Lafayette and Boulder

Lookout Road, looking West towards the Front Range
Also, this road passes through a large prairie dog colony

Today found me in Lafayette, slightly east of Boulder, the cycling mecca of Colorado (or at least one of them).  The main roads up this way are a bit nerve wracking, but there are some nice side roads that get off the beaten path. Arapahoe Road is one of the main E-W routes between Lafayette and Boulder. 50 mph with, when you are lucky, about 18 inches of shoulder and one narrow lane in each direction. But no one buzzed me and all was well.I've experimented with embedding a Google Map of Arapahoe below. If I lived here, I'd either find a better route or talk to the DOT about putting decent shoulders on that road. Sheesh. Given the rampant development in this area, the road really needs improvement for both motorists and cyclists. Note added later. My new friends Joe and Dale showed me around while flogging my sorry ass from Lafayette to Eldorado Springs and back yesterday. S. Baseline Road is a much better route, but due to rapid infill by arterial and cul-de-sac development due to the economic boom up here, all the E-W roads are a bit, shall we say, busy. But thank you, Joe and Dale, for reminding me of what a bike ride really should feel like!

Allez, rented from University Bikes, sitting postride
in front of our friend's house in Lafayette

Nice Allez, pictured here, courtesy of the rentals at University Bicycles in Boulder. Somewhat silly of me, but I never put a race bike on the roof rack of my wife's car. The rack fits my long wheelbase commuter bikes fine, but the rear wheel was sitting on the clamp instead of in the gutter pan where it should. Not a good idea for a 400 mile, high speed road trip. In order to get the short wheelbase Cannondales on it, I would have to move the Subaru crossbars and reattach everything. With the roof box already loaded and the dogs in the car, that was not gonna happen, so the seat cluster and pedals got tossed in the car and I grumpily looked for a rental. The Allez was University's less expensive road bike rental, but it rode just fine and I actually found myself very happy with the frame geometry. The folks at the shop were nice, too. So now I can say I rode in Boulder County.Thanks and a tip of the brain bucket to Joe, Dale, and University Bicycles!