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Cyclists conquer Colorado High Country in iconic Copper Triangle bike ride

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Cody Jones

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Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
An athlete smiles after completing the Copper Triangle bike ride on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

As the summer season slowly comes to a close, cyclists from across the state and region gathered at Copper Mountain Resort on Saturday, Aug. 2, for the Copper Triangle. 

Although there is still some time to log some warm-weather miles on the bike, it will not be long before mountain passes are once again covered in ice and snow. Soaking in the mild, late-summer weather, cyclists departed on Saturday for a ride across the Colorado High Country. 

The 79-mile road ride features breathtaking scenery, gorgeous roads and climbs over 10,000 feet. 

All participants begin near the base area at Copper Mountain before climbing to the top of Fremont Pass at 11,318 feet. From there, cyclists cruise down the backside of Fremont Pass before climbing over Tennessee Pass at 10,424 feet. Cyclists are then tasked with climbing over one final mountain pass —Vail Pass — before cruising back down to Copper Mountain to the east.

In total, bikers must climb close to 6,500 feet over the course of the ride. 

This year, the Copper Triangle welcomed riders from 44 different states as well as athletes from Spain, Mexico and Great Britain.

Although the Copper Triangle is advertised more as a challenging ride, as opposed to a race, athletes did not take the feat of endurance lightly. Instead, riders pushed themselves to their limits from the beginning of the multi-hour ride. 

As the area was blanketed in rain in the early morning hours on Saturday, cyclists swiftly pedaled away from Copper’s Center Village and traveled along Copper Road before turning right onto Highway 91 towards Fremont Pass. 

The dreary conditions to start, may have been disheartening for many, but the participating athletes powered through and continued to cycle to the top of the grueling mountain passes As participants began to crest Fremont Pass and traveled closer to the town of Leadville, the clouds drifted away, giving way to semi-cloudy skies and warmer conditions for the remainder of the ride.

For Copper Triangle second-time participants Dave and Cindy Hammer of Des Moines, Iowa, the Copper Triangle was another opportunity for the couple to have fun on their tandem bike.

“We did a Copper angle,” Dave Hammer said. “We rode up to the first pass and it was kind of a morale buster. Turned around and bombed back down to the bottom, dried off, got some coffee, waited for it to warm up and then we rode up to the top of Vail Pass. At our age we want to keep it fun. It was cold and wet and rainy, so we made lemonade out of lemons.”

Once the majority of the riders made their way back to Copper, the true celebration got underway. After working up an appetite over the nearly 80-mile ride, cyclists enjoyed an Alpine celebration which included a post-ride lunch, a beer garden and an exhibitor festival.

The post-ride atmosphere was elevated to a new level as DJ Bertie began spinning tunes for the still somewhat energetic riders.

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Beyond being a cornerstone event for people to partake in during the summer, the Copper Triangle works to support the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s. 

Davis Phinney is a renowned cyclist who has won an Olympic bronze medal and was a Tour de France stage winner. Additionally, Phinney has celebrated the most victories of any cyclist in American history.

Following his retirement from professional cycling, Phinney began feeling ill, spurring a series of tests. In 2000, Davis was diagnosed with Young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD), giving him long-awaited answers to his symptoms.

Since his diagnosis, Phinney has vowed to promote and fund innovative Parkinson’s disease research through the foundation. Annually, a portion of the proceeds from the Copper Triangle go to the foundation.

“I was a bike racer back in the day,” Hammer said. “Davis Phinney was one of my heroes. I have that connection there. I just hope that people know that Parkinson’s can affect anybody. And we are just hoping that the funds will help find a cure for it.”

On Friday night, Aug.1, the festivities got underway at the event’s official happy hour at Mulligan’s Irish Pub. During the happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m., cyclists were able to catch up with old friends and make new connections. The money raised during the happy hour also went to the Davis Phinney Foundation.

To learn more about the daring ride or to sign up for next year’s Copper Triangle, visit TheRideCollective.com/coppertriangle.

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