Frequently Asked Questions About the Sixth Annual 719 Ride

If by support you mean encouragement and cheering, there could be a little.

A few 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 to 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 no.

However, VeloFix Mobile Bike Shop will be available at the start/finish to address mechanical issues, and there will be a tent at the school to provide basic first aid.

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 public 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.

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.

The Colorado Springs Police Department will be on the course directing traffic between 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and access to the toilets inside Chipeta Elementary School will be available from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Yes. There are portable toilets located along 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 4:30 p.m.

Photos will be made available through Google Photos. A link to the 2021 album will be sent out about a week after the event.

View photos from the 2020 719 Ride.

The desire to preserve the 719 ethos in all things is strong in this one. But this one aspires to become a part of the Colorado Springs identity and cycling tradition. That means more cowbell is needed.

Based on the responses to our 2020 post-ride survey, which 68% of registered riders replied to, the decision was made not to have the 2021 event on Monday, July 19.

Expect climbing. Lots of it.

Expect to question yourself. "Why am I doing these climbs five times?"

Expect to struggle with temptation every time you loop past the start/finish point. Do you have another 1,838' of climbing and another lap in you?

Expect to ponder doing, or marvel at those who might do, a 719 Century, the Double 719 or the Himalayan 719 Double Century.

Expect strength-sapping, resolve-wrecking heat. A temperature in the mid-90s is typical.

Do NOT expect swag, on-course aid stations, cheering crowds, or accolades. They're great if they happen, but this is grassroots.

Expect to have fun.

It takes a special type of person to be attracted to a ride with lots of elevation gain and an even special-er person to embrace repeating the same climbs over and over and over again. Plus two more overs.

The 719 Ride is a short loop course because loops and laps are spectator friendly, and they offer opportunities for regrouping and handling your own food and gear support.

Family and friends can lend support and encouragement as you pass by again and again. The kids can play in one of the parks along the route or hand you a musette bag from one hand while they hold an ice cream cone in the other. Josh and John’s Ice Cream is along the route.

A loop course adds a mental challenge to the occasion. Distance is hard. Distance with climbing is harder. Distance with climbing the same hills over and over and over again is harder still.

That's why we're do laps.

Favorably. The 719 Ride is as fun, challenging, rewarding and worth doing as any bicycle event in Colorado.

"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

Mile for mile the 719 Ride has more elevation gain than almost any other single-day event in Colorado.

The 719 Ride signature distance, I Cinque Giri, climbs 9,190' over 71.9 miles for an Epic Climbing Score of 127.82.

And if 71.9 miles isn't far enough for you, you always have longer ride options available, including the 719 Century, Double 719 and Himalayan 719 beckoning.

This is how other Colorado cycling events compare climbing-wise.

12 Hours of Penitence — 12 hour limit. 1,700' of elevation gain per 17-mile lap. 100 ECS

Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hill Climb — 7,000' of elevation gain in 28 miles. 250 ECS

Buffalo Cycling Classic Buff Epic — 102 miles. 8,729' of elevation gain. 85.58 ECS

Copper Triangle — 6,500' of elevation gain. Three mountain passes. 79 miles. 82.28 ECS

Crooked Gravel — 8,100' of climbing. 93 miles. Almost entirely on gravel. 87.69 ECS

Elephant Rock — 5,700' of elevation gain in the 100-mile road ride. 57 ECS

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic — 50 miles. 5,700' of elevation gain. Two 10,000' passes. 114 ECS

Leadville Trail 100 MTB — 11,000' of rugged and iconic elevation gain. 110 ECS

Park 2 Park Challenge — 11,251' of elevation gain in 99.4 miles. 113.19 ECS

Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb — 4,725' of elevation gain in 12.4 miles. 380.43 ECS

Rampart Rager — 73 miles. 80% dirt. 6,700' of elevation gain. 91.78 ECS

Royal 50 MTB Race — 6,460' of elevation gain in 50 miles. 129.2 ECS

Stonewall Century — Out and back over Cucharas Pass. 102 miles and 7,500' of elevation gain. 73.53 ECS

Triple Bypass — 120 miles and three mountain passes ring up 10,990' of total elevation gain. 91.58 ECS

Tour of the Moon — 64 miles. Three tunnels bored through solid rock. Nearly 4,000' of elevation gain. 61.68 ECS

Wild Horse Gravel — 7,100' of climbing on dirt and gravel over 72 miles. 98.61 ECS

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 that make an event fun, compelling and awesome to ride.

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.

One loop is just over 14 miles. We call it the Goldilocks 719. It’s a doable distance for kids, but it's also challenging because of the amount of climbing. Several parts of the climbs 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.