[bigskychuck]

I rode this last Saturday. Great ride with wonderful scenery. Very tough, though, with very strong headwinds on the ascent, and 2.5 miles of gravel that was as steep as 10%. Fortunately the weather was very nice.



The starting line, in Manitou Springs.









Gravel....ugh.




Above treeline.

 

[MB1]

Very, very nice.

Did they let you ride down?

 

[bigskychuck]

Yes, we did get to ride down - it was nice except for the gravel. There was a fairly small group of riders, which made it safer, plus they were spread out over a long way. Though it was a 22 mile ride, and 7700 feet of elevation gain to the top, the first unassisted rider made it up in 2 hrs 17 min!

http://www.outtherecolorado.com/latest-blogs/2010-assault-on-the-peak-results.html

Charlie

 

[ColoradoVeloDude]

Yes, we did get to ride down - it was nice except for the gravel. There was a fairly small group of riders, which made it safer, plus they were spread out over a long way. Though it was a 22 mile ride, and 7700 feet of elevation gain to the top, the first unassisted rider made it up in 2 hrs 17 min!

http://www.outtherecolorado.com/latest-blogs/2010-assault-on-the-peak-results.html

Charlie

This was a GREAT ride. Made it down in 1.5 hours. Won't tell you how long to get up that thing. That was the toughest ride I ever did. Bagged my first 14-er on this ride! Great pictures!

 

[Ridgetop]

Wow!! Now that's my type of ride. Absolutely awesome.

 

[sanrensho]

Wow, nice. I love the parts above the tree line, I'm guessing that's where the wind picks up. The photos remind me of Ventoux.

Do most riders use their regular tires, or adjust their tire selection for the gravel section?

 

[stelvio1925]

Thanks for posting the pictures, bigskychuck. My brain has finally recovered from the lack of oxygen. The view anywhere above the treeline was just spectacular. Unfortunately, the winds were very challenging, too. I saw a rider with a seat bag carrying an SLR & taking pictures in the last few miles. Was that you Chuck?

 

[wooglin]

Very cool. I think I can see my old apartment in one of those pics!

 

[FatTireFred]

those mtns aren't purple...

 

[bigskychuck]

Thanks for the compliments. Stelvio, that wasn't me with the SLR; I was using my trusty Canon Powershot SD 1200, with the fresh dents it received on this year's Death Ride ;-). I dropped it going down Carson Pass, losing the battery and memory card (thus my pics from the whole ride).

Sanresho I think most people rode typical road tires. The gravel section was fairly smooth, though it did add a bit of challenge given it's grade.

I found it interesting that they had oxygen bottles at the top, for the riders. I was impressed to see that a unicyclist made it to the top, as well as a hardy couple on a tandem - they had ridden the Mnt. Washington Hillclimb the week before.

Here's a few more.







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[UltraRob]

I was taking photos with an SLR although I had a large Camelbak to carry it instead of a seat pack. I didn't start at the bottom though. I got a ride up to Crystal Reservoir in the media van.

It was still a tough ride from there with my gear and serious gut. I had ridden from Crystal Reservoir to the top several years ago so I knew what to expect. I rode my mountain bike for the low gears but put on 25 mm tires inflated to 90 psi.

Below are some photos and I have more Assault on the Peak photos on my blog.

 

[bigskychuck]

Did anyone buy a poster, and receive it? I've been waiting on one......

 

[rcnute]

What great photos.

Big gravel climbs...I'm slavering...

 

[SpencerM]

Amazing ride but I would be daydreaming of driving my car the whole time. . . Purely situational of course.

 

[robncircus]

Linky to ride info? i want to do some travelling and riding next year. This looks like a good one.

 

[bigskychuck]

http://www.ridepikespeak.com/Pikes_Peak/Introducing.html