After having cycled 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) over 10 weeks with 180 hours spent in the saddle of the Haibike SDuro eMTB, we have reached the tour’s final destination, Denver. It is here, the latest Pedelec Adventure ends.
This last stretch of the Sand to Snow tour saw us leaving the Loveland Pass and the Continental Divide behind. We rode on brilliant bicycle lanes, which more or less followed the Interstate 70.
To reach the last campground of our tour, we climbed a steep 10 km dirt road while passing through abandoned mining areas and ghost towns.
The next morning, we packed our bikes one more time and cycled through the Golden Gate Canyon Road towards Denver. It was father’s day and Central City was a party zone with men dressed in stylish cowboy outfits and woman performing in the town’s main street.
We stopped at the friendly town of Golden for our lunch break that lasted longer and longer. It seemed none of us really wanted to ride into Denver, to daunting was the finish of the Sand to Snow tour that saw us travelling together everyday for almost three months.
We were reminiscent. To hop onto our bikes first thing in the morning and ride 30 km before breakfast has had become a brilliant morning routine, while passing through California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.
We remembered the spectacle the National Parks like Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley had been to us, we also loved the stretches in-between, where we mostly chose dirt roads away from the beaten track and encountered breathtaking views and challenging rides, cycling through the most contrasting conditions.
With temperatures ranging from -5 to 41°C (23 to 106°F) and surroundings including deep sand and miles of snow fields, our entire equipment was put to the toughest possible test, while the Sand to Snow tour fully lived up to it’s name.
Our Haibike ePerformance bikes prove, that they are made for any ground and the Yamaha drive system supported all our endeavours remarkedly reliably.
Covering all this distance and climbing a total of 57,000 meters (187,000 feet) in elevation, my pedelec's batteries consumed a total of 38 kWh. That is 95 battery charges but only about as much energy as a dryer requires to run 10 times.
Finally, we did manage to break free to cycle towards Denver and we fell in love with the skyline.
There was one last time left to keep up our morning routine because luckily, the Electric Bike Expo, our designated finish event located at the Mills Mall, was another 20 km bike ride away. When we got there, we received the warmest welcome from the Haibike crew and many other friends from the e-bike world. At noon we gave our finish presentation with first pictures and videos of the tour while sharing our favourite stories of this fantastic adventure. It was amazing to see the audience so excited and asking a lot of excellent questions.
We ended the event with mixed feelings - incredibly happy that the Sand to Snow tour had gone so well, overwhelmed by all the amazing things we have seen, but also sad to know this amazing trip has now come to an end.
My conclusion? Dry your laundry in the sun, get yourself a nice pedelec and ride 3,000 miles. You will be much happier. That is not only a promise, it is a guarantee.
Ride safe and travel happy!
