Boulder to Lake Brainard CO

It was ment to be a warm up for the next day to get used to the elevation in the area of Denver CO. It was a tipp from several locals to go there before the big one – and yes it was a warm up.

Brian and I traveled to Denver for meetings with Tom, the head buyer at Specialized, along with our sales rep, Bradley. After two days of shop visits, I had a long weekend ahead before our next meeting in Milwaukee. I decided to use the opportunity to do some rides around Denver.
My first ride was a gentle acclimatization to Denver's altitude, sitting at 5,280 feet (1,610 meters). I rode to Boulder, where I had worked for Atomic in the early 2000s. After finding a parking spot, I followed the recommended route to Brainard Lake.
Leaving town, the road began to rise gradually. After a warm-up hill and a quick descent, the real climb started. The climb wasn’t very steep but was a steady gain in elevation, averaging 5%. Just before Ward, a small mountain town, the gradient increased to 8%, which felt a bit steeper. From Ward, it was a short climb to Brainard Lake, which sits at 10,300 feet (3,140 meters).
The scenery in the recreation area was stunning, with a few people around and the sun shining. As a warm-up, the ride was quite challenging, and I ended up climbing 1,900 meters. I started to worry it might be too much considering the ride I had planned for the following day—Pikes Peak.

bike: pretty Betty, Specialized Tarmac S-Works
starring: Gerry Samer