In early September, I rode the Stove Prairie Saunter 200k Permanent to check out the Stove Prairie road for our September 19 brevet.
The stretch from Masonville to Stove Prairie only reopened earlier this season, after flood damage closed it in several places in 2013.
An early start on the Stove Prairie Saunter.
No fall color change yet on my ride, but you should see splotches of color on the brevet.
75th St. near Hygiene
The Stove Prairie School a welcome sight at the end of the climb.
Heading back down, I encounter a familiar face - it's John Mangin on his way to Pennock Pass (dirt) for a loop down Poudre Canyon.
Fresh from Paris-Brest-Paris, John is wearing his FFCT (Fédération Français de Cyclotourism) jersey and his helmet still sports his PBP frame number. "X" means he was in one of the 84-hour waves, starting around 5am on 9/17.
We got to pet a friendly donkey standing in a field next to where we were chatting.
The major flood damage was in the narrow canyon midway up Buckhorn Road. They have blasted rockface to create a wider road with bike lane on this 1.6-mile stretch. There are also massive culverts.
It's a distinctly different feeling from the intimate canyon stretch before the flood, but still beautiful.
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| On the Stove Prairie 200k in fall of 2004. This is still an open range road. |
Even after the big descents, you surmount the final "12%" grade to get a good view of hills to the south.
And there's still more canyon scenery before reaching Masonville.
We're pleased to be able to offer this scenic and challenging brevet again, and hope you enjoy it!
-jle
