Frequently Asked Questions
What's On Your Mind?
The "I Just Want to Ride, and I Don't Need Anything Else" price is $30. If you want that, you want The Aluminum Challenge Package. It offers performance for the value-minded.
You may also want to register early. The price increases $15 on July 1.
The Aluminum Challenge Package is your ticket to ride. It includes:
- All the laps you wish to enjoy.
- Free photographs of your glory on The Course That Cannot be Defeated.
- A free pint at Trinity Brewing Company.
- Discounts at numerous Colorado Springs' businesses.
- A stylish Tyvek wristband that allows you to refuel at the first ever 719 Ride aid station — made possible by the generosity of SoCo Velo.
- The wristband also provides access to the mechanical support offered by Routes Outfitter at the start/finish and the NEW FOR 2022 mid-course mechanical support courtesy of Kids on Bikes.
- Mobile pickup if you have a mechanical that strands you on the course.
The registration price, which is small in comparison to most events, also provides for:
- The USA Cycling event permit, rider surcharge fee and event insurance.
- A city permit, which eliminates the risk of any roadwork or work projects interfering with the event and allows for use of Marshall Sprague Park at the intersection of Woodmen Rd. and Blodgett Dr. for our mid-course aid station and mechanical festivities.
- Use of the Chipeta Elementary School parking lot, grounds and and building restrooms.
- On-course traffic control by Colorado Springs police officers at key intersections.
- Improved course markings to signal all upcoming turns.
If you want more, consider the Carbon Fiber Supporter Package which provides greater event day functionality with an excellent cost to value ratio. It includes everything in the Aluminum Challenge Package PLUS much more.
If you're community minded and appreciate win-win situations, consider the Titanium Community Package. It includes everything in the Carbon Fiber Supporter Package PLUS several community-inspired additions.
As new amenities get added each year, the cost to put on the event increases.
What started with five people in 2016 has grown to 200 participants each of the past two years, and we hope a few hundred more in 2022.
From an unsupported, just show up and ride experience to the 2022 event with an aid station, two on-course mechanics, a timing segment with monetary prizes, traffic assistance from Colorado Springs police officers, a medical tent and more non-free logistical parts, the cost to put on the event has surpassed $10,000.
Thanks to the amazingly kind and generous support from the community, local businesses, Pulpit Rock Church, SoCo Velo and the many cyclists, friends and family who donate time, resources, energy and money, the event cost is that low.
Our $30 registration is an exceptional deal. Although, it does increase $15 on June 1. Still a great deal!
Approximately 200 people registered for the 719 Ride in each of the last two years, and 60% of the registrations occurred within three days of the event both years. This added a little complexity, stress and worry to the organizing process.
To reduce that a bit and to encourage earlier registration, we have added the increase effective June 1.
The increase only applies to the Aluminum Challenge Package, which is essentially your contribution to cover logistical expenses (i.e., your ticket to ride).
The registration for the greater event day functionality offered by the Carbon Fiber Supporter Package ($71.90) and the Titanium Community Package ($151) will not change.
If by aid and support you mean encouragement and cheering, there could be a little.
A few neighborhood residents handed out popsicles and brought out their hoses for a refreshing spray as riders passed by last year. But if you need more cowbell, you should encourage your family and friends to come out.
If by support you mean on-course aid stations with food, water, hydration mix, sunscreen, a bike mechanic, portable toilets, first aid/medical help, etc., the answer is YES!
For the first time in seven years of the 719 Ride, the answer is YES!
Prepare to reap the harvest!
Mechanical support at the start/finish is available courtesy of Routes Outfitter. And mid-course mechanical support is being offered by of Kids on Bikes.
Additionally, there will be mobile pickup if you have a mechanical that strands you on the course, and the FIRST EVER 719 Ride aid station is being made possible thanks to the generosity of SoCo Velo.
The SoCo Velo aid station and Kids on Bikes mechanical support will be at Marshall Sprague Park, roughly seven miles into each lap.
Marshall Sprague Part is at the intersection of Woodmen Rd. and Blodgett Dr., right smack dab in the transition from climbing Woodmen to grinding up Blodgett. You're welcome.
A tent to provide basic first aid will be at the start/finish, but if a serious medical need arises on the course or during the event, call 911 for assistance.
Portable toilets will be on the course, but they are publicly accessible and not put in place specifically for the ride. They are located 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
You will also have access to the pint-sized restrooms inside Chipeta Elementary School for your body's relief needs.
Yes. There are portable toilets located on the course 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.
Riders will also have access to the pint-sized restrooms inside Chipeta Elementary School between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Print a cue sheet with turn-by-turn instructions, or send a GPS route file to your device, courtesy of Ride With GPS.
The course is always open. You may begin riding whenever you wish; however, a departure window between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 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 3:30 p.m. This pertains to the SoCo Velo aid station, the Kids on Bikes and Routes Outfitter mechanical support, and the pickup assistance for mechanicals that strand you on the course.
Access to the toilets inside Chipeta Elementary School will be available from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you plan to complete an Epic Elevation Quest, be prepared to support yourself on the course if you plan to ride before 6:30 and beyond mid-afternoon.
Certo. Of course.
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.
Photos will be made available through Google Photos. A link to the 2022 album will be sent out about a week after the event.
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."
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.
No. There is no requirement to raise any money. However, donating $7.19 (or more) to Kids on Bikes or COS I Love You would be pretty cool.
You could even convert your mileage to dollars. Ride 71.9 miles. Donate $71.90
You could also register for the NEW FOR 2022 Titanium Community Package ($151) to cheer "FORZA Colorado Springs!"
The Titanium Community Registration Package includes everything in the Carbon Fiber Supporter Package PLUS:
- A free Cycling and Community drinking glass.
- $100 donated to either Kids on Bikes or COS I Love You.
- A chance to be one of several winners to receive two tickets to a 2022 Switchbacks FC match.
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, and is one of our Personal Challenge Ride distance options.
However, one lap can be challenging for kids because of the amount of climbing. Several parts of the route have a double-digit grade. Total elevation gain for the Goldilocks 719 is 1,838'.
Approximately 50 percent of the course has a bike lane. Traffic volume and road conditions vary depending on the road.
Participating family members should be comfortable and confident sharing the road with cars passing at speeds between 30 and 50 miles per hour.
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.
The 719 Ride In five words or Less
These testimonies of the 719 Ride are 100% AUTHENTIC and grassroots fed.
Each and every one was lovingly written by real live genuine people who participated in the past.
A Colorado Springs Original
First conceived and ridden in 2016, the 719 Ride aspires to be a bicycle event that contributes to the culture and community of Colorado Springs. The 719 Ride hopes to ride in the draft of the many existing and long-established Colorado cycling events we all love and to become a positive part of the Colorado Springs tradition and identity. FORZA Colorado Springs!
