Photo by Jim Garrison Courtesy Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Assoc.

Photo by Vertical Exposure Courtesy Durango Area Tourism Office

Photo by Ashlee Allen, Courtesy Durango Area Tourism Office

AS SOON AS THE SNOW MELTS, and sometimes even before, off come the skis and on go the cleats. It's to time to enjoy some of the most beautiful biking country in the world. Western Colorado is especially known for its rugged rides, breathtaking scenery and fascinating history.

The area is a bike riders dream and a racers challenge. Mountain passes topping 13,000 feet making riding a challenge. But so does the awesome scenery, since it's easy to unseat yourself  just looking at it. Rides go from nearly impossible high mountain passes (often in snow and ice) to slickrock and hot, high desert plateaus. They wind through fields of wildflowers, bathe riders beneath roaring waterfalls, forge streams, ascend mining trails, and flirt with all manner of wildlife. Whatever the course or destination, no ride lacks for excitement or beauty.

For the competitor (of any level), there's a race every week, often several, from May into October. Below, some of our favorites. For more about mountain biking in each area, check our related stories and visit web sites of towns an areas of interest, including  Durango, Crested Butte-Gunnison, Telluride, Ouray, Grand Junction, and for the best rides throughout Colorado with Singletracks (Bike the Net).

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango-Silverton. Contenders race the train from Durango to Silverton, a 50-mile course climbing nearly 3,000 foot in elevation. www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com

Ride the Rockies Bicycle Tour. Durango-Breckenridge. Seven day, 235-mile trek showcasing some of Colorado's most magestic scenery. Participants chosen by lottery conducted by "The Denver Post" in February. www.ridetherockies.com

Bicycle Tour of Colorado. The Durango/Telluride Loop: Gunnison-Telluride-Gunnison. Seven-day tour beginning and ending in Gunnison and taking riders through Montrose, Ouray and Telluride, then looping through Carbondale, Aspen, Leadville, Frisco and Salida before returning to Gunnison. www.bicycletourcolorado.com

Fat Tire Bike Week Gunnison, Crested Butte.

PowerAde Pinnacle Summer Race Series Crested Butte. Thursday evenings, July-August. Regional total of 12 racing categories for beginner to expert riders. The races consist of varying lengths and difficulty tochallenge riders on Mt. Crested Butte's network of trails and quality single-track. www.ridecb.com

Crested Butte Bank Xterra Crested Butte. Triathlon for individuals and teams: 1K swim, 24K mountain bike ride, 9K trail run. Music, food and enthusiastic spectators lend a festive atmosphere to the triathlon whih includes a pro category and a challenged athlete division in addition to several age groups for men and women. www.westelktri.com

Colorado Rocky Mountain Bicycle Tour Crested Butte.Seven days of great riding in the Colorado Rocky Mountains begins and ends in Gunnison. Enjoy the 65-mile route ride from Gunnison to Montrose next to Blue Mesa Reservoir. Visit Carbondale, Aspen, Leadville, Frisco and Salida along the way before returning to Gunnison. www.crmbt.com.

24 Hours in the Sage Gunnison,Hartman Rocks Multi-Use Recreation Area.  24-hour relay. Individual entrants, duo teams, four-person men's and women's teams, and five-person co-ed teams ride a 13-mile loop continuously. The person/team in each category with the most laps wins. The loop incorporates 14 different trails, with almost 80 percent single track and 1,100 feet vertical gain per lap, which race organizer Mitch Fedak describes as "substantial, but not killer."
Weekend also includes World Townie Championships (with entrants riding single-speed bikes with mandatory fenders and either horns or fuzzy seat covers) and more. www.24hoursinthesage.com

Annual Pearl Pass Mountain Bike TourCrested Butte -Aspen. Honoring mountain biking history. (Full story) Oldest mountain bike event in the world. Ride over the 12,705-foot Pearl Pass to Aspen. Registration www.mtnbikehalloffame.com

Tour of the Vineyards Palisade, Grand Junction. 25-mile ride through Western Colorado wine country, including wineries, fruit orchards, vineyards. Festival in the Park at conclusion of ride. www.coloradowinefest.com

Annual Gunni-Cross (ACA Cyclo-cross) Gunnison, Jorgensen Park. Part of the ACA BCR/BCT point series. Utilizing natural features and amazing terrain to create laps straight out of European cyclo-cross. Sanctioned by the ACA, with all ACA rules applying. Information, registration: 970-275-8191.

Crested Butte
Chairlift rides at Crested Butte Mountain Resort are available to bikers and hikers.  Red Lady Express lift transports mountain bikers and hikers. From rolling single-track to more advanced technical terrain, Crested Butte Mountain offers miles of summer trails to entice bikers of all abilities and ages.  Silver Queen lift transports hikers to just below the summit at 11,400 feet. From there, sightseers can climb to the 12,162-foot Mt. Crested Butte peak, stop for a picnic or simply take in the spectacular views of the Elk Mountains Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Both lifts open in mid-June, with Silver Queen operating through Labor Day and Red Lady Express running through mid-August. For more information, contact 970-349- 2262 or visit www.skicb.com as the summer season nears.

Durango
Chairlift rides are also available at Durango Mountain Resort.  www.durangomountainresort.com
You might want to visit Durango Tourism office for information about trails and rides.

Telluride
Free scenic gondola cabins are outfitted with bike racks in the summer. From San Sophia Station, access bike trails for both Telluride and Mountain Village.  From the town of Telluride, find challenging trails that explore old mining roads and basins high above the box canyon. For longer, moderate trails, mountain bikers can link several former railroad tracks throughout the valley and to the west. When the snow melts, the Telluride Ski Resort transforms into a biking playground with plenty of trails that meander through aspen groves and lush meadows.  More information, Visit Telluride.   For full Biking trail listings, check out their Trails page.

San Juan Skyway
The San Juan Mountains provide a variety of terrain perfect for riding. Road riding is also popular along the scenic San Juan Skyway. The region offers technical and challenging routes for skilled road riders featuring many mountain passes and substantial elevation gains.

Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Crested Butte.
Those interested in the story of mountain biking can see it first-hand at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame located in the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum in downtown Crested Butte. Classic bikes, photos, mementos and media clips tell the lively story of this home-grown sport and the characters who gave it life. Visit Mountain Bike Hall of Fame online at www.mtnbikehalloffame.com.