Was just up in Durango & area and camped at Molas Lake. Drove into Silverton and thought what a fantastic road bike challenge this must be(had the MTB's that week for trails in and around Durango. Animas Mtn., Colorado trail, etc..) Anyway. Has anyone here done the ride from Durango to Silverton? And how much of a lung buster plus safety issue did it prove to be? I might be able to eek out one way but not up and back. Hope to visit again soon. You all have some awesome country!

Thanks

Was just up in Durango & area and camped at Molas Lake. Drove into Silverton and thought what a fantastic road bike challenge this must be(had the MTB's that week for trails in and around Durango. Animas Mtn., Colorado trail, etc..) Anyway. Has anyone here done the ride from Durango to Silverton? And how much of a lung buster plus safety issue did it prove to be? I might be able to eek out one way but not up and back. Hope to visit again soon. You all have some awesome country!

Thanks

There is a Memorial Day race/ride every year. Check out: http://www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com/

The road is closed for the event and you can either ride back or take the train back into Durango. Doing at other times can be dicey with the traffic and weather. Early September (after the crowds have gone) mornings can be great. The ride is fine from Durango to the ski area; after that, be careful - there are no shoulders until you get into Silverton. Early morning rides can beat the traffic but it can also get real chilly.

I did it as an out & back in June from the City Market in Durango. Took a break in the coffee shop in Silverton & headed back up - no problems. The back side of Coal Bank seemed much bigger on the way back, and I got caught in a snow/sleet cel for a couple miles, but overall a teriffic ride! top of Coal Bank back to Durango was a pure sled ride - a bit flatter than I hoped from Hermosa on, but still fast. I had no problems with traffic at all.

Total was about 94 miles back to the car, so I pedaled around downtown Durango to finish out with a century.

I'll definately be doing the race next year.

Was just up in Durango & area and camped at Molas Lake. Drove into Silverton and thought what a fantastic road bike challenge this must be(had the MTB's that week for trails in and around Durango. Animas Mtn., Colorado trail, etc..) Anyway. Has anyone here done the ride from Durango to Silverton? And how much of a lung buster plus safety issue did it prove to be? I might be able to eek out one way but not up and back. Hope to visit again soon. You all have some awesome country!

Thanks

Yup - did the IHBC race this spring. It's definitely a brutal ride, but very satisfying. Lots and lots of people ride it in a non-race situation, and its a farily safe road.

If you have your MTB, you can ride from Molas to Coal Bank via the Colorado Trail. Probably the longest 17 miles on a MTB I have done. Over 12000 feet almost the whole way.

My wife and I did the Classic a few years ago and just this last July I did the grind as a training ride for the Triple ByPass. It's a great ride. The traffic wasn't that bad (compared to Denver/Boulder) and the cars tend to give you lots of room. I did it early in the morning and had my wife and daughter pick me up at the top. We ate lunch and drove back down.

If you get a chance, and happen to need some new shorts, check out the Mountain bike store on the north side of the street. It's called Mountain bike specialists or something like that. They sell the Boure shorts that are made in Durango. I needed (wanted) new shorts and ended up with 2 pair before leaving town. Nice folks in there also. They had some good suggestions for routes also.

Have fun. Do the ride to Silverton. KJ

My wife and I did the Classic a few years ago and just this last July I did the grind as a training ride for the Triple ByPass. It's a great ride. The traffic wasn't that bad (compared to Denver/Boulder) and the cars tend to give you lots of room. I did it early in the morning and had my wife and daughter pick me up at the top. We ate lunch and drove back down.

If you get a chance, and happen to need some new shorts, check out the Mountain bike store on the north side of the street. It's called Mountain bike specialists or something like that. They sell the Boure shorts that are made in Durango. I needed (wanted) new shorts and ended up with 2 pair before leaving town. Nice folks in there also. They had some good suggestions for routes also.

Have fun. Do the ride to Silverton. KJ
Yeah...have done that ride as part of Ride the Rockies before. Great route. Silverton is a cool town to spend some time in. Roads are pretty good. It does get up there in altitude so I'd do the ride soon or you'll need snow tires.

[QUOTE= It does get up there in altitude so I'd do the ride soon or you'll need snow tires.[/QUOTE]

Driving up from Ouray in June there was a guy about half way up the pass on a packed touring bike. He had a good long way before he got to Silverton. We passed him and about 2 miles later it was snowing hard. He must have had a long day in the saddle. Hope he made it.

There was also a pack of Harleys going the other way. They didn't seem to be enjoying themselves very much in the snow.

Two days later I did the ride from Durango to Silverton in blue skies and a headwind!

for the info. Looked over the website and will try and gear up for next year's ride. Certainly lives up to its nickname "million dollar highway". Also will keep in mind the 17 mile MTB ride mentioned via the Co trail. So many trails, so little time. Gotta give props to the Silverton Train. Hadn't been on an open gondola ride so scenic ever...

Cheers.