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MT EVANS FROM BOULDER & BACK...
THE HARD WAY!
by Kyle Richardson


Via SuperFlag-68J-CR97-S.Beaver-OMG-Echo-Evans and back home: Squaw Pass (this needs a new name ASAP)-LookoutMtn-93. 

Check out Kyle''s route on Strava here


And before you look at Kyle''s route in despair and/or mesmerization,  you should know that Kyle is a Black Diamond sponsored mountain athlete, and he holds the current Fastest Known Times (FKT) on the LA Freeway route (linking the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park (Longs Peak) to the highest point in the Indian Peaks (The Arapahos) in 16hrs 28ms), the First Flatiron (30 minutes round trip) , the Third Flatiron (30 minutes round trip), and many more local mountainous routes. 



Such a good day! I initially thought I would head up Mags and sneak the BoCan construction, but ended waiting at the light for 5mins and lost patience. SuperFlag it was. Not the best way to start the day, but actually wasn''t that bad. Just tried to go as easy as possible seeing as it was going to be a big day vert wise. Very thankful for the 32mm tubeless tires on 68J. They held up great all day. Rain the previous night had made things quite tacky and fun! Nice to hit some dirt while making my way towards the P2P. First time on CR97 and South Beaver.



Frothy Cup in ID Springs was clutch! Late breakfast and a spro'' hit the spot. I guess places are slowly opening back up. Bit of a headwind and grind to Echo Lake. Felt like I shoulda been there...but that section of road went on for a minute. 



Felt MUCH better on the 14 mile stretch to the summit vs 2 years ago. I bonked outta my mind 2 years ago, and today it felt much more manageable. 



I mean it was still hard...but I wasn''t just granny gearing it the whole way. Road was dry minus 4-5 little snow patches after summit lake. Couldn''t really ride around them, but they were short. 



Lots of clouds around had me ready to send it back down the hill if I heard thunder or lightning, but luckily there was a nice patch of blue sky over the summit!


"Fast & responsive on the tarmac, yet nimble & supple off-road, the Giant Defy is my go-to bike for all day adventures no matter the conditions" 
Kyle Richardson

DEMO THE GIANT DEFY