While the day started sketchy, the 46mi/2600ft quasi-annual Brewery Bikery was excellent for 5 friends and me around Summit. A fire in Clear Ck Co closed I70 through the tunnel and routed the front range attendees over Loveland Pass for starters, making them late. Then Bob's car fob crapped out on our move to the starting point; we ultimately got the right battery and were down at AJs almost on time, while Bro Brown waited for us all. The Brewery Bikery is a bike ride among all of the breweries in Summit County with enjoyment of a 1/2 pint at each brewery. We start @ 10:30am at Angry James and head clockwise first to Outer Range in Frisco (with an 11 clock opening). We were a little late in starting but completed the ride before dark. I even added team event jerseys this year. The weather and energy was great. Yep, Scott's ebike is a station wagon in disguise and Jason is riding my Magic Carpet Ride.
After attacking the serpentine climb up the dam (we didn't lose anyone) we reassembled. Our 1st stop was at ORB. The founder/owner (of my fav of the Summit breweries) was pleased with the effort and "advertising" and comped us all snifters of their triple IPA... so that started things quickly as we also had the 1/2 pint pours we bought.
We wrestled back onto the bikes and out for the quick jaunt to Highside and then onward all the way up to south Breck for the original Breckenridge brewery. We actually had a quick lunch there too and took a pic with patron Shannon, who was in an eerily similar shirt.
We rode back through Breck on the main road rather than on the heavily trafficked (walkers & bikers) bike path ~ much easier. We hit the excellent Broken Compass brewery next, in north Breck.
The next section is the toughest as we complete the ride from Breck to Keystone by riding Swan Mtn and then wending to the far end of Keystone at the bottom of the Keystone ski resort. Challenging. I caught a sign advertising our bike event! Not really, the Copper Triangle is also be raced this weekend on some of the roads & paths we were riding. Kize was KOM up Swan, using significant battery power on the assent. The unaided bikers rode strong and Kize ushered in our friend Jason like on Le Tour. On the Keystone side of Swan we used the windy downhill bike path and I caught the team individually cross a bridge. Damn it, Jim wouldn't wave.
We'd been lingering a bit at some stops and made our visit to Steep a smidge more brief.
The next section was again long but taking us to the last four breweries fairly closely clustered in Dillon and Silverthorne back on the other side of the lake. On to Pug Ryans (no pic), Dillon Dam, and, the newest brewer in the county, Syndicate.
It may not look it from my pose but despite the consumption we are buoyed by the riding and none too buzzed. The final stop is at Angry James, our starting spot and where the cars stand ready with racks.
My moving time was 3:45 so my 4 hour estimate initially to the team was pretty close... except our longer stops made the whole ride more like 7hrs. We bid farewell to Jim who headed back to Denver and lit out in cars up to the Nest for some tasty nosh, nightcaps, jokes, and tunes. A fine capper on a great day with friends; thanks everybody for coming out!
It's notable that prior to the Bikery Bob, Steve, and I took a sail in great then very rough weather. We just made it to dock in very high winds before the skies unleashed with water. Good effort all around but too short.
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