It sounds straightforward on paper. 9.7 miles, 1,650 vertical feet, all of it on a paved recpath, and the first cyclist to the top is crowned King or Queen of Vail Pass.
But paper doesn’t do this thing justice. The Road Bike Hill Climb at GoPro Mountain Games on Sunday, June 7, is one of the last cycling hill climbs in the Rockies. This is a dying breed of race, and not because it is cheesy, like a mud run, or part of a fitness trend, like the obstacle-course events of the 2010s.
No, it’s because only a true iron lung with a taste for pain and agony will sign up for redline-racing that tops out at 9,381 feet above sea level. But if you do race – and dozens will – you’ll be competing on a course that is part of Colorado road-biking history.
“This iconic route has hosted legendary performances over the decades, from the Coors Classic of the late 1980s to the GoPro Mountain Games, and (it) continues to test riders with the same demanding climb and fast finish,” reads the GoPro pitch. “No matter where you finish, crossing the line means you’ve taken on a course that rewards grit, determination and the thrill of racing against the clock.”
Back this year are more categories for more racers, including kids as young as 12 years old. New this year are updated equipment guidelines to even the playing field.
“Time trial or triathlon bicycles, aero extension bars, disc wheels and other non-standard aerodynamic equipment are not permitted,” according to the 2026 rules, which go on the say, “This format ensures a fair, accessible competition focused on rider effort rather than equipment advantage.”
It doesn’t get more old-school than that.
Registration for the Vail Pass Hill Climb at GoPro is open through June 6 at 6 p.m.
Climbing 14ers
Vail Pass is classic. But two of Colorado’s other surviving hill climbs are legendary, and it’s because they take you to the top of two 14,000-foot peaks.
First is the Blue Sky Hill Climb on July 25, leading you 27 miles (!!) on the paved road to Mount Blue Sky, formerly Mount Evans, at 14,264 feet. It is a hill climb, true, but distance and elevation make this one more of an endurance race than a sprint.
The event was recently named the Bob Cook Memorial, in honor of the U.S. Olympian and record holder who died of brain cancer at 23 years old. It returns this year after taking a year off for road work last summer.
After Blue Sky is The Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit on Aug. 5, taking you 12 miles on the road to Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. It is the same course those cheaters with motors have been using since 1916 for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and it serves as the hill climb state championship for cycling.
Preview image via GoPro Mountain Games.