Sam Goes to Breck and Copper and Wheeler!!

Copper into Breckenridge

A great ride, but not suited for all. Last weekend, to escape the heat in boulder, myself and some old buddies decided to test our altitude tolerance and ride from Copper Mountain over Breckenridge into Frisco/Gold Hill. We left a truck at the Gold Hill trailhead and drove West on I-70 to Copper. I was unsure what to expect, but excited nonetheless. As we began our ascent from Copper up wheeler trail, I felt a subtle pain in the back of my head…must be the altitude I contemplated.
After about a half hour of climbing the pain subsided, but the climbing didn’t. Being “in shape” is relative term. After an hour of grueling ascent, I determined that I was not in shape. After two and half hours we had only covered about 4 miles and I found myself with the bicycle over my shoulder more than under my $ss. Finally, we began to break tree line and a purpose for the pain was evident. The view at 12,000+ feet on single track is breathtaking and well worth the effort to get there. The decent, was gnarly and at times downright frightening. We picked up the Peaks Trail and followed it over to Gold Hill. After 4 hours our epic journey was complete and we were exhausted. Next time I will be ready.