Race guide · Colorado Rockies
Triple Bypass: Training Guide
Three high passes, one very long day in the thin Colorado air.
The Triple Bypass is a one-day road ride over three major Colorado mountain passes — historically Juniper Pass (Squaw Pass), Loveland Pass and Vail Pass — linking Evergreen to Avon. The exact route and pass list can change year to year with road conditions, so treat the numbers here as a season-to-season picture and confirm the current course on the official site.
For a normal rider, the day is defined less by any single climb than by the combination: roughly 10,000 feet of sustained climbing, much of it above 9,000 feet where the air is thin, packed into a single sitting. Finishing is a real endurance accomplishment that rewards patient pacing far more than raw power.
What makes it hard
- Total climbing: ≈10,000 ft over the day means hours of your time is spent going uphill — sustained aerobic work, not punchy efforts.
- Altitude: the high points sit near or above 11,000–12,000 ft, where reduced oxygen blunts your power and slows recovery between climbs.
- Duration: most riders are out for the better part of a day, so fueling and pacing errors compound late on the final pass.
- Mountain weather: afternoon thunderstorms, cold descents and exposed passes mean the day can swing from hot to cold quickly.
What the day actually demands
This is a sustained aerobic event, not a race of attacks. The climbs are long and steady, so the limiter is how many hours you can hold a comfortable tempo without blowing up — your aerobic endurance and durability, not your sprint.
Altitude is the wildcard. Even fit riders lose noticeable power above 9,000–10,000 ft, and the thin air makes hard efforts disproportionately costly. The winning strategy for most is to ride the climbs easier than feels necessary early, so you still have legs for the final pass.
How to build toward it
Give yourself a runway of 12–20 weeks if you can. Build weekly riding volume first, with the long ride growing toward 5–7 hours so a full day in the saddle is familiar territory.
Make climbing the centerpiece. Seek out the longest sustained climbs you can reach and ride them at a steady tempo and sweet-spot effort. Back-to-back climbing days on weekends teach your legs to climb again after they are already tired — exactly what the third pass asks of you.
If you live at low elevation, you cannot fully replicate altitude, but you can arrive a few days early to begin adjusting, and you can train your pacing discipline so you do not overcook the early climbs.
Fueling and hydration
A day this long is won or lost on fueling. Aim for a steady 60–90 grams of carbohydrate per hour from early on, and practice that intake on long rides for weeks beforehand so your gut is trained for it.
Altitude and dry mountain air increase fluid loss and can suppress appetite, so drink to a plan rather than to thirst and lean on aid stations to top up. Going hungry or dehydrated on the long middle climbs is the classic way the day falls apart.
Equipment and terrain
Gear low. Climbing for hours at altitude is far more pleasant with a wide-range cassette and a compact or sub-compact setup — spinning a comfortable cadence protects your legs for the later passes.
Pack for descents and weather: the high passes are cold even in July, and the descents are long. A packable layer and gloves are worth the weight. Check the official site for the current route, cutoffs and aid-station plan.
A sample build
A skeleton, not a prescription — the right plan flexes around your starting fitness, your weeks, and your life. Use it to picture the shape of the work.
Common questions
How long does it take to finish the Triple Bypass?
It varies widely with fitness and conditions, but most riders are out for the better part of a day once you include the climbing and aid stops. Strong riders finish in well under that; many fit recreational riders take most of the daylight. Pace the early passes conservatively and check the official site for any time cutoffs.
Do I need to train at altitude to ride the Triple Bypass?
It helps but is not required. If you live near sea level you can still finish by building strong aerobic endurance, gearing low, arriving a few days early to begin adjusting, and pacing the climbs more conservatively than you would at home. Respect the thin air and ride within yourself early.
How many hours a week should I train?
There is no single number, but consistent riding with a weekly long ride that grows toward 5–7 hours, plus regular climbing, prepares most riders well. Quality and consistency over many weeks matter more than any single big week.
Course distance, elevation, and dates shift year to year. Always confirm the current year's details on the official event site — Triple Bypass. This guide is general training information, not coaching advice tailored to you.
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