Sunday, May 15, 2022

Boulder Gravel and Mixed Surface Rides: Flagstaff and Artist Point

I just returned from a week-long vacation in Boulder, Colorado. This was my first time in Boulder (and Colorado), and there was great biking. When researching my ride options I found it difficult to find good riding information in a single place. This series of short blog posts summarizes my rides. 

For context: I was on a drop bar bike with 38 (rear) and 42 mm wide tires and a low gear of 32-30.

One of several switchbacks on Flagstaff Rd

My bike was delayed on the way (thanks, United...). By the time it was delivered to Boulder it was already late in the afternoon. To make sure the reassembled bike worked , and also to get a sense how the altitude would affect me, I took a short ride on the classic Flagstaff Road. This is a steep and windy road, offering great views. There is a paved shoulder on some sections. Car traffic was moderate, and people were clearly used to lots of cyclists riding this road. This route is all paved.

 

View over Boulder from Flagstaff Summit


Picnic area near Artist Point


The short version of the ride took me to Flagstaff Summit, and I continued a little farther, to Artist Point. A wedding party with a photographer was just getting out of their cars there when I arrived. If it's good for wedding photos, it must be good for me as well, I thought, and so I walked a few dozen feet past the end of the pavement. Very much worth it, especially around sunset!

Vista from Artist Point