Rider Testimonies in Five Words or Less

100% Authentic Rider Testimonies

Homegrown, Organic and Grassroots Fed

Lovingly Written by Real Live Genuine People

Well Organized and Signed.

Friendliest Ride in Colorado.

Best Non-Competitive Event Ever.

Best Ride in the Region.

For the Love of COS.

Colorado Springs
and
Colombo Ottavio Severo

Great Colorado Springs Event!

Work. Sweat. Smile. Cramp. Beautiful.

Fun. Exhausting. Challenging. Brutal. Humbling.

Fun, Glory, and Bloody Murder.

True Test of Mental Toughness.

Like Wrestling a Gorilla.

Intense Pain. Excellent Fun.

A Fine Jaunt.

719 Ride is Life.

A Fantastic Sufferfest!

Up. Down. Up. Down. Repeat.

Repetitive Inclines Do Exist.

Requires Intense Dedication and Effort.

Holy Climbing! Lots of fun.

Like Gelato for the Soul!

Glorious. Painful. Fun. Suffer-fest.

Fun. Gnarly. Great Vibes.

Super crazy challenging. Wicked good.

On Strava

100% custom-made and fabricated Testimonies

They were inspired by real people, and cleary apply, even though they were not originally applied to the 719 Ride.

A Door to personal Excellence.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.


— Confucious,
Chinese philospher
and maker of handcrafted bamboo bicycles

Effort. Pain. Difficult. Worth Doing.

Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.


— Teddy Roosevelt,
36th president of the United States
and MTB World Champion Rough Rider

The Fifth Lap Builds Character.

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.


— James Michener,
American author
and Keeper of the Cyclist's Diaries

A Yardstick of Quality.

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.


— Steve Jobs,
American business magnate
and part-time UCI bike technology arms race commissaire

Suffer now. Champion for Life.

I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'


— Muhammad Ali,
American boxer
Rode like a butterfly, stung like a bee

Neither Swift nor easy.

I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.


— Marie Curie,
French physicist
and one-time bicycle landspeed record holder

100% Refashioned and Repurposed Professional Testimonies

Classic cycling quotes summarized in five words or less and recast to elevate our celebration of elevation.

A Forge.

Climbing is the forge. It hardens you or breaks you, and you usually won't know which until you feel the fire.


— Bill Strickland,
Rider-in-chief of Bicycling Magazine
talking about climbing

Like Wrestling a Gorilla.

It’s a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.


— Fausto Coppi,
5x Giro d’Italia champion and 2x Tour de France winner
talking about training

The Excess is Necessary.

It’s necessary to keep an inhuman side to the Tour. Excess is necessary.


— Jacques Goddet,
French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France for 50 years
speaking about the Tour de France

You feel good, then not.

First week you feel good, the second week you lose strength. Third week, fucked.


— Per Pedersen,
3x Tour de France finisher
summarizing his Tour de France experiences

Absolutely Full of Beans.

That boy is absolutely full of beans.


— Phil Liggett,
Professional cycling journalist
talking about a sprinter

A Lactic Acid Crippling Haze.

He’s riding into the abyss of a lactic acid crippling haze.


— Bob Roll,
Dropper of lactic acid in the pro cycling peloton between 1985 and 1991
speaking about pain and suffering in cycling

Suffering Turns to Pleasure.

After the finish all the suffering turns to memories of pleasure, and the greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is Nature’s payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering.


— Tim Krabbe,
Author of The Rider
speaking about pain and suffering in cycling

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. FORZA Colorado Springs!

Riding in the draft of many great and long-established Colorado cycling events, this Colorado Springs Original hopes to become a positive part of the Colorado Springs tradition and identity while celebrating the tradition, lore and culture of cycling and helping set the pace for cycling fun in the Rocky Mountain region.

Since 2022, the 719 Ride has been the official cycling event of the Rocky Mountain State Games. It was also an official partner event in the 2023 Suarez Gran Fondo National Series and 2023 Gran Fondo World Tour.

Rocky Mountain State Games logo
Suarez Gran Fondo National Series logo
Gran Fondo World Tour logo