Outside Magazine, March 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012 9

Tour Mania

Didn’t win the lottery for Ride the Rockies? Here are our favorite alternatives.

By:
Iowa's Ragbrai
Iowa's Ragbrai Photo: James Pusey/AP

Bicycle Tour Colorado
Starting and ending in Fort Collins, this 462-mile loop through northern Colorado and Wyoming is a perfect stand-in for Ride the Rockies: the scenery is almost as good, and it rarely fills up. June 17–23; from $375.

Cross Country Challenge
The full 52-day ride takes in 3,865 miles of the U.S., from San Francisco to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If you can’t commit to the whole thing, hook up for one of the 6-to-11-day legs, like San Francisco to Salt Lake City. June 2–July 13; from $2,398.

Ragbrai
Now in its 40th year, the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa covers 471 miles, with 10,000 entrants. It’s flat compared with Colorado, but it ain’t easy. July 22–28; $150.

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