lollipop loop through a rocky climb up Sourdough to Left Hand Reservoir Road and the main aid station.  We then traveled up the rather steep Left Hand Rez Road to the sublime Little Raven trail.  We spilled out onto Brainard Lake Road to connect to the Brainard Cutoff.  We then connected to the boulder fields of South St. Vrain to checkpoint D and the start of the climb back up Sourdough.  You had the option of adding another grueling loop at checkpoint D but in the interest of time I decided against it.  We finally completed the loop back at the main aid station on Brainard Lake and Left Hand Rez Roads and the final stretch back to the staging area.

You would have thought I was out partying with Guns N Roses the night before the way I was riding.  I took an endo early trying to hang on with one hand on a descent as I reached for my sunglasses – the BMA sweepers were awesome offering all kinds of assistance on the trail.  The ride seemed uphill both ways and the rocks beat you up mercilessly.  The pros made it look easy but for most of us this was an absolute Sufferfest, even without the extra mileage at checkpoint D.  Click here for the ride profile (does not include extra miles).

I had a fantastic time and so did everyone else, it was a raging success and September 2015 can't come soon enough.  None of this would have been possible without the extrodinary effort and support from the following sponsors:

Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance - Improve the Trail Experience for Everyone in Boulder County
Caribou Ranch
Oskar Blues - Time For Beer
Cyclehops - Home Made Liquids & Solids
The Pros Closet
Sports Garage
Reeb
Redstone Cyclery
Full Cycle
Contour Logic - Planning + Design for Smart Trail Systems
University Bicycles
The Fix
Bicycle Village
Eldorado Springs - Natural Spring Water
Spot Brand Bikes
Kelty
RockyMounts - Boulder Based Bike Racks
Liberty Home Loans
NanaCakes - Life Is Too Short To Eat Boring Pancakes
RC Special Events - An Events Solution Company
Skratch Labs - Natural Hydration
Motion Fitness
Shaving Peggy - Colorado's Rock-n-Roll Band !!!

Thank you all for the memories!  -Dirt Life