The Col Collective's video: Independence Pass Colorado - Cycling Inspiration Education

As the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the U.S. Independence Pass is always going to have a special place in the heart of cyclists living or visiting Colorado. Best known for its silver and skiing, from Aspen (in the west) the climb is 19.5 miles / 31.4 km and although long it's the altitude that you really need to watch out for in this neck of the woods. Starting the day at an elevation that rivals some of the most prominent peaks in Europe, unless you're well acclimatised you're definitely going to feel the lack of air right from the gun. Fortunately the gradient is never too steep, generally hanging around 4-6% all the way, allowing you to appreciate endless landscapes alongside the Roaring Fork River on your journey to 12,095ft (3,687m). With 3 miles (5 km) to go you pass the Independence ghost town, today a very different place to what it would've been in its heyday in the late 1800's. It's from this town that the pass took its name, prior to this it was known as Hunters Pass. With no road markings or signs at the side of the road indicating how far you have to go it's a welcome landmark, and from here you can just about trace the road in the distance all the way to the top. I'd wanted to ride Independence Pass for such a long time, much like the famous climbs in Europe it had a certain lure that I wanted to see for myself. I think the first time I got a good look at it was when the pros were racing up it in the (now defunct) USA Pro Challenge and I remember being in awe at the road as it climbed through the forest and out into the vast expanse of the Rocky Mountains. Such a beautiful climb and one that I'm very glad to have now experienced. Start: Aspen Length: 19.5 miles (31.4 km) Highest Point: 12,095ft (3,687m) Start Elevation: 7,951ft (2,423m) Elevation gain: 4,144ft (1,263m) Max gradient: 7.5% Average gradient: 4.2% Ridden in September If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our channel, just this small act really helps us to prove our worth to our partners and enable us to continue creating content like this. Fancy riding with us? Then why not join us on one of our mountain cycling tours for all abilities each summer. Details available at http://thecolcollective.com/cycling-tours. For more help and advice visit our website at http://thecolcollective.com, become part of our col community and sign up for our free newsletter for regular mountain updates. Thank you to our partners Mavic, Cannondale, Exposure Lights, Lezyne, MyPower by InfoCrank, Muc Off, The Sufferfest, TORQ and USE for enabling us to bring these truly special mountains to life for you all. Stay well, ride safe and thank you for watching. Mike Cotty The Col Collective Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheColCollective?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheColCollective Twitter: https://twitter.com/colcollective Instagram: http://instagram.com/thecolcollective Google+: https://plus.google.com/+TheColCollective