Mountains to the Desert Bike Ride and Telluride 200

With options from 70 to 200 miles, we've got the perfect route for you. Your first century ride? We have one with a descending profile. Up for a double century with a rise of 11,187 vertical feet? We've got that too.

Cyclists starting in downtown Telluride will take off at 8 a.m. on a precipitous descent past towering 14,000-foot peaks and hillsides of golden quaking aspens. A short but steep climb at mile 28.5 crests into the wide-open farmlands of Norwood, where riders choosing shorter distances will start at 9 a.m. 

Four miles past the town of Naturita, riders can now choose to add a 20 mile loop up Calamity Ridge, through the town of Nucla and back to Naturita. Winding further along the Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway, the route passes through millions of years of geologic record as riders find themselves at the base of striated sandstone cliffs reaching up to 1,000 feet overhead.

Participants can choose either to end their rides upon their arrival to Gateway or pass through and turn northeast up the Unaweep Canyon, adding on a punishing 15-mile climb to the event’s summit and then descending back into Gateway for the traditionally competitive M2D Summit Climb Ride. The top three female and top three male riders to reach the M2D summit will receive cash prizes.

For the first time, ultra-distance cyclists are invited to pass the summit and complete a full double century.

All rides will culminate with a finish line party and feast complete with beer, ice cream and live music at the visually stunning Gateway Canyons Resort, located less than one hour southwest of Grand Junction.