What's New for 2016?

1. 2016 Colorado Triple Crown...one for the climbers! 
Okay...maybe this statement isn't 100% accurate since all of the events of the Colorado Triple Crown have an incredible amount of vertical gain. But the 2016 Colorado Triple Crown does include three of the most challenging double centuries in the world: Cycle to Saturn Double Century, Colorado Classic Double Century, and the Cripple Creek Crippler. And for comparison, the 2016 series has about 7,500 more feet of climbing than the 2015 series. So the 2016 series definitely has the greatest amount of vertical gain to date!

We are taking a one-year hiatus from the Colorado Death Ride and Denver-to-Aspen. The reasons for this are multi-fold, but the primary goal is to keep the series "fresh" for our participants as we continue to infuse the series with EPIC, new events! So please don't fret! The Colorado Death Ride and Denver to Aspen will be back in 2017, along with at least one (if not two!) fresh new rides! Our wonderful state simply has too many spectacular places to explore!

2. Qualification
We will continue to use last season's pre-qualification guidelines, which give more riders from outside the RMCC access to the series.

Participants who have not met the pre-qualification requirements listed below can still register and participate, but they will need to ride with a personal support vehicle until they can demonstrate that they can safely complete at least one of the Triple Crown events within its designated time limit. 

To pre-qualify, prospective participants must complete one of the following events in the previous 24 months:

1. Any Colorado Triple Crown event
2. A mountainous double century (or longer) event in another part of the country (time required for verification)
3. One of the RMCC-sponsored 300 km brevets in less than 14 hours
4. Successful completion of another extreme endurance event of at least 12 hours duration:

• Ironman Triathlon < 14 hours (time required for verification)
• 50+ mile mountainous running ultra-marathon < 12 hours

As in previous seasons, RMCC membership is still be required to participate! 

3. Registration

1. Fees. Registration fees will remain the same for 2016 ($40-50/event). Please keep in mind that these are cost recovery fees for running these events. These fees barely cover our expenses for supporting these rides. We do not turn a profit for running these events!  
2. Registration is now open! Click on the links below to register. Once you see your name on the appropriate roster on the right tab of this blog, you'll know that your registration is complete:
1. Colorado High Country Double Century
2. Cycle to Saturn Double Century
3. Colorado Classic Double Century
4. Crippler Creek Crippler
5. Tim Kalisch Memorial Grand Loop
3. Withdrawal. For those individuals who have registered for an event and need to withdraw, they can do so up to 2 weeks prior to the date of the event for a full refund. Within 2 weeks, refunds will not be granted. 
4. Transfers. Registration fees are NOT be transferrable between events less than 2 weeks prior to the date of the event. So please plan ahead!

4. Volunteers

We are 100% dependent on volunteer support!!! 
For 2016, we are continuing to ask (i.e., beg) for volunteer help!  I'm not going to lie! Volunteering for one of these events is a long day...usually between 12-21 hours! And it usually involves getting up well before the crack of dawn. But volunteering can be quite a bit of fun too! For 2016, we will provide the following incentives to volunteer:

1. If a rider volunteers for an event, he/she can participate in another Triple Crown event for free.
2. Riders who volunteer may pre-ride or post-ride an event sometime during 2016 to receive official Colorado Triple Crown credit. This is the only situation that we will allow participants to pre- or post-ride and receive credit for completing the event.
3. Volunteers who provide SAG/driving support for the event will be reimbursed for their mileage  accrued during the event (at the current Federal rate). We will also reimburse for volunteer motels and food/snack purchases accrued during the event. 

Notes:

• If we are unable to secure volunteers for an event, the event will still be contested in brevet format (i.e., without support). Please be aware of this! If this situation does occur, participants can expect to receive a partial refund for that event.

5. 2016 Colorado Triple Crown Stage Race
The following Triple Crown events are included in next season's stage race. The rider with the fastest cumulative time for the following three events wins the series:

1. Colorado High Country Double Century
2. Cycle to Saturn Double Century
3. Cripple Creek Crippler

6. Triple Crown Kits

Riders who complete the extremely challenging 2016 Colorado Triple Crown Series are eligible to purchase one of our stealthy Colorado Triple Crown kits. If we have registration funds left over at the end of the season, I will apply these funds toward the purchase of next season's kits.

Happy holidays and bring on 2016! Let the climbing begin!!!

Mark Lowe

e-mail: mvlowe5@comcast.net 

2016 Colorado Triple Crown and Challenge Series Calendar

Okay...anticipation is already building for the 2016 season! Here's the preliminary Colorado Triple Crown and Challenge Series schedule. The 2016 Series is definitely a climber's series, so get ready to climb! 2016 Colorado Triple Crown calendar:

1. June 11, 2016: Colorado High Country Double Century (Boulder to Steamboat), 207 miles, 12,000 feet. (This is the only point-to-point event on the calendar next year. Please start making arrangements for transportation back to Boulder ASAP!) 
2. June 25, 2016: Cycle to Saturn Double Century, 200 miles, 20,000 feet, 7 miles of (tricky) dirt/gravel roads
3. July 9, 2016: Colorado Classic Double Century, 241 miles, 17,000 feet, 41 miles of dirt/gravel roads. (Back-up date: July 10, 2016 if weather conditions are not rideable on July 9)
4. July 30, 2016: Cripple Creek Crippler, 207 miles, 19,000 feet
5. August 20, 2016: Tim Kalisch Memorial Grand Loop, 200 miles 15,500 feet

A few notes:

• These events and dates are subject to change depending on road conditions and construction projects. 
• We are taking a year off from the Colorado Death Ride and Denver-to-Aspen for 2016. These two events will be back in 2017, along with at least one new event!
• The information contained on this blog for each event has not been updated yet. I will be updating these over the next few weeks! 
• We are still uncertain if the Just for Kids Foundation in Telluride will host the Mountains to Desert/Telluride 200 in 2016. Last year's double century event was cancelled due to lack of pre-registered riders. If the Telluride 200 is contested on September 24, 2016, riders hoping to complete the Colorado Triple Crown will receive credit for the event if they successfully complete the ride within the challenging time restriction. 

2016 RMCC Challenge Series Events

These events are timed events, shorter than the Triple Crown rides, but meant to help prepare riders for the rigors of the Colorado Triple Crown.

1. April 29, 2016: Foothills Climbfest, 80 miles, 8000 feet. We have traditionally contested this timed ride during Memorial Day weekend in May. But in order to avoid conflict with other events on the RMCC calendar, we will likely hold this ride in April this season. 
2. May 28, 2016: Boulder Fearsome Five, 100 miles, 15,000+ feet of climbing...back for the first time since the epic floods of 2013!
3. Sept 2016, TBD. Gold Belt Century, Colorado Springs. If you don't have a gravel or cross bike, you will need one for this incredible century! More details to come soon! 

Guanella Pass will be entirely paved from Georgetown to Grant for 2016,  making this year's Cycle to Saturn Double Century perhaps a bit easier?!? Come and find out for yourself!