I’m surveying for interest in a ride up Fall River Road and down Trailridge this Saturday night under the nearly full moon.  The map and profile are below.  I’ve talked to some of you about doing this ride before but have never gotten around to organizing it.  I used to do it several times each summer but it seems I’ve always had other commitments every time there is a full moon for the last couple years.  My daughter also has soccer games both Saturday and Sunday so for me if I want to get out this weekend I’ve got to get a little creative!

Headlights and taillights are required mainly for the decent; the moon typically provides plenty of light for slow speed climbing (I have some extras that I’ll bring along if needed).  For the decent the more light the better but I’ve done it with everything from 5-LED to 15W halogens.  I don’t suggest the 5-LED though.

Logistics:

       The plan would be to drive to RMNP, enter the Fall River Entrance, and meet at the 1^st parking lot on the right after you turn towards Endovalley (towards Fall River Road Entrance) at 7:45 pm

       Get on trail by 8 pm

       Return approximately Midnight or so.  The ride up is ~2 hours but depends on how hard you want to push.  If there’s a large group we can split up on the climb but plan to regroup at the Alpine Visitor’s Center.

       The ride down is ~45 minutes – 1 hour

       We can set up carpools once we figure out who’s going.

What to bring (this is a quick list so I may be forgetting something):

       Headlight

       Taillight

       Extra clothes for the top and decent.  It’s common for the temperature to be in the high 30’s and windy at the top so it can be chilly (i.e. very cold) if you’re waiting for others to reach the Visitor’s Center.

       Bug spray

       Mountain bike or hybrid.  I’ve seen people do this ride on road bikes but it’s a dirt road and I won’t suggest it.

What to expect:

       Riding under the full moon I think is a blast.  It’s surreal when you pop out above tree-line with only the light of the moon on the climb.

       We’ve never had any problems with wildlife, fortunately the elk I’ve seen have been on the climb and not on the decent.  We’ve also seen porcupines along the road on the climb.

       A fun decent, how fast is up to you, but be prepared for the unexpected.  Like I said, I’ve never had an elk jump out in front of me on the decent but I’ve always got an eye out…

       It will be cold at the top

       The Visitor center is not the top, there are 2 significant climbs after the visitor center.

       All the fun of a cool 30 mile loop with 4000+ feet of climbing after the hot Colorado days of summer.

I’ll post the ride on http://velocal.org under the Breakfast Club so you can let me know if you’re interested by marking the calendar there or drop me an email.  I’ll try to round up some interest from riders that I work with as well.

Feel free to pass this along to others you think may be interested.  If I can’t convince at least one other person to do this ride I’ll probably not go myself so don’t ride up to RMNP expecting to ride with a group if no one signs in J.

Ron