Thank you! You're right, weather makes or breaks the trip. Every time you get on a trail its different - time of year, time of day, the seasons, the weather. We got lucky on this one.

Thank you! And thanks for the good word about our fair trail system. You could construct a lot of 60+ mile rides on this system without riding the same stretch twice.

I believe that was October. I get spoiled by doing a lot of rides in autumn when the crowds, bugs, temps are low. Much easier to book a room or excursion.

Thank you! We hope we have a lot of adventures to make up for this year!

Really? Elvis Presley museum?

you're right, it's not!

I've never tried one, but I remember a nursery rhyme mentioning eating quince.

Don't understand this comment...

Nope. Not the same hill.

Thank you so much, Barbara. This kind of adventure brings out the best in us!

Sounds like an amazing trip! I love the rail trails, but also enjoy road riding, as long as it's safe. Sadly, there are pretty big stretches across the US that aren't particularly safe.

Thank you so much! It's a great trail system, I feel fortunate. It kind of sounds like you ARE a bicycist...

Both Julianna and I are from Michigan (we met here). I think an e-bike is in nearly every cyclist's future! Enjoy your rides!

Thanks! And enjoy your ride - I hope you live somewhere south!

Hello, and thank you! I haven't done any product reviews at all, although many brands reach out. I'm just not much of a brand person, or even a product person. I was in advertising for my career, which was an amazing field to be in, but I've lost my taste for pushing products. Others are much better at that than I am!

Thank you Steve!

Thank you Dennis. As my (older) brother says, getting old isn't for candy-asses. I'm trying to learn to take it all in stride, doing what I can to slow the inevitable, and accepting that which I can't control. I'm finally feeling much better, just in time for winter! Julianna got on the bike for a short ride the other day, so things are improving! Take care, Dennis!

Thank you! We may be looking at e-bikes for touring, but the logistics of getting them to Europe for tours is a bit of a problem. Truth be told, I still love the analog riding, but I'm open to ebikes as things change.

@@TheBicycleTourists I agree - the logistics can be daunting. We rented e-bikes in France for our EU cycling trips for three years. That option became problematic because of the poor condition of the bikes, so we bit the bullet and, in April 2024, sent our TREK Allant +7 e-bikes to France via Bike Flights without batteries, purchasing batteries in France. We planned to leave the bikes in France as we do at least one 6-8 week trip every year. It was expensive, but I did the math, and after 55 days of using our own bikes, we were starting to save vs. renting. And that would have been a good plan, except that it turns out that my bike was too big for me - despite having ridden it for over 16,000km. I could manage it without any panniers, but once they were loaded on the bike, I couldn't get on or off the bike easily. For our trip in September 2024, we purchased bikes at our local bike shop, taking them with us as oversized baggage, and made arrangements to purchase batteries when we arrived. A good plan until we went to check in at the airport. It turns out that Lufthansa does not accept e-bikes even with the batteries removed. However, as we later discovered, Air France and KLM accept e-bikes as long as the batteries are removed. So it is entirely doable but only with certain airlines and if you purchase batteries in Europe. We will return to France next April, purchase bikes in France, and leave them there. Because we will be cycling in the EU each year, financially, it is better to purchase the bikes in the EU rather than take them back and forth. We are in our 70s, and using e-bikes allows us to comfortably cycle 2000+ km with panniers on each trip. We are glad to know you are back in the saddle. We enjoy your videos-it's just like being there! Perhaps one day, we will drive our bikes down to Denver and experience some of the fabulous trails you took during your birthday ride.

Thanks for the very informative reply. This is exactly how I imagine it to be. Problematic. But where there's a will there's a way. We also have considered buying and keeping a set in Europe. Like you, we want to keep touring well into our seventies, as long as is possible. And if we had to pick a continent to tour in, it would have to be Europe, although I love North America as well! Going back and forth with the ebikes sounds close to impossible, or too much of a hassle to deal with. I hope you don't mind but I have a couple of questions for you. (1) Do you like your TREK Allant +7s? (2) Will you purchase the same brand next year in Europe? (3) Why was it harder to mount the loaded bike, was it the weight that changed? (4) In your research, have you heard anything about renting batteries in Europe? I thought I've heard of something along those lines. (5) Do you store the bikes with friends or do you have to rent storage? (6) Do you find that riding an e-bike opens up new places for you to ride, since it makes it easier to negotiate the climbs? Thanks again for the great information. We're still weighing our options, knowing that we will, at some point, be riding e-bikes. Your letter has clarified more for us than a lot of internet research! If you ever make it to Colorado, let us know! We'll be happy to show you around!

@@TheBicycleTourists Happy to answer any questions you might have. Here are my responses to your questions above: (1) We love our Trek Allant bikes. We purchased our first Allants in March 2020, and the EU Allant will be my 3rd. We purchased Riese & Mullers in May 2023. My husband loves his, but mine sits unused in the bike room of our condo as I replaced it with an Allant. The R&M was simply the wrong geometry for me, primarily because there was too much reach to the handlebars, and the handlebars were too wide. Our bike shop looked into many options to make the R&M work, but ultimately, we all agreed it was the wrong bike for me. Lesson learned! Highly rated doesn't mean it will be a good fit. I'm now riding a step-thru Allant +7. Apparently, Trek has the shortest reach of any of the major bike brands but I still have to have an angled stem to make the bike fit. I bike daily, even though we live in a rainy climate - it's that much fun to ride. So, if you know anyone who's looking for a bargain on an R&M bike, let me know! (2) The bikes we will purchase in France (Bordeaux) will be the Allant step-thru, but the EU name for the 2025 bikes might be the Allant Going or the Allant +7. We are still trying to determine the difference on the Trek French website. (3) Why my OG Allant didn't work for me was a revelation to both of us, as I had ridden it for over 16,000 km in North America. It was a size M, which was on the edge of the correct size for me, but we purchased it as it allowed for 2 batteries, which we thought we would need for touring. We didn't realize that I always tipped the bike over to get on it. I knew I could never put both feet on the ground when I stopped at lights or intersections because of the placement of the crossbar. Instead, I stood on one foot, tilted the bike slightly, or put my foot on the curb. Only when the bike was loaded with two panniers and a crosspack did we realize that I needed to find a very tall curb to lift my leg up and over the crosspack or take the crosspack off the bike. Each of us carries about 25 Kg. We have many funny videos of me attempting to get on and off the bike. Even I found it funny. If we stopped for a picnic lunch, I'd stay on my bike rather than have to take off the cross-pack to dismount. Our next bikes will be step thrus - so much easier. We've found a workaround for the extra battery; we will have 625 Wh as our main battery and a PowerMore battery of 250 Wh, so we won't have any range anxiety. (4) We have heard many rumours about renting batteries, but we have yet to find a bike shop that does. As we will to cycle from point to point, we gave up on our search. (5) We will store the bikes in a storage facility in Dijon (the locker is 5' x 5' by 8') from June 2025 to April 2026. The cost is about $100 Canadian/month. Our friend arranges with local bike shops to store and service their R&M bikes. He has done this for many years in several European countries. We will likely do this in the future. (6) The e-bikes have significantly impacted how and where we ride. Our average daily distance is about 70km and 500 m of elevation, with several days of 80 km and 850 m of elevation on each tour. Wind is no longer a factor, and we cycle daily, usually 35 days on each trip. Before we used e-bikes, after a ride, I'd take a shower and need a nap before I had enough energy to head out for dinner. Now we shower and head out to explore or sit in the square and have a glass of rose. All our routes are planned before we leave home using Komoot, and the road surfaces and routing are checked out with Google Street View to optimize the road conditions. For the most part, we stay 3 nights in each location and do 2 days of loop rides in each town. Our first tour in Provence was only 8 days, and by the end, I was exhausted from the hills and the winds. We've since done 2 longer tours in Provence (31 and 36 days), and I had no problems with the climbs or the wind - and we encountered some vicious Mistrals. I just boosted the power and geared down. I hope this helps you and Julianna. As I mentioned, we are both in our 70s and late to the joys of cycling, so we are doing everything we can to ensure we've got many more years of cycle touring ahead of us.

Awww thank you Amy!

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed!

Thank you Ken! Trossachs! I want to be where you are! Julianna got her first post-surgery ride in the other day so things are on the upswing.

thanks Justin! We really have a lot of trails and good bike routes here in Denver. I was looking it up and Denver is somewhere in the top ten major cities for cycling infrastructure. It's a great way to see a city.

Thank you so much!

Friend, I've been attempting a similar experience. For the last 2 years I've been riding 77 minutes and this year 78 minutes to match my age. I hope you continue these birthday rides😊😅🎉

That sounds like a great plan. Goals work!

Thank you so much! Glad that you got a chance to check out our fair city. Julianna got her first ride in the other day, so things are on the mend.

thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Not bad for an urban trail system, right?

@ privileged to have that amount of trails at your doorstep, we have the Dublin mountains here in Ireland which are a fantastic resource and stunningly beautiful to boot

i would love to cycle in Ireland. I was there in the eighties, loved it, travelled by train, didn't see nearly enough of the country.

@ infrastructure improving with greenways and the west is so wild and beautiful. Best to do it off peak like you did in France. Hope to see you here sometime, never too late 👍

It's on the bucket list

Thank you so much! Happy trails!

XO

Thank you! It was definitely a challenge for us. Nothing but fond memories. Just yesterday Julianna got on the bike for a short ride. Here comes the recovery!

Thank you! It felt great to push myself!

thanks Dennis, glad you enjoyed!

Thanks! Denver and the whole metro area really has done a great job. We feel lucky.

That is a great afterwork ride. Out and back is 27 miles for us, and is a favorite winter ride. We like riding into Golden, grabbing breakfast and then heading back.

@@TheBicycleTourists Where do you like to get breakfast in Golden? I'm kind of partial to Cafe 13. (Westminster rider here.)

Cafe 13 is great! We stop there, or if we're in a rush just hit Snarfs on the main drag, listen to our street-musician friend play violin for us. Also enjoy the Table Mountain Cantina in the winter when the temps force us to ride later in the day.

Thank you so much John. Hope you enjoyed the Loop, that's a great trail system there. Julianna just had her first ride in a couple of months yesterday, so we're getting there!

Thanks!

Aww thanks!

Thank you Teryl. And congrats! and great timing!

I love these trails, but truth is I'm a bit burned out on them and I'm really yearning for new landscapes. I rode much of FoCo when my daughter was up there for school. You have some nice rides as well, Carter Lake, Masonville, Horsetooth, the Poudre. Fort Collins is great.

I love that! I picked up cycling in my late thirties, I wanted something to keep me active as I got older. It has served me well!

Thank you Mark! It seems that I'm usually somewhere on tour on my birthday (we love riding in October, such a great month), so I don't always have the opportunity for a birthday ride. it felt great. Congrats to you on keeping it up. I would love to do the Cape Cod Trail, Never been there and would love to see it.

@@TheBicycleTourists….I’m fortunate as my birthday is in May with warm weather and plenty of sunlight. Come visit on the Cape. We have a big home with a guest suite. Plenty of bikes whatever your wishes. Happy holidays.

May is another great month to ride. Thanks so much for the offer, Mark. We would love to ride Cape Cod and it would be great to meet you! Enjoy your holidays as well!

@@TheBicycleTourists just touch base anytime when you are making plans. We are retired and have all the free time in the world. Would love to meet up and ride and fill you with lobsters, clams, oysters, etc!

Honestly, that sounds awesome!

Thank you so much, Thelma! You're too kind! I'm glad you enjoyed that ride, we loved that part of France.

Thank you! We are blessed. I guess having these trails makes up for having to ride in the city. We haven't ridden in Louisiana but in the midwest we loved riding the farm roads, some of our favorite riding.

Thank you! Denver and the metro area has really done a great job.

Thank you! Julianna got her first post-surgery ride in yesterday. Lots to be optimistic about!

One of the things about cycling is that you meet people who just keep at it. A few years back, when I did Ride the Rockies, a challenging Colorado multi-day ride (think mountain passes, high elevation, nearly 100-mile days) I met a woman who did it for the first time at 70. And she had done it 13 times since. Amazing!

@@TheBicycleTourists Agree with you. After retiring I bike toured across the Northern and Southern Tier ACA routes, slow and easy. Managed half of the Great Divide at 68. Going to try and finish it off at 72.Training, luck, and a positive attitude helps. ☮

Training, luck, positive attitude. That's what you need. We can't overcome genes, but if we do what we can to stay healthy, don't overdo it, enjoy a degree of good luck, we can ride into the sunset. Good luck on the Great Divide. That's a helluva challenge, and worth the effort I'm sure!

Back on my Surly…. Not surgery… I hate autocorrect!

Thank you Sam! It's Inspiring to hear, back surgery is scary and it's good to hear you can keep at it after so much work. Stay healthy, and keep riding!

Thanks! riding is a great way to spend your retirement!

@ you have shared some amazing routes. Thanks for making this channel!

Our pleasure!

Thank you Don! Julianna had her first post-surgery ride yesterday. All is good!