The welcomed sound of cattle bells will return to Durango this week with The Denver Post Ride The Rockies event. It is making its return to Durango for the first time since 2013. The seven-day ride from Alamosa to Salida across the southwestern portion of the state will feature 32,337-feet of elevation gain over 447 miles. The event will stop in Durango June 12-13, when riders complete Day 2’s 68-mile ride from Pagosa Springs to Durango on U.S. Highway 160.
Tent stakes will be pounded into the ground at Durango High School next week when the more than 2,000 cyclists head into Durango during the second and third days of the event. Roughly half the riders will stay in tents and others will fill local hotels in preparation for their ride on Days 3 and 4 of the event. Day 3 is a 38.7-mile loop from Durango, past Lake Nighthorse on County Roads 210 and 141 until it meets Colorado Highway 140 north to Hesperus. Once the riders reach Hesperus, it is a downhill ride back to Durango down U.S. Highway 160. Day 4 is the big day, when riders will depart Durango and take U.S. Highway 550 to Ridgway, passing Coal Bank and Molas passes and Red Mountain Pass for 7,792-feet of elevation gain in 83 miles. Ridgway is a first-time host community of the week-long event.
