— A New Mountain 300k! —
July 19, 2008

A History - The Coffee Cup Challenge was originally a training ride put together as a parody for preparing for PBP, the famous 1200K brevet in France where riders traverse northern France from Paris to the coast and back, eating as much pastry along the way as prudent to finishing. The idea in the Coffee Cup Challenge was to ride from coffee shop to coffee shop from Golden to Copper Mountain and back all while eat pastries along the way. The person who consumed the most calories won a prize – a diet book! A New Brevet - Back then the ride was actually named after a famous coffee franchise that is known to have coffee stores all along the I-70 corridor and beyond. It is now a new brevet in the RMCC brevet series and has a non-trademarked name and alas there is no prize for consuming the most calories. There is however the prize of putting in a day of climbing from Golden over Loveland Pass to Copper Mountain ski area and back – ascending to over 11,000 feet twice with some 12,000 vertical total! The Inside Story - The ride starts at 3:30 am and immediately climbs up Lookout Mountain and over Floyd Hill to Idaho Springs. From there you head up Route 6 on the well known Triple-by-Pass route to Copper Mountain. There are many controls along the way, all coffee shops, as well as other occasions to get food at super markets. The route travels the bike path from Frisco to Copper Mountain, allowing riders the opportunity to enjoy the burbling sounds of 10-Mile Creek before working their way back up to Loveland pass. Bring a raincoat! While the climb to Loveland on the way back may seem daunting riders will find that it is over quickly and one is rewarded with the long downhill return to Idaho Springs. After refueling in Idaho Springs, the rider only has to tackle the short, steep ride up Floyd Hill, which by now might seem a bit harder than it actually is, before enjoying the reward of descending down Lookout mountain to the finish. Care for a Comparison? - Like the Grand Loop, the CCC has two big climbs, one in the morning (but lower than Trail Ridge Road), and one in the afternoon (a bit higher than Berthoud Pass) … and both with less traffic. Unlike Denver-Aspen, the ride comes back to where it started, and its last big climb is earlier in the ride. But like both of these, the CCC is a big mountain immersion treat! So if you’re missing not having the Grand Loop this year, or don’t have a ride back for D-A, … or are just keen to try something new, give the CCC a try! Join us on July 19 for this new 300K. Check-in time at 3:00 am in Golden.