Ten of us took off early Sunday morning under beautiful blue skies. Cherry Creek Trail was overflowing with riders and peds all the way down to Confluence Park. We headed south up a very swollen Platte River to our first formal stop at Hudson Gardens in Littleton for snacks and beverages. 3 riders turned around there with 18 miles, giving them a respectable 36+ miles for the day.

We continued south to the C470/Centennial Trail and up to Santa Fe Dr. After crossing Santa Fe, we climbed Kick Ass Hill for about a mile to the junction with the High Line Canal. Tracy showed all of us and several other riders the proper way to tackle that hill.

The High Line Canal is an urban jewel that is underutilized, even on a weekend. We followed its meandering tree-lined course through Littleton to our lunch stop at Quizno’s at Arapahoe Rd and University Blvd. We lost another rider there due to a commitment to his own birthday party.

After a relaxing lunch on a cool, shady lawn watching two people fix flats, we headed along the Canal into Greenwood Village. I can’t imagine a better way to see how the other half lives than riding past their backyard acreages. Reality beckoned as we rode into Denver along Colorado Blvd, before rejoining the trail at Eisenhower Park. Street crossings are numerous and more taxing on this part of the trail. We headed to the intersection with the Cherry Creek Trail near Hampden Heights.

The threatening skies entertained us with multiple lightning strikes in the distance to the west. After reaching my house, an astute engineer notified us we were a few clicks short of the required 100 km. I remounted my trusty steed and joined them for a lap around Wash Park to satisfy the advertised distance.

Snacks, dinner, beverages and ibuprofen were enjoyed by the remaining five. Thanks to Tracy, Phil, Taylor, Courtney, Alexis, Sharlie, Mike, Meredith and Jon for making this a great ride. Mike, Meredith and Tracy worked the ride on their fixies, I was the sole person on a single speed. Plan on joining us next year.

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