Whit and Zack with Bike Sports are hosting eight training rides leading into this summer’s FoCo Fondo. The series includes two virtual rides, a women’s only ride and five local gravel rides. The rides are free, but you must sign a waiver.
The Fondo takes place on July 23rd.
Happy New Year! This year our free training series kicks off with virtual rides for January and February, to accommodate for weather and fitness! Complete the route at any time during the month and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year. You must fill out this waiver to participate.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: Even though it’s cold, it’s really important to make sure you are eating and drinking enough. If you are struggling to do this, try setting a timer on your phone or bike computer.
Feb 1st
February marks our last virtual ride before we move into group rides next month. Complete the route at any time during the month and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year. You must fill out this waiver to participate.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: Don’t dress for the high temp of the day or you’ll be cold the whole ride. If you think you’ll need to shed some layers, this is where a handlebar bag can come in handy.
We’re kicking off our in-person rides with this one- come on out to meet and ride with new people! The ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 10am. We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a beer and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: As we move into in-person rides, it’s a great opportunity to work on pacing. You want to be able to complete the ride without blowing up and having to crawl back in. This often means being able to self-reflect early in the ride on if you are riding at a sustainable rate and being able to dial it back before it’s too late!
April’s ride is all about trails and connectors. The ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 10am. We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a beer and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: When you are on single track or narrow trails, the best practice is to look at where you want to go versus where you don’t want to go.
Our women’s gravel ride is back! Come on out to meet and ride with new people. All women are welcome, regardless of gender assigned at birth. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 10am. We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a Fat Tire and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: Acclimating to altitude and heat are similar in the body. Both also take a good amount of time. Acclimating to the heat will have huge benefits throughout the rest of your gravel season this year!
The May Training Ride is another great skills-pusher with single track through Lory State Park on both routes and bonus single track through Bobcat Ridge on the longer route.
Note: new for 2023, State Park passes are included in car registration unless you opt out, but until then you’ll need an annual pass or single day bike pass ($4) to enter. If that’s out of your budget, there are some passes available at the local library.
The ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 10am. We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a Fat Tire and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: When you are on single track and there is a short, steep pitch, try putting some significant power down to push over the top. You’ll maintain a higher overall speed and are more likely to clear the pitch.
*Note the new start time of 9am as we hit summer.
The June training ride has two very adventurous options, centered around Pennock Pass. If you are opting for the shorter ride, be sure to Hitch-a-Ride!
The ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 9am and the short ride departs at 9am from the start location in the Strava file. . We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a Fat Tire and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: With the amount of climbing, it’s the perfect route to practice pacing up long climbs. It’s easy to go out to hard and you’ll pay for it as the climb keeps going and the air gets thinner. The higher the altitude, the longer it takes to recover from efforts.
*Note the new start time of 9am as we hit summer.
The July training ride has two very adventurous options, centered around the Cherokee Park Loop on the Triple Dog Dare You FoCo Fondo route. If you are opting for the shorter ride, be sure to Hitch-a-Ride!
The long ride departs from New Belgium Brewing at 9am and the short ride departs at 9am from the start location in the Strava file. We’ll be there a little early with some First Endurance hydration, JoJe Bars, and some rotating surprises through the training series. You must fill out this waiver to attend.
The ride isn’t no drop, rather, riders will be able to ride with similarly paced riders. There will also be a lanterne rouge on the shorter route to make sure everyone makes it back ok.
We’ll stick around afterwards for a Fat Tire and food truck lunch.
Complete the ride and be sure to tag us on Instagram (@focofondo) and join our Strava Club for a chance to win prizes throughout the year.
This free training ride series brought to you by Source Endurance, best in business for training athletes at any level!
Note: Acclimating to altitude and heat are similar in the body. Both also take a good amount of time. Acclimating to the heat will have huge benefits throughout the rest of your gravel season this year!
