Frequently Asked Questions

The venue for your victimization and victory is:

Chipeta Elementary School
2340 Ramsgate Terrace
Colorado Springs, CO 80919

You will start and finish at the school. You may begin riding whenever you wish; however, a departure window between 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. is suggested.

Yes. Yoots under the age of 23 can register at the Aluminum level for $23. Email 719@719ride.com to receive a personalized discount code.

We will mourn your absence, and we will accept your registration as an investment in the future of the event, if you don't transfer your registration to someone else. 

There is no fee to transfer your registration, so you should do that.

The 719 Ride is a break-even event organized by one person with the help of one contractor and the amazing kind and generous support from sponsors, local businesses, the community and many cyclists, friends and family who donate time, resources, energy and money to offer an incredibly affordable registration option that is much lower than the typical cycling event.

The cost to bring the event to life in 2023 was just over $32,000, and total income was just shy of that amount. The difference was about 15 registrations fewer than planned for.

Surplus income from past events covers the margin in years the income doesn't address all expenses.

In 2023, registration income covered 47% of the expenses, with financial sponsorship (36%), merchandise sales (12%), additional donations from participants (3%) and cash reserves (2%) making up the rest.

We hope you understand, and we're grateful for your support as we work to create a compelling and distinctive event while offering you substantial value for the money and time you spend with us. Salute!

Yes. E-bikes are welcome to elevate, celebrate and festivate with us. As with any other bicycle manifestation that participates in the event, the rules of the road should be followed, including speed limits on any descents.

E-bike riders are not eligible to win the prizes for the fastest man or woman on the timed KoM/QoM segment. However, they are eligible to win prizes associated with the other placements.

E-bike riders are also not eligible to earn points in the SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series.

Certo! You can print cue sheets or send a GPS route file to your device from the Courses and Maps page.

Or you can get them here.

No. All the roads are open to traffic. Colorado Springs police officers will be at some intersections helping facilitate the flow of vehicles and cyclists, but you are expected to know and obey all traffic laws, including posted speed limits.

CYCLISTS PARTICIPATING IN THE 719 RIDE ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND SAFETY AND MUST SIGN THE USA CYCLING WAIVER OF LIABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT.

The courses are always open. You may begin riding whenever you wish; however, a departure window between 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. is suggested.

If you wish to embrace the spirit of the ride, start at 7:19 a.m.

At this time, on-course support is only guaranteed through 2:00 p.m. This pertains to the police support, aid stations, mechanical support, medical tent, and the mobile pickup assistance for mechanicals that strand you on the course.

Access to the toilets inside Chipeta Elementary School will be available from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

If you plan to complete an Epic Elevation Quest, be prepared to support yourself on the course if you will be riding before 6:30 a.m. or beyond 2:00 p.m.

Colored Route Arrows will be placed on the road asphalt beginning several hundred feet in advance of each turn. They will be present multiple times before the turn and once after the turn.

Orange Route Arrows will mark The Course That Cannot Be Defeated, the original and traditional challenge route.

Blue Route Arrows will mark the 719 Ride SE.

Yellow Route Arrows will mark the GoldiLITE 719.

The Route Arrows on the road will be complemented with Route Arrows displayed on signs affixed to stakes placed on the side of the road in advance of turns.

There are two. The first is halfway through your 14-mile lap of festiveness, and the second is at the start/finish, so you may refresh yourself once you return to whence you came. And since you’re riding laps, you are aided in resting over and over and over again. The more laps you ride, the more rest stops you get. That's 719 Ride value in action!

Yes. Portable toilets are located along The Course That Cannot Be Defeated and the 719 Ride SE at:

• Mountain Shadows Park - next to Chipeta Elementary School at the start/finish
• Wilson Ranch Community Park – miles 2 and 10 
• Woodmen Valley Park – mile 5
• Blodgett Peak Open Space – mile 8

These portable toilets are publicly accessible and not put in place specifically for the ride.

There will also be port-a-potties at the aid station in Marshall Sprague Park, (mile 7) and you will have access to the pint-sized restrooms inside Chipeta Elementary School between 5:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Typically, HOT. Mid-to-high 90s. But sometimes cooler. 2020 was cooler. Cooler means mid-to-high 80s.

Afternoon thunderstorms like to visit Colorado Springs on July afternoons. They usually drop by around 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m., but sometimes make great time and arrive as early as 1:00 p.m. 

We recommend Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort, located a little over 5 miles from our start at Chipeta Elementary School, and Kinship Landing, a stellar boutique hotel in downtown Colorado Springs.

A monetary prize of $71.90 will be given to the Premiers of Rossmere (fastest man and fastest women), and every 71st person on the KoM/QoM leaderboard.

Your fastest time on the Rossmere KoM/QoM segment will be used to determine your placement.

E-bike riders are not eligible to win the prizes for the fastest man or woman; however, they are eligible to win the prizes associated with the other placements.

Prize winners receive a check in the mail about a week after the event.

No prize money or awards will be earned or given at or by the 719 Ride based on SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series Points earned at the event.

No. Prize money will not be given based on performance times on the Woodmen Road timed segment leaderboard.

If you happen to become a Premier of Rossmere (fastest man and fastest woman) by decimating your competition on the Rossmere KoM/QoM segment, or you happen to find a resting place on that segment's leaderboard that is evenly divisible by 71 (e.g., 71, 142, 213, 284, etc.), then you will receive a check in the mail for $71.90.

Photos will be made available via a link to a Google Drive provided in an email sent to participants about a week and a half to two weeks after the event.

View photos from the 2023 719 Ride.

View photos from the 2022 719 Ride.

View photos from the 2021 719 Ride.

View photos from the 2020 719 Ride.

Expect lots of uphill. Expect to be challenged. Expect heat and fatigue. And expect to have fun because the 719 Ride is "like gelato for the soul."

The sweet spot is 55 to 70 minutes. Some have gone faster, and many go slower. The full range tends to be 45 to 105 minutes. Later laps tend to take most people 10 to 15 minutes longer than earlier laps.

If you enjoy Zwift, you can get a sense of the effort required to complete a lap in 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes with our custom Zwift workouts.

Favorably! The 719 Ride is as fun, rewarding and worth doing as any bicycle event in Colorado. Plus, it's incredibly affordable

The 719 Ride presents a challenge you can tailor precisely to your fitness level and desire to test or push yourself.

Whether you complete I Cinque Giri, our signature distance of 71.9 miles and five laps, extend yourself further by completing a 719 Century (seven laps), or simply set yourself a noble personal challenge of one to three laps, The Course That Cannot Be Defeated accepts you exactly where you are, while also challenging you to ascend to new heights.

"I have done the Triple Bypass, Copper Triangle, Mt. Evans Hill Climb, Elephant Rock, and Pikes Peak. 719 Ride is Number One!"

— Mark Ayers, 2020 I Cinque Giri Finisher

The Epic Climbing Score is a simple calculation for comparing the amount of climbing different cycling events have. The equation is total elevation gain divided by total event distance.

The Epic Climbing Score does not indicate one bike event is better than another, or even easier/harder. There are plenty of other factors that contribute to an event's difficulty and make an event compelling, awesome and F-U-N. But you can use it to compare the 719 Ride with other Colorado cycling events in a lighthearted manner.

Seven nineteen. Seven hundred nineteen. Seven one nine. They're all possibilities, but NO, NO, YES.

Of course, you can call it whatever you like, just don't call it late for dinner.

No. Not in the typical sense. The 719 Ride doesn't require you to raise any money to participate. However, a portion of each registration is shared with the Colorado Springs community.

If you're so inclined, after enjoying our inclines, you could convert your mileage to dollars (e.g., ride 71.9 miles, donate $71.90) and make a donation to Kids on Bikes, a Colorado Springs charity giving bicycles to children, teaching children how to ride and how to ride safely, and providing opportunities for children and families to ride together.

If $71.90 is a bit rich, there's always $7.19.

One lap of The Course That Cannot Be Defeated is just over 14 miles. We call it the Goldilocks 719. It’s a doable distance for kids, despite the intimidating marketing speak, but it is a challenge because of the amount of elevation gain.

Because one lap of The Course That Cannot Be Defeated can be difficult for kids, we introduced two new routes in 2023, the 719 Ride SE and the GoldiLITE 719.

The 719 Ride SE is 2.2 miles shorter than The Course That Cannot Be Defeated, and it bestows less elevation gain on its suffering supplicants per lap (1,477' vs. 1,838'). Kids will love it more than candy. 

The GoldiLITE 719 takes the dreaminess of the Goldilocks 719 and makes it truly just right for kids — 4.5 miles and mostly flat, less than 400' of climbing. Right on, Jimmy!

As has always been the case, ride as many laps as you want with your registration, and now, ride as many laps as you want in any combination you are moved to. Choose your own adventure. Customize your bliss. It's all good!

There isn't a minimum age required to enjoy the challenge of the 719 Ride, but the courses are challenging and demanding.

ALL CYCLISTS PARTICIPATING IN THE 719 RIDE, REGARDLESS OF AGE, ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND SAFETY.

MINORS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN WHILE ON COURSE AND MUST HAVE THE USA CYCLING WAIVER OF LIABILITY SIGNED BY A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT.

OH YES! And thanks for asking. We would love to have you help put on the event and grow it into something Colorado Springs loves.

If you have a skill you want to apply for our benefit (e.g., medical, graphic design, accounting, photography, assembling stuff, sorting, packing, social media, schmoozing, nunchuk, anything at all), or you want to exert yourself in service to our cyclists on the day of the event, you can send an email to 719@719ride.com and rejoice as all the angels in Heaven sing your praises.