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Best road-bike ride on which to burst your lungs

High Grade Road, Littleton to Conifer

Serious road bikers ride a fine line between simple masochism and insanity. Colorado hosts several full-day rides for the certifiable (the Triple Bypass, or Denver to Aspen), but if you are simply looking for a three-hour (or so) ride that will cause you acute pain, this one can't be beat. Begin at Chatfield State Park on South Wadsworth Boulevard. Head west into the foothills on Deer Creek Canyon Road. Turn left at Phillipsburg (which consists of an abandoned gas station). The road starts out easy enough, but soon turns into a series of killer switchbacks, climbing up what will seem to you like a sheer cliff. When you reach the top of this, you're not even close to done. Stay straight as the road turns into Pleasant Park Road. This climbs steadily (and, apparently, forever) into Conifer. From there it's finally all downhill: Barrel down Route 73, fly down North Turkey Creek Road to South Turkey Creek Road, and complete the vicious circle with a left turn back onto Deer Creek Canyon Road.

Best road-bike ride on which to burst your lungs

High Grade Road, Littleton to Conifer

Serious road bikers ride a fine line between simple masochism and insanity. Colorado hosts several full-day rides for the certifiable (the Triple Bypass, or Denver to Aspen), but if you are simply looking for a three-hour (or so) ride that will cause you acute pain, this one can't be beat. Begin at Chatfield State Park on South Wadsworth Boulevard. Head west into the foothills on Deer Creek Canyon Road. Turn left at Phillipsburg (which consists of an abandoned gas station). The road starts out easy enough, but soon turns into a series of killer switchbacks, climbing up what will seem to you like a sheer cliff. When you reach the top of this, you're not even close to done. Stay straight as the road turns into Pleasant Park Road. This climbs steadily (and, apparently, forever) into Conifer. From there it's finally all downhill: Barrel down Route 73, fly down North Turkey Creek Road to South Turkey Creek Road, and complete the vicious circle with a left turn back onto Deer Creek Canyon Road.

Best casual bike tours

Blazing Saddles

How to get out-of-town guests out of the house: Put 'em on a bike and let 'em go. They'll be in good hands at Blazing Saddles, which is centrally located and close to the bike paths and offers an entire stable of new, state-of-the-art wheeled steeds, from trusty, serviceable mountain bikes to high-tech, full-suspension Stumpjumpers for hardened trail riders. Once your friends have chosen a mount, they can pick one of five planned itineraries, from an easy cycle along the Platte to Confluence Park to the much tougher and higher White Ranch ride; the outfit's Computrak system, a computerized map that's mounted right on the handlebars, will keep them from getting lost even as it recommends restaurants and attractions along the way. Ah. Now you can have the house to yourselves.

Best casual bike tours

Blazing Saddles

How to get out-of-town guests out of the house: Put 'em on a bike and let 'em go. They'll be in good hands at Blazing Saddles, which is centrally located and close to the bike paths and offers an entire stable of new, state-of-the-art wheeled steeds, from trusty, serviceable mountain bikes to high-tech, full-suspension Stumpjumpers for hardened trail riders. Once your friends have chosen a mount, they can pick one of five planned itineraries, from an easy cycle along the Platte to Confluence Park to the much tougher and higher White Ranch ride; the outfit's Computrak system, a computerized map that's mounted right on the handlebars, will keep them from getting lost even as it recommends restaurants and attractions along the way. Ah. Now you can have the house to yourselves.

Best bicycles built for two

Tandem Cycle Works of Colorado

Lynn Dexter and Patrick Gibbons are living proof that two heads -- and pairs of legs -- are better than one: Bike enthusiasts who decided the only way to ride together effectively was to go tandem, the couple opened their shop in reaction to the blank looks they were getting from folks selling what they call "half" bikes at other places. Tandem Cycle Works, one of the largest shops of its kind in the country, not only sells bicycles built for two exclusively, but also offers free adjustments on all bikes sold there, as well as a motherlode of friendly advice for tandem novices. It's double the fun.

Best bicycles built for two

Tandem Cycle Works of Colorado

Lynn Dexter and Patrick Gibbons are living proof that two heads -- and pairs of legs -- are better than one: Bike enthusiasts who decided the only way to ride together effectively was to go tandem, the couple opened their shop in reaction to the blank looks they were getting from folks selling what they call "half" bikes at other places. Tandem Cycle Works, one of the largest shops of its kind in the country, not only sells bicycles built for two exclusively, but also offers free adjustments on all bikes sold there, as well as a motherlode of friendly advice for tandem novices. It's double the fun.

Best bike-riding lesson

Pedal Magic

Reginald Joules has transformed the trauma of learning how to ride a bike into a source of excitement, pride and joy. Joules, a management scientist, first came up with his system in 1984, when he had to teach the sport to his five- and seven-year-old children. In 1996, after he taught a group of kids to ride, one mother suggested that he market his ideas -- and Pedal Magic was born. Joules teaches his patented method in a $20 video, and says it only takes two to five minutes and eliminates the need for training wheels. And adults who never learned to ride -- that's approximately one out of every nine grownups -- can practice the techniques in the basement or garage so others won't see their humiliating attempts. But here's a warning: Students weighing more than 200 pounds should complete the remedial lessons first.

Best bike-riding lesson

Pedal Magic

Reginald Joules has transformed the trauma of learning how to ride a bike into a source of excitement, pride and joy. Joules, a management scientist, first came up with his system in 1984, when he had to teach the sport to his five- and seven-year-old children. In 1996, after he taught a group of kids to ride, one mother suggested that he market his ideas -- and Pedal Magic was born. Joules teaches his patented method in a $20 video, and says it only takes two to five minutes and eliminates the need for training wheels. And adults who never learned to ride -- that's approximately one out of every nine grownups -- can practice the techniques in the basement or garage so others won't see their humiliating attempts. But here's a warning: Students weighing more than 200 pounds should complete the remedial lessons first.

Best trail run

Alderfer/ Three Sisters Park

The hills west of Denver are crisscrossed with trails aplenty, but they aren't all wonderful. Some are poorly maintained (or mangled by mountain-bike tracks); others are too exposed to the harsh summer sun, which at 8,000 feet can fry you before you've hit the two-mile mark. Alderfer Three Sisters, on the west side of Evergreen, offers the best of all worlds: scenic vistas (Mt. Evans looms to the west), nicely maintained trails, steep climbs and thrilling roller-coaster cruises, and protective groves of pine and aspen that are close-enough-together to save your hide, but open enough so that the trails are among the first in the area to dry after a drenching rain.

Best trail run

Alderfer/ Three Sisters Park

The hills west of Denver are crisscrossed with trails aplenty, but they aren't all wonderful. Some are poorly maintained (or mangled by mountain-bike tracks); others are too exposed to the harsh summer sun, which at 8,000 feet can fry you before you've hit the two-mile mark. Alderfer Three Sisters, on the west side of Evergreen, offers the best of all worlds: scenic vistas (Mt. Evans looms to the west), nicely maintained trails, steep climbs and thrilling roller-coaster cruises, and protective groves of pine and aspen that are close-enough-together to save your hide, but open enough so that the trails are among the first in the area to dry after a drenching rain.

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