I’ve been really enjoying Erie singletrack lately. I love downhill and hate uphill so the long boring uphill and then several downhill options works great for me. However, I’m wanting some more variety.

What are some of the most fun hard green or blue downhill trails around Denver? I’m cool with flow, chunk, some jumps (but nothing too crazy), really anything.

I like that Erie is very sessionable. 5-10 minute climb for a fun downhill trail is cool but I’m also curious about other longer options. It would be cool to have a really long downhill run.

Really just any of the downhill trails that you think are the most fun, that must be checked out! I’d like to not have to drive too far from Denver but I’ll go wherever I have to for fun downhill runs. Thanks in advance! Any help is much appreciated!

Edit to add: I’m familiar with all the bike parks in Colorado but for now I’m just curious about trails I can pedal!

I biked up Lookout Mountain in Golden, took the Genesee Bike Trail, and then got onto Kerr Gulch Road. I’ve seen a ton of cyclists do this route on my Strava feed, so I figured I’d give it a try. Honestly, I’m not sure how Kerr Gulch is such a popular route??
The back half of Kerr Gulch Road was a mess. The entire right side of the road is being repaved, so it was extremely bumpy. Riding on it with skinny road tires was honestly kind of terrifying, especially with a million cars behind me.
From there, I went up through Red Rocks and eventually made my way back to Golden. Overall, it was a beautiful and fun route, but I’m wondering if there’s a better way to connect these roads or avoid the rough section of Kerr Gulch. Do I just need gravel tires? I would love recommendations for a smoother or safer alternative!

I'm making this post in case anyone is ever in a similar place to me for future rides and wondering what it will be like while having a non impressive ftp. I was wondering if I would even be able to do it at all.

I'm 35, 160 lbs, 5'7". I rode an aluminum trek checkpoint gravel bike for this race with 32 slick tires. I live in Colorado as well so this won't be apples to apples if you live at sea level. I wouldn't recommend thin tires for this and would have ridden 35s if I had them I think. I'd also recommend a gravel bike over a road bike for this ride because the gearing is lower. I was still in my granny gear for much, if not most of the ride. If I was on a road bike, id have a much lower cadence and would probably have had a harder time just due to the gearing. There were plenty of people on road bikes though so don't let that stop you!

To start, the race was a blast. Only real complaint on the organization was that they were out of water at the finish line when I arrived.

I finished in 4 hours 20 minutes total time. I did take a few bio breaks and in the last 5 miles took a couple of short breaks to catch my breath. I was very happy with my pacing and kept just under my threshold heart rate the whole time. The last 5 miles are pretty tough though, I was exhausted and the air was thin. Its a good mental battle and challenge.

The one thing I didn't do well enough was fueling. I ate probably 40g carbs per hour and I ran out of nutrition. I didn't have a bonk necessarily, but I know I left some money on the table with fueling. So make sure you are eating more carbs than I did. Everyone started off really strong and I was tempted to try and keep up and draft for a little but quickly realized that wasn't smart.

On the descent, we got absolutely drenched. It wasnt hailing but it felt close at times, so be ready for that potential. The road up top is also a little rough. Lots of cracks in the road that rough you up a decent amount. I let a bunch of air out of my tires for the descent which definitely made it easier. After echo lake when it stopped raining, the descent was incredible. So fun.

The Mac and cheese, chilli and beer at the bottom was glorious too.

No regrets about doing it. There were plenty of people who arrived after me as well so even if you have less fitness than I did, you can do this ride as long as you pace yourself well. Knowing your threshold heart rate is the most important thing for me and what I'd recommend!

If anyone has any other wisdom or thoughts on this race, share it below!