
The Triple Bypass is one of the hardest one-day rides in the United States: 195 kilometres from Evergreen over three Rocky Mountain passes to Avon, with around 3,450 metres of climbing and never dropping below 2,000 metres of altitude.
The ride starts at Buchanan Park in Evergreen, west of Denver, with a rolling start from about 05:00. The first climb goes over Juniper Pass, then the route runs through Idaho Springs and Georgetown to Loveland Pass, at roughly 3,650 metres the high point of the day and one of the highest paved passes in North America. After the descent into Summit County it follows the Dillon Reservoir to the third climb, Vail Pass, before dropping through Vail to Avon. Five aid stations sit on the course, four of them with hard cut-off times. The organisers are explicit that this is not a race.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 0.1 | 2.6 km | 4.8 % | 9.4 % | +125 m | Cat. 4 |
| km 3.3 | 5.1 km | 4.7 % | 12.3 % | +243 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 10.7 | 3.2 km | 5.7 % | 10.5 % | +182 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 14 | 3.6 km | 5 % | 11.4 % | +179 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 19.3 | 2.2 km | 5.6 % | 9.8 % | +121 m | Cat. 4 |
| km 69.7 | 3.5 km | 5.2 % | 15.1 % | +180 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 88.6 | 4.9 km | 6 % | 14.3 % | +294 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 93.7 | 2.1 km | 5.6 % | 11.4 % | +115 m | Cat. 4 |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
Altitude governs everything. At 3,000 to 3,650 metres there is 20 to 30 per cent less oxygen available depending on acclimatisation, and Loveland Pass comes after 100 kilometres are already in the legs.
Riding the first two climbs at a familiar pace risks the 19:00 cut-off at Vail Pass. The sensible approach is an early start, an evenly low intensity and disciplined drinking: the dry mountain air takes more fluid than thirst suggests.
For most participants this is a ten- to thirteen-hour day including stops.

The decisive preparation is long sustained climbing.
Juniper Pass and Loveland Pass each demand an hour to ninety minutes of continuous effort, so training needs rides of 1,500 to 2,500 metres of ascent including at least two climbs over 45 minutes.
Altitude adaptation matters just as much: spend a week in Colorado beforehand if you can, and if not, arrive as close to the start as possible.
Cold-weather kit for the descents belongs in training as much as in the bag, because at 3,650 metres it can sit near freezing even in July.

Download the Triple Bypass course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Triple Bypass is 194.7 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
Triple Bypass has around 3,453 m of elevation gain over 194.7 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
Triple Bypass is classified as Rolling, averaging 17.8 vertical metres per kilometre. 24% of the route is flat, 33% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 5% is steeper than 6%.
The hardest climb of Triple Bypass starts at kilometre 88.6, runs for 4.9 km at an average of 6% and gains 294 metres. Cycling-convention rating: Cat. 3. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
No, Triple Bypass is a point-to-point course: start and finish are in different places.
Yes. The Triple Bypass course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
Preparation for Triple Bypass should account for 194.7 km, 3,453 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
The pacing strategy for Triple Bypass should reflect 194.7 km, 3,453 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
Triple Bypass takes place on July 10, 2027.
Triple Bypass takes place in Evergreen, United States.
Triple Bypass offers 2 distances — The Triple: 194.7 km; The Double: 134.8 km.
Registration runs through the organiser: triplebypass.org. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.