Colorado's Copper Triangle is a cycling route for road cyclists. The route begins at Copper Mountain, Colorado

Copper Mountain, Colorado

Copper Mountain is a census-designated place in Summit County, Colorado, United States. Its elevation is 9,695 feet , and it is located at ....

, and follows State Highway 91 south to US Highway 24, just before reaching Leadville, Colorado

Leadville, Colorado

Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...

. Heading north on 24, the route continues on to Interstate 70 and after passing Minturn, Colorado

Minturn, Colorado

Minturn is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,068 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Minturn is located at ....

, follows a bicycle path back to Copper Mountain along the interstate. The route may be started at any point on the circuit, though parking might be easier to come by in the Copper Mountain area. This circuit covers approximately 85 miles of road and four mountain passes: Fremont Pass

Fremont Pass (Colorado)

Fremont Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.It forms the continental divide on the border between Lake County and Summit County. The pass is named for John C. Fremont, an explorer of the American West who discovered the pass while traversing...

, Tennessee Pass

Tennessee Pass (Colorado)

Tennessee Pass elevation is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass traverses the continental divide north of Leadville in a gap between the northern end of the Sawatch Range to the west and the northern end of the Mosquito Range to the east...

, Battle Mountain Pass and Vail Pass

Vail Pass

Vail Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. The pass was named for Charles Vail, a highway engineer.Vail Pass lies on the boundary between Eagle and Summit counties, between Vail on the west and Copper Mountain on the east. It provides the route of Interstate 70...

. The total elevation climb during the circuit is approximately six thousand feet. Three mountain ranges are passed through, Tenmile, Gore and Sawatch. The Copper Triangle passes near the foot of the highest mountain in the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, Mount Elbert

Mount Elbert

Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America, at , the highest of the fourteeners in Colorado, and the high point of the Sawatch Range. It is located in Lake County, approximately southwest of Leadville...

. And the route travels past the historic Camp Hale

Camp Hale

Camp Hale, between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley in Colorado, was a U.S. Army training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. It was named for General Irving Hale....

, used by the United States Army to train soldiers during World War II.

The Copper Triangle is a popular route for bicycling enthusiasts, and hosts the annual Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle cycling event. This event is a benefit ride that supports the Davis Phinney Foundation. This foundation was created by namesake, Davis Phinney

Davis Phinney

Davis Phinney is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States. He was known as a fast sprinter, and claims to have won the most races in American history. In 1986, he became the first American to win a stage at the Tour de France, while riding on the American-based team 7-Eleven...

, a former professional road bicycle racer after having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

 at the age of 40. The Davis Phinney Foundation supports medical research to improve the lives of those with Parkinson's. The Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle event is sponsored by Saab

Saab

Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...

, Crocs

Crocs

Crocs, Inc. is a shoe manufacturer founded by 3 friends - Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker, Jr. - to produce and distribute a foam clog design acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. The shoe had originally been developed as a spa shoe. The first model...

, Copper Mountain Ski Resort, The Village at Copper and numerous others, while the title sponsor is Colorado Cyclist. Colorado Cyclist is one of the largest bicycle and bicycle accessory retailers in the United States and is located in Colorado Spring, Colorado.