Alright, beautiful state of mountains, red rocks, and ski bums. I've been going easy on ya because you're gorgeous, but it's time to assess the claim that you're a bike-friendly state.
It's true, of all the states I've been to, I've had the warmest reception by Colorado folks, and I've seen more people on bikes here than in all the other states combined. The bike path infrastructure in both Boulder and Denver puts Portland's to shame. But if you think that these kind of attributes make life easier for a touring cyclist, you'd only be partly right.
Theres a reason why the Adventure Cycling Association's Trans-America route comes nowhere near the metropolitan areas of Boulder and Denver, and that's because it's a total jungle for out-of-towners like me. So here's some constructive criticism (for a state that's become near and dear) on how they could make life a little easier for bike tourers.
1. Neighborhood bike paths are cute, but some of us cyclists actually want to get somewhere. The meandering, whimsical route of some of these recreational paths is downright frustrating. To add insult to injury, the designers of the paths have actually worked in extra hills... supposedly to make the ride more interesting for the "after-work" local cyclists.
And when I tire of wandering in scenic loops and hop on an actual road, the traffic is terrifying and the shoulders (frequently) non-existent. So, just know that bike paths are not necessarily a substitute for bike lanes.
2. Boulder is bike-friendly, Denver is bike-friendly, but the 30-40mile stretch between them is anything but. After quizzing each local cyclist I met for a whole week, I still didn't have a clear idea of which route was safe. Thanks to some diligent last -minute research by my friend Pam, we managed to decipher a route the morning that I was leaving. I looked down at the 4pages of maps and directions she handed me, and saw that she'd written "CRUCIAL TURN"on one of the maps, pointing to a vague section of street. "What's the turn called?" I asked.
Pam just shook her head. "I have no idea. I don't even know if that underpass exists". Luckily for me, the underpass did exist, and I found it on the second try: at the edge of a parking lot in a business ark, unsigned and gloomy. Getting out of Denver was a similar, sketchy, urban cycling nightmare.
It's not enough (at least, for those of us on tour) to have bubbles of bike infrastructure. We've got to have a safe, reliable way to go between those bubbles. Not everyone who cycles owns a car to haul their bike from city to city.
More later! I've got to go have breakfast with my Warmshowers hosts.
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