# Tripplebypass



## notgood (Nov 9, 2006)

How did everybody do?Where did they get the water?? clear creek?.Hats off to TE again for organization and volunteers .The dirt section was better than I thought it would be.Sad for the moose on I70, hopefully they got him off the shoulder before the most got to 70.Thanks TE.


----------



## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

Dirt section wasn't bad. Kinda fun actually.

Moose was off the shoulder when I went by. Not sure what time that was. I hit the top of Loveland Pass a little after 10.

The headwind from Vail to Avon destroyed me.

I really feel for anyone that got caught up in the storm.

Thanks to TE and the volunteers for a great day.


----------



## bristol_bull (Dec 10, 2008)

*First timer*

The first climb took longer than I expected.

Idaho Springs to Loveland is an ugly grunt.

Life got better after Loveland Pass.

I started to enjoy things between Copper and Vail Pass,

At Vail Pass it started to rain heavily.

The last 90 minutes were cold and wet.

I didn't die and I didn't come last.

10 hours and 7 minutes.

I swore blind on Saturday night that I can check ride this off my list.

I'm starting to think about next year...

- Big thanks to Godot for the tips - much appreciated.


----------



## ahaid (Apr 2, 2007)

It looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately I didn't get a ticket this year so instead I took a picture of the debauchery on my way to a rafting trip in Buena Vista. Here you all are about to get off the highway at the Loveland exit.


----------



## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

BB 

Sorry you got caught up in the storm. 

I started at 5:30, and finished in just under 7:45. The clouds were forming when I finished.

So (just to rub it in a bit) I was happily ensconced at the hotel bar (after my visit to the hot tub, cold tub, and relaxation room) when the storm hit. Saw people still coming down Vail as we headed up to Minturn for dinner around 5:30.


----------



## moneyman (Jan 30, 2004)

notgood said:


> How did everybody do?Where did they get the water?? clear creek?.Hats off to TE again for organization and volunteers .The dirt section was better than I thought it would be.Sad for the moose on I70, hopefully they got him off the shoulder before the most got to 70.Thanks TE.


I felt really good over squaw pass, but got cooked on the Georgetown to Loveland leg. Actually, I didn't feel bad until we hit the interstate. My wife and a friend of hers were waiting for me at Loveland, and she kept asking me what I needed, but I couldn't really process her requests. A couple minutes sitting down and some food and water and I felt MUCH better. 

On the descent of Loveland, an oil tanker was coming up the hill when some guy in an Audi decided he couldn't wait any longer, and came around him to pass. The only problem was I was going 40mph in the lane the Audi was now occupying. A moment when I thought "This can't be happening" while my friend a little ways behind me said he closed his eyes. We passed within feet of each other, while the truck driver was laying on his air horn. Very scary.

The rain started as we were coming off Vail Pass, then didn't let up until we rolled through the gates in Avon. I now know that my "rain" coat is a "mist" coat. 

In the saddle about 9.5 hours. I cramped up on Loveland and Vail passes, then multiple times that night while trying to sleep. But I finished and had a great time. My time up Squaw Pass was a PR, and except for the stretch on the Interstate, I didn't feel fatigued at all. 

What's the story with the moose?


----------



## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

moneyman said:


> What's the story with the moose?


There was a large, dead moose on I70 between Bakerville and US6. When I got there it wasn't on the shoulder, but there was quite a bit of blood, and two highway patrolmen making sure it didn't go anywhere. Sounds like a car hit it, but I never spotted the car. Based on the size of the moose, my guess is the car didn't fair very well.


----------



## moneyman (Jan 30, 2004)

godot said:


> There was a large, dead moose on I70 between Bakerville and US6. When I got there it wasn't on the shoulder, but there was quite a bit of blood, and two highway patrolmen making sure it didn't go anywhere. Sounds like a car hit it, but I never spotted the car. Based on the size of the moose, my guess is the car didn't fair very well.


I saw the blood. It looked recent, but I never would have guessed a moose.


----------



## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

My two buddies and I started about 7:00am. The climb to Juniper Pass went well and my two buddies (first time TBP riders) were going great.

After getting down the mountain, the ride up to the bottom of Loveland was no fun, at least for me.

Got my second wind climbing Loveland. Got in a little rain in the Swan Mountain area and stopped at the rest area. Another buddy was calling it a day and we looked at the radar on his iPhone. It was ugly over Vail Pass.

We decided to continue to Frisco and make a decision there. 

After arriving at Frisco, the clouds looked even worse and I could smell the coffee from my room about 5 blocks away.

So we called it a day.


----------



## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

I didn't ride but sagged for a friend. He's not a fast rider and it took him about 12hrs to finish. By the time he got to Copper, the rain was pretty steady and his knee was giving him trouble. I drove him from Copper to the top of Vail Pass and he finished strong from there. Lots of people were filling up the Conoco station at Copper.


----------



## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

moneyman said:


> I felt really good voer squaw pass, but got cooked on the Georgetown to Loveland leg. Actually, I didn't feel bad until we hit the interstate.


That section ALWAYS kills me. Once you make it to Loveland you've usually got it in the bag though. Congrats though...it's a tough ride. Seems much longer than the mileage would suggest.


----------



## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Maybe New Belgium would be willing to put up big $ to rename the Triple Bypass to the Trippel Bypass????


----------



## camocreation (Sep 18, 2008)

Anyone know how the guy is that hit the pole along the bike trail (after the final station but before the finish line)? He was bleeding pretty badly from his head.


----------



## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

camocreation said:


> Anyone know how the guy is that hit the pole along the bike trail (after the final station but before the finish line)? He was bleeding pretty badly from his head.


No - but I've oftern wondered why those poles had to be in the middle of the path.


----------



## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

Not sure any cares but here's data for the 1st 2 passes

squaw - 14.57 miles, 3375 vertical, avg grade 4.3
loveland - 27.47 miles, 4557 vertical, avg grade 3.1

i forgot to hit the lap button on the gps for vail.


----------



## VoodooCadillac (Jun 15, 2008)

7 hours, 35 minute ride time. Started just about 5:50 AM, finished about 1:50 PM. Fortunately, missed the storm. In general, very good experience. Very conservative on the first climb, and again on the early slopes of Loveland, but started going much quicker near the top of Loveland. Managed to tag onto a really good group through Vail and into Avon, so shared the headwind "load" with some other riders.


----------



## PeterD in Bugaha (Aug 22, 2005)

*Not quite 2006, but...*

I was unfortunate enough to have my first Triple the 2006 edition. It was raining the day before the event, it was raining when I started, it was raining/sleeting on top of each pass, and it was raining until 10 miles from Avon. 

So, this year's version wasn't nearly as bad, although it rained from Copper to Vail. I was nursing along a first-timer, so waiting cost me a dry finish. I did scamper up Loveland at about 9.5 mph, with another unknown sucking wheel. Ascending Loveland quickly is always the highlight of the trip, but then I had to wait on top of Loveland for my pal, prolly 30 minutes. 

Hit the Starbucks at Copper for hot coffee, as many others. On top of Vail waited under the tents for a break in the rain, which never came, then charged down to Vail through miserable driving rain, which ruined the fun part where you descend on the old highway. 

Good chow at the end. My friend was shivering, so we ate quickly and went for refuge in the heated car. I think this will be my last year, as it makes four in a row. Great event, well-organized, but BTDT. 

PeterD in Bugaha


----------



## moneyman (Jan 30, 2004)

Governor Ritter, he of the Greenie State, also rode the road. I KNOW I passed him somewhere along the line, as I started later and finished earlier. Can't say that about a lot of people, but I know I am faster than him!

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12829705


----------



## topmounter (Jun 30, 2009)

I got to the top of Vail Pass just as the rain started... that was just the kick in the pants I needed to finish strong.

I've ridden from Breck to Vail pass numerous times in the past, but wow what a miserable experience that was with so many people coming and going on that little bike path. Fortunately as the sky darkened towards the top, there were fewer people coming down Vail Pass... I was dreading the possibility of waves of cruiser bike shuttlers flying down the bike path.

And the water was good until Breckenridge where they were filling up the coolers with rubbers hoses attached to outdoor spigots... it tasted AWFUL and did a number on my stomach. Fortunately I was able to get some bottled water at the convenience store coming into Copper.

And yeah, the gravel patch wasn't bad at all, actually a nice change of pace... not sure what all the griping and moaning was about exactly, but there was a lot of anxiety about it at the aid station just before Gtown.


----------



## suprcivic (Apr 10, 2009)

i totally missed the moose. i must have spaced. 

i saw a couple of people flat on the dirt section... such is life.

i had rain for the last 1/2 hour or so.

those poles on the path are deadly! apparently, i came through before the accident, but i heard about it from a friend. that path is certainly not designed for the volume it sees this one day a year.

all in all it was a good ride. i'm glad i earned my jersey. am i a real colorado cyclist now?


----------

