Frequently Asked Questions

As new amenities get added each year, the cost to put on the event increases.

What started with five people in 2016 grew to nearly 300 participants in 2022, and we hope even more in 2023!

From an unsupported, just show up and ride experience in 2016 to the 2023 event that will include two aid stations, two on-course mechanics, mobile on-course support, a timing segment with monetary prizes, inclusion in the Gran Fondo National Series, traffic assistance from Colorado Springs police officers, a medical tent and more non-free logistical odds and ends, the cost to put on the event exceeds $30,000.

Thanks to the amazingly kind and generous support from sponsors, local businesses, the community and the many cyclists, friends and family who donate time, resources, energy and money, we're able to offer an incredibly affordable registration option that is much lower than the typical cycling event.

Our $40 registration is an exceptional deal. Although, it does increase $10 on June 1 and another $5 on July 11. Still a great deal!

Contribute to a Greater 719 Ride

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.

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.

The course is always open. You may begin riding whenever you wish; however, a departure window between 6:00 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 6:00 a.m. or beyond 2:00 p.m.

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.

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.

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 fastest man, fastest woman and every 71st person on the KoM/QoM leaderboard.

Your fastest time on the 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 will be notified by email a few days after the event to arrange payment by check.

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 2022 719 Ride.

View photos from the 2021 719 Ride.

View photos from the 2020 719 Ride.

Tepex food truck will be returning to the 719 Ride in 2023. Chef Fernando will be serving food at the start/finish between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Register for the Carbon Fiber or Titanium packages to receive a $7.19 food credit to celebrate yourself post-pain.

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, if you're so inclined, you could convert your mileage to dollars — ride 71.9 miles, donate $71.90 — and make a donation to Kids on Bikes.

That's cool, but if it's a bit rich, there's always $7.19. In fact, when you register at the Carbon Fiber or Titanium level, we make a $7.19 contribution to one of the charities for you.

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 are introducing 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!

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 good (e.g., graphic design, photography, social media, anything at all) or you want to exert yourself in service to our cyclists on the day of the event, send an email to 719@719ride.com and rejoice as all the angels in Heaven sing your praises.