Top o' the Rockies to ya!

We'll pick you up in Denver, then shuttle up (and we mean up!) into the Rockies - to the charming town of Minturn for today's ride. You'll pedal 30 miles of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway, across the Continental Divide via Tennessee Pass. Stop for lunch at Camp Hale, where the 10th Mountain Division trained for WWII. Afterward, ride onward to Leadville, the wildest, richest silver mining boomtown in the Wild Wild West and North America's highest incorporated city at 10,152 feet! Leadville once hosted the likes of "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Doc Holliday, and is now home to some of the country's greatest adventure races.

If you're up for a challenge, pedal point-to-point from Leadville to Aspen today. Not? Instead, shuttle to from Leadville to Twin Lakes for a shortened but gorgeous bicycle ride into star-studded Aspen. Either way, ride across Independence Pass, an old stagecoach route that offers spectacular views overlooking the Roaring Fork Valley, Lake Creek Valley, and the Collegiate, Sawatch and West Elk mountain ranges. Stay tonight and tomorrow night in Aspen, stomping grounds of the likes of John Denver, Hunter S. Thompson and Charlie Sheen.

The Maroon Bells are two of the most photographed peaks in all of North America. Maroon Lake, surrounded by fields of wildflowers, mirrors images of the 14,000-foot Maroon Bells in its waters. Best of all: motorized traffic in this area is quite limited and bicycles are free to enter. Ride here and then to another fourteener, Castle Peak, with the ghost town of Ashcroft at its feet. Finish off a stellar day with a tour and sampling at 7,822 feet - at the Aspen Brewing Company.

This morning you'll hike up to one of the most divine lakes in the region, Hanging Lake. Bring the camera! Don't forget to check out Spouting Rock waterfall while you're in the neighborhood. In the afternoon, take a thrilling raft trip down the Eagle River - or, if you'd rather, ride beside the Eagle River into tiny Wolcott (pop 15). You'll spend tonight in Vail.

Today: ride a paved bike path that runs between Vail and Breckenridge - a gorgeous, car-free route through 10-Mile Canyon and over Vail Pass. This afternoon you'll sample the Breckenridge Brewery's offerings along with Italian-American cuisine at the Blue River Bistro - voted 'Best Restaurant in Breckenridge.'

The finale ride is a challenging one: part of the 'Triple Bypass' bike route over Swan Mountain and Loveland Pass. Start out on a paved bike path from Breckenridge over Swan Mountain (think winding curves and beautiful mountain views.) Then it's up and over Loveland Pass, at 11,990 feet of elevation. Its tight turns make for some phenomenal views, but they're not for the fainthearted! We'll sail down to Georgetown for a final toast before heading back to Denver.