View Full Version : Boulder to Lyons, CO 11/7/07


Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 11:34 AM
Boulder, CO to Lyons...around the lower "fruit loop" and home. Nice weather today...probably close to 70F but a bit windy. The cheezy bronze statue photo is for MB1...I hear he likes statues. And yes...I am wearing headphones and taking pix while I'm riding...deal with it. :)

Dave Hickey
11-07-2007, 11:53 AM
Great shots...hills are something I don't me much of.... How many miles was the ride?

asterisk
11-07-2007, 12:00 PM
Cool shots, the silver CXPs with chrome rear stays = hotness.

Also, the jersey + the chain is almost Cipo territory.

MB1
11-07-2007, 12:07 PM
I can tell we are not in the city anymore.

Laying it down on the drivetrain is no way to treat a 'Nag.

Nice statues, how is ol' Ron doing anyway?

Man, I hate to see those kind of speed limits on a ride. Cars give you lots of room?

BTW nice post.

Pablo
11-07-2007, 12:07 PM
Great shots...hills are something I don't me much of.... How many miles was the ride?
I think the fruit loops is in the 40 to 50 miles range depending on where in Boulder you start.

By the way, BJII, very "Guido" with the gold chains and open neck. How many dozen people did you pass?

Pablo
11-07-2007, 12:10 PM
Man, I hate to see those kind of speed limits on a ride. Cars give you lots of room?
I've ridden that strip of road about three billion times. They're commies in Boulder, they give you lots of room as most cars have on average two cyclist-passengers.

Sledgehammer03
11-07-2007, 12:15 PM
Nice ride BJ II. Wednesdays sure beat Saturdays and Sundays on that stretch.

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 12:17 PM
Great shots...hills are something I don't me much of.... How many miles was the ride?
about 32 miles--only did the bottom fruit loop..not the upper "apple way" one.

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 12:17 PM
Cool shots, the silver CXPs with chrome rear stays = hotness.

Also, the jersey + the chain is almost Cipo territory.

Just had that wheel rebuilt...tied and soldered even...old school! :)

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 12:20 PM
I think the fruit loops is in the 40 to 50 miles range depending on where in Boulder you start.

By the way, BJII, very "Guido" with the gold chains and open neck. How many dozen people did you pass?

Yeah...wore the long sleeve insulated jersey, but it was too hot for it today. There were a ton of people out. Passed a good number, got passed by a couple. Wasn't really riding all that hard...more interested in taking some pix...

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 12:22 PM
I've ridden that strip of road about three billion times. They're commies in Boulder, they give you lots of room as most cars have on average two cyclist-passengers.
They are a bit more aggressive during the week (and there are more trucks), but that shoulder is super-wide so no worries.

Speaking of cars crashing into bikes, did you see that Scott Kornfield (pic below...guy who was killed on Memorial Day by a kid that fell asleep driving) has a permanent memorial outside Boulder now?

Pablo
11-07-2007, 12:33 PM
They are a bit more aggressive during the week (and there are more trucks), but that shoulder is super-wide so no worries.

Speaking of cars crashing into bikes, did you see that Scott Kornfield (pic below...guy who was killed on Memorial Day by a kid that fell asleep driving) has a permanent memorial outside Boulder now?
No. I remember when it happened a few years ago (if I'm thinking of the right accident). It's nice to have a memorial.

As an aside, they should build Hampsten a statute. Doesn't Frank Shorter have one?

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 12:34 PM
No. I remember when it happened a few years ago (if I'm thinking of the right accident). It's nice to have a memorial.

As an aside, they should build Hampsten a statute. Doesn't Frank Shorter have one?

Yeah they should...Not sure if the Shorter statue is still there. I think the sculptor took it back after people kept cutting off the legs with a hacksaw.

bigrider
11-07-2007, 02:09 PM
I want your wheels. I like the cxp33 stuff. Nice pics. It looks like you are staring winter in the face.

Bocephus Jones II
11-07-2007, 02:13 PM
I want your wheels. I like the cxp33 stuff. Nice pics. It looks like you are staring winter in the face.
They are good "big guy" wheels. The latest rebuild seems really nice--even stiffer than before. The tension is super even and I think I can tell some difference in increased stiffness from the tying and soldering.

Leaves are finally all falling from the trees--it was warm today, but snow will be coming soon. Really though...it never gets all that cold here and any significant snow usually melts in less than a week.

DrRoebuck
11-07-2007, 09:46 PM
Sweet report, BJII. For some reason I was expecting you to be draped in duct tape for this ride.

Bulldozer
11-08-2007, 06:03 AM
Did you have a tailwind on the way back? I couldn't tell if the wind was coming out of the west or north yesterday.

Bocephus Jones II
11-08-2007, 06:24 AM
Did you have a tailwind on the way back? I couldn't tell if the wind was coming out of the west or north yesterday.

Yeah...there was a tailwind in sections coming back though most of it was crosswind. It was tough heading out against the wind. I kept looking at my speed and heart rate and the heart rate seemed way too high for the speed I was going. Looks like it's blowing again today.

mohair_chair
11-08-2007, 06:55 AM
It's amazing how much this resembles riding into the Sierra foothills in California gold country. Except for the red rock, of course.

Chain
11-08-2007, 07:23 AM
Nice ride beejz. Thanks for showing me what I've been missing. I've been busy for the last month and the bike is collecting dust in the basement. Hopefully I'll make it out for a ride this weekend since life seems to be slowing down a bit. I wish we had some pretty hills a little closer to the sticks, but the only thing growing out here are new subdivisions. Grrrrr.

Antonio_B
11-08-2007, 07:37 AM
Great report, BJ.

Like MB1, I shuddered a bit when I saw the Speed Limit sign. Visions of speeding cars passing too close for comfort filled my brain.

That's some beautiful country you gots there.

Chain
11-08-2007, 07:44 AM
Man, I hate to see those kind of speed limits on a ride. Cars give you lots of room?I prefer to see the 60mph signs farther up in the hills when you can approach the speed limit on the downhills. Mucho more funo. :thumbsup:

Actually around here even on the backroads the speed limits are around 45 with the cars going faster than that. Guess I'm just used to it at this point. Generally the cars give you plenty of room, but there are the few idjuts that don't.

bsaunder
11-08-2007, 11:44 AM
Nice pictures!

Man, I miss riding around Boulder at lunch time.....

10ae1203
11-10-2007, 04:51 AM
Does that Vrain road have anything to do with the St. Vrain stream? Is that the stream in the photos?

From reading John Gierach, I remember hearing about the St. Vrain. Having never been that far west, it'd be interesting if that was it.

Pablo
11-10-2007, 05:50 AM
Does that Vrain road have anything to do with the St. Vrain stream? Is that the stream in the photos?

From reading John Gierach, I remember hearing about the St. Vrain. Having never been that far west, it'd be interesting if that was it.
South St. Vrain creek comes down Highway 7 and North St. Vrain comes down Highway 36. They meet in Lyons and flow down into the CIty of Longmont where the Boulder Creek drains into the St. Vrain. The St. Vrain continues east for some 20-ish more miles where it flows into the South Platte River.

So, yes, it's the creek from John Gierach's books, I imagine. However, like most streams in Colorado and especially on the Front Range, one the creeks leave the mountains, they realy cease to be rivers and streams, and become irrigation gullies.

10ae1203
11-10-2007, 09:50 AM
Looks like nice country out there.

teoteoteo
11-11-2007, 04:27 PM
Nice photos, I rode some of that strip in March. I was interviewing for a job in Longmont and the guys took me on a ride to help sell me but the ride was hellish. Manure smells, high speed traffic, and crap all over the road. Of course I knew my experience was just bad luck, or a bad guide, because in my mind the ride would have been more like the photos here. Nice job, I'd like to come ride without the pressure of job interviews or moving attached.

Bocephus Jones II
11-11-2007, 04:51 PM
Nice photos, I rode some of that strip in March. I was interviewing for a job in Longmont and the guys took me on a ride to help sell me but the ride was hellish. Manure smells, high speed traffic, and crap all over the road. Of course I knew my experience was just bad luck, or a bad guide, because in my mind the ride would have been more like the photos here. Nice job, I'd like to come ride without the pressure of job interviews or moving attached.

That's Longmont...not Boulder. :)

eddy
11-11-2007, 10:33 PM
Looks very cool, BJII! Nice smooth roads. Makes me want to ride more. :)

bigbill
11-12-2007, 10:04 AM
I did my sophmore and junior years of HS just North of Lafayette. My dad was still in Longmont for a couple of years after I joined the Navy. I used to ride that route all the time when I would visit. Is Andrea's restaurant still in Lyons? I went to HS with her son Mark. I will be honest, the cars on that section of road always scared the crap out of me if I was riding alone. Never a problem with a group. I did the ride up through Ward a few times. I had a lot of friends who were "Ward Rats". People named Star, Chrysalis, etc. I am sure it has changed since the hippies are approaching social security age.

Bocephus Jones II
11-12-2007, 10:07 AM
I did my sophmore and junior years of HS just North of Lafayette. My dad was still in Longmont for a couple of years after I joined the Navy. I used to ride that route all the time when I would visit. Is Andrea's restaurant still in Lyons? I went to HS with her son Mark. I will be honest, the cars on that section of road always scared the crap out of me if I was riding alone. Never a problem with a group. I did the ride up through Ward a few times. I had a lot of friends who were "Ward Rats". People named Star, Chrysalis, etc. I am sure it has changed since the hippies are approaching social security age.
Not sure about Andreas restaurant. Lyons has really expanded though. Lots of new homes.

Ward is pretty much the same as you remember it. They lost their town sherrif so now the county sherriff is in charge, but pretty sure it's still the Wild West up there.


//looked it up...still there:

http://www.lyons-colorado.com/dining/dining.htm

Chain
11-12-2007, 10:36 AM
I did my sophmore and junior years of HS just North of Lafayette.
Centarus HS? If so what year?