![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - bike parked in brush next to stone sign for Bellyache Ridge]()
Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado
Ride 5.3 miles gaining 2,085’ at 7.5% average grade.
This one is a bit of an outlier but we really enjoyed it. The climb is just off I-70 and not far from Vail, Loveland, and Guanella Passes. There is mild and slow moving traffic along the climb and the road is in very good condition. The steepest quarter mile is 10.4% and begins at mile 1.1.
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - photo collage, PJAMM Cycling logo in corner, bike parked against tree trunk in forested area with tall thin trees, cyclist on roadway next to trees, bike parked in grass next to wooden fence, view from top of climb overlooking valley below]()
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - PJAMM Cycling logo in corner, parking lot at climb's start]()
Plenty of parking at the start of the climb.
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - cyclist climbing up two-lane roadway, dry, mountainous lands behind]()
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - photo collage, PJAMM Cycling logo in corner, cyclist climbing large wooden near sign for Red Sky Golf Club, sign at entrance of golf course, bike parked on roadside overlooking golf course]()
Although we don’t see them much along the way, the area includes a couple of golf courses and Golf Academy.
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - photo collage, PJAMM Cycling logo in corner, views along the climb of stretches of roadway surrounded by low, brown mountains, PJAMM Cycling white SAG van, climb gradient profile]()
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - photo collage, PJAMM Cycling logo in corner, PJAMM Cycling white SAG van parked on roadway at end of pavement, end of climb]()
Finish where the pavement ends.
Climb report by Mike Persellin of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA. Photos by PJAMM Cycling.
Bellyache Ridge is a tough, short climb up from I-70 near Wolcott, Colorado. You are on the western, dry side of the Great Divide, and it can be quite warm. The start is at 7,017 feet and the finish is at 9,102 feet; so altitude is not quite as much a factor as with most of the other Colorado climbs. The climb is not overly difficult, with just a few double-digit segments. Once you’re past the golf course, the views over the Eagle River valley and I-70 corridor are stunning. It’s a new, wide road with little to no traffic, and the road ends where residential development stops. It would not be surprising if the road and finish are extended in the near future.
![Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado Cycling Bellyache Ridge, Colorado - cyclist Mike Persellin climbing on roadway surrounded by scrub brush and low mountains, blue sky beyond]()
Thank you Mike!