The best road cycling routes around Valmont

Steep. Bring your gears. Wonderful views. Ride it early during the week

Fourmile Canyon Road is a popular cycling spot that connects Boulder Canyon all the way up to the "ghost town" of Gold Hill via Gold Run Road, Gold Hill Road, and the Peak to Peak Highway. This particular section of Fourmile is from Boulder Canyon to Poorman Hill Road, another popular gravel road that connects to Sunshine Canyon.

The road up Flagstaff from Chautauqua to Chapman Drive, where you can continue to Artists Point overlooking Boulder, is an iconic Boulder climb. This fun, twisting road (whether you ride up or down) grants you great views over the city as you pass by large sandstone boulders and cliffs, stands of pine trees, and several viewpoints. Watch out for cars on both the ascent and descent, this is a very popular drive for tourists and locals alike and there are several well-trafficked hiking trails off of the road.

The east end of Pearl Street before you reach the Pedestrian Mall has seen a lot of growth these last few years. There are great restaurants and coffee shops as well as shopping. There are several large outdoors stores from well-known brands, including Patagonia, Arc'Teryx, Backcountry, Stio, and Mont Bell, all within a few blocks of each other. Boxcar Coffee is an excellent place for a post (or mid) ride latte and pastry, and its right next to Rapha, a high-end cycling clothing shop that also serves coffee.

Super Flagstaff, or more commonly, "Super Flag," is the name of the tough climb from intersection of the road to the Flagstaff amphitheater and Artist's Point, and Chapman Drive to the true summit of Flagstaff Road, marked by a collection of mailboxes. From the bottom of Flagstaff Mountain by, Chautauqua the total ascent is 1,978 feet with the average gradient at 8.2 percent, but there is also a short, 1,000 foot section which goes at 20 percent. This infamous hill is a favorite among locals. From the top you can either turn around and head back toward town, or continue onward toward the remote-feeling Gross Reservoir on the other side of the mountain.

Although many road cyclists prefer to ride on the narrow, twisting, and well-trafficked road, the recently re-opened Boulder Creek Path, which takes you up to Chapman Drive, is an excellent alternative to what can sometimes be a dangerous-feeling road down the narrow Boulder Canyon. The bike path, which is a mix of concrete and finely-crushed gravel, traverses next to Boulder Creek, crossing under the highway a few times. Sometimes on busy days you can actually move faster on the descent via this path because you're not sitting in traffic with the cars!

The Mountain Fountain is a great little country store in the tiny town of Hygiene in an old grocery store that was built in 1945. It is an extremely well-known and popular stop with local cyclists, and they carry a ton of snacks and drinks for you to refuel on your ride.

After veering off of Lefthand Canyon onto James Canyon Drive, you can enjoy a long climb up (or fast, fun descent down) a road with a wide shoulder between steep cliffs and hills and a creek. Although this isn't a particularly long climb up to Jamestown it's consistent, so finally reaching Jamestown (and the Mercantile) is a welcome treat.