The Denver Post Ride The Rockies

June 08 - June 14 2025

Durango Colorado USA

Unconfirmed

Distances: 60, 84, 100 miles

Limited to: 2000 Participants

The 35th annual Ride the Rockies features the stunning roads of southwest Colorado, with this year’s start and finish situated in Durango, one of the Centennial State’s most popular outdoor recreation and tourism destinations.

Along with easy access to some of Colorado’s best road and mountain bike riding, Durango offers visitors a plethora of recreation and leisure opportunities. Ride the historic Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, raft the rollicking whitewater of the Animas River, or simply enjoy delicious food and drink at one of the town’s many great restaurants and bars. Durango has it all.

And for the third year in a row, the Ride the Rockies route is a loop, simplifying logistics while taking riders on a breathtaking adventure around one of the most scenic areas in all of Colorado. Besides Durango, other host communities along this 6-day, 418-mile clockwise tour include Cortez, Norwood, and Ouray County. Along the way are challenging uphill encounters with Lizard Head Pass, Red Mountain Pass, Molas Pass, and Coal Bank Pass, which together account for the bulk of the route’s 28,484 feet of climbing.

In 1986, The Denver Post created the premier Ride The Rockies (RTR) Colorado Bicycle Tour. Over 1,500 riders came from around the country to participate in the six day, cross-state tour. The Tour was an immediate success, and The Post has produced the ride every June since. Participants each year represent all fifty states and several foreign countries.

In 1987, the registration limit was raised to 2,000 cyclists, and in 1989 a lottery registration system was implemented to keep pace with the event’s ever increasing popularity.

In 2011, The Denver Post Community Foundation was established as a separate 501(c)(3) organization and serves to broaden the reach of the Posts’ philanthropic giving. At that time, Ride The Rockies became a Signature Event of The Denver Post Community Foundation and helps support nonprofit agencies that work to improve the lives of Coloradans in the towns hosting Ride The Rockies.

Because Ride The Rockies chooses different routes every year, the outreach and ability to support many nonprofits throughout Colorado is grand. To date, Tour routes have traveled through the following communities: Alamosa, Aspen, Avon, Boulder, Breckenridge, Buena Vista, Cañon City, Carbondale, Castle Rock, Chama, Colorado Springs, Copper Mountain, Cortez, Craig, Crested Butte, Delta, Denver, Durango, Edwards, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Frisco, Georgetown, Glenwood Springs, Grand Lake, Golden, Granby, Grand Junction, Greeley, Gunnison, Hotchkiss, Idaho Springs, Leadville, Manitou Springs, Montrose, Ouray, Pagosa Springs, Ridgway, Rifle, Salida, Silverton, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, Trinidad, Vail, Walsenburg, Westcliffe and Winter Park.

The Ride The Rockies, Denver Post Community Foundation Grant Program allows RTR to provide a $5,000 grant to a deserving nonprofit in each Ride The Rockies host community. The Grant Program funds nonprofit organizations that provide services for low-income children and youth through community programs that support recreation and/ or youth education.

Since the program began in 2001, over $585,000 has been granted to towns throughout the state. Today, The Denver Post and The Denver Post Community Foundation remain dedicated and continue to serve communities throughout Colorado with Signature Events such as Ride The Rockies and its sister bike tour, Pedal The Plains. By continuing its rich legacy of giving, and through the support of many, these programs are able to improve and enrich the lives of so many in need in our community.

The Denver Post Ride The Rockies