Mountain Madness 2005
Mountain Madness: 1,200 miles in 14 days with 85,000 ft of climbing at hgh altitude in Colorado. If this be madness, let us make the most of it!
What
The 2005 Mountain Madness Tour - A bicycle tour through the high peaks and historic mining districts of Colorado organized by Scott Effner and Sue Wyman.
Where
Lakewood to Silverthorne to Leadville to Basalt to Hotchkiss to Lake City to Monte Vista, to Gunnison to Buena Vista to Westcliffe to Fairplay to Winter Park to Estes Park to Idaho Springs to Morrison. About half of the route follows the 2003 Climbs From Hell trip. The rest is new – although just as beautiful and just as challenging. Check out the route description (1.4 mb) for all the gory details.
When
Sunday, June 19 through Saturday, July 2, 2005. Gather in Denver (Lakewood actually) Saturday evening, June 18, for a get-acquainted barbeque in Bear Creek Lake Park. The ride starts bright and early Sunday morning, June 19th and finishes Saturday afternoon, July 2.
The Deal
Mountain Madness is for our cycling friends and their friends. We have planned the route, organized accommodations, and put together SAG support for the tour. We are not responsible for accidents, injuries, or other mishaps on the road. By coming on this trip you agree to treat this trip as you would any other ride with your friends and be responsible for your own safety and happiness.
We have set aside 15 rooms at each overnight destination along the way. You can room alone or with others as you prefer, but the number of people who can come on the trip will be limited by the number of rooms available. Please consider a having a roommate as it will allow more people to come on the ride. We can help set up you up with a roommate if you don't have one. We will start setting aside rooms for people when they let us know that they are planning to come for sure.
Hotel rooms are reserved on Scott's credit card and we will need to collect money to pay for them by May 15, 2005. We will prepare rooming lists for hotels, pay for them out of the trip fund, and make sure that all you have to do is ride your bike to the front desk and check-in.
An operating fund of $25 per day per rider will be established to cover expenses associated with renting a SAG van and luggage trailer, buying gasoline and parts (i.e. bike rack adaptors, trailer hitches and other stuff to hook the trailer to the rental van) and food for sag stops and lunches. A portion of the operating fund will also be used to entice someone into helping out with sag support and driving the van. If you are interested in driving one or more days, we will cover the cost of your room for the night. If you are a saint like Al and want to drive every other day, we will buy your room the nights you drive and worship the ground you walk on.
The trip will cost $950 per person if you share a room with someone else, and $1,525 if you want a single room. This expense will cover accommodations for 15 nights, the sag wagon, lunches and snacks. Everyone is on their own for breakfast and dinner. Any money left in the operating fund at the end of the trip will be split evenly by the group or used to throw a good party on the last day. Conversely, in the unlikely event that the operating fund is insufficient to cover expenses, everyone will be expected to chip in an equal amount to cover the shortfall.
Mechanical support will be a community effort. Quite a few of you can twist a wrench, so lend a hand. The van will have a complete set of tools including a bike stand and supplies (tires, patches, cables etc.). If you require the services of the Ubber Mechanic, I am easily bribed with beer. In addition, the van will carry extra wheels. We have extra wheels for 9-speed Shimano. Hopefully, someone else can provide wheels for 10-speed Campy. If you have something other than 9-speed Shimano or 10-speed Campy, please let us know so we can get an extra set of wheels. Don't bring extra wheels without letting us know because we won't have room to carry them.
The sag wagon will be a 6 passenger minivan. Obviously we won't be able to fit everybody and their bikes into it at one time so plan on riding! Please pack light (one or two small bags). Remember that mornings in the high country can be chilly. Be prepared for variable weather as we are riding in sunshine or rain.
We are looking forward to seeing all y'all this June and riding the high peaks. Send us an email or call if you have any questions. Please feel free to invite a friend. We will have to limit the size of the group to about 25 people to keep the logistics from getting out of hand, so sign up early. See you in June. Stay tough!
