Drake Doubleback - a new Brevet and Permanent!

For the April 200k brevet, there will be a new course featuring a spur up Big Thompson Canyon to Drake. It's now also been approved as a Permanent, the Drake Doubleback, in case folks would like to check out the course between now and then, which I did on February 13.

The Big Thompson Canyon Narrows are the most dramatic part of the canyon:

... giving way to the more open landscape you also see in the Poudre Canyon:
Turnaround is at the junction of US-34 and the Glen Haven Road, featuring the River Forks Inn at Drake:
As you exit back through the Narrows, the landscape opens out ...

... and you cut through the snowflecked Hogback (hopefully not snowflecked in April, but you never know):

The second half of the ride provides plenty of panoramas, including this one from Rd. 13, a Permanents favorite, en route to Platteville, de rigueur for Plains Perms:

This route aims to provide some relatively mild early-season climbing, with plenty of canyon scenery to inspire and distract. If you think you might enjoy a preview, let me know and enjoy!

-jle