Iconic bike race returns to Boulder County

After a three-year absence, one of the most competitive bicycle races in Colorado is returning to Boulder County next month. Modeled after one of the world's oldest single-day cycling competitions, the Boulder Roubaix will test up to 1,000 riders on a partially-paved 18.7-mile course that winds through the bucolic hills of Niwot, Longmont, and Hygiene.

"Typically we go every other year, but we weren't interested in helping to spread the virus in any way shape or form, so it was an obvious cancellation in 2021," head promoter Chris Grealish of DBC Events said. "So the racing community is really excited to have it back on the calendar in 2022."

Indeed, the Boulder Roubaix has been a mainstay on the local racing calendar since 1992, meaning the event is turning the big 3-0 this year. In its debut year, the course was a modest 8.6 miles, but as its field of competitors grew, so did its length. It was an annual event until 2010, when it moved to the every-other-year model out of consideration for the north Boulder County residents, who have been asked to endure an increasingly long list of races, rides and runs through their neighborhoods.

"We're trying to be sensitive to the residents in the community impacted by the race and other events that occur there," Grealish said.

The biennial race pays tribute to the legendary Paris-Roubaix, a 126-year old cycling race also known as the "Hell of the North." The technically challenging route takes riders from the French capital to the city of Roubaix, near the northern border with Belgium, a distance of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles). If that weren't challenging enough, long portions of the roadway are paved in cobblestones or "setts", requiring enhanced equipment.

The Boulder version isn't quite as grueling, but it isn't just a leisurely ride, Grealish said. The race route starts at 41st Street and Oxford Road, and goes as far north as Hygiene Rd. before circling back in a loop. Approximately 57% of the road surface is unpaved, making gravel and holes a hazard, and the course can generously be described as "hilly".

"It's a really challenging loop, and it's an amazingly beautiful area. The dirt roads and the pot holes and the 'rough road' aspect create a lot more stress on the participants, and you can never really relax. "

The year's event features 41 racing categories, ranging from juniors (9-10), who will race a 4.1-mile portion of the loop, to masters and pros, who will race multiple laps of the loop. Also racing are competitors from the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling conference, featuring teams from 11 Colorado colleges.

"For those riders and the pro elite men's race, they're going to do an extra lap this year, to make it five" Grealish said. "They're going to do almost 100 miles of a 19-mile loop. It's really exciting to see that they're going to get a really solid long distance road race at this time of year."

Grealish is expecting their biggest ever field of individuals with physical disabilities, who will compete in one of the Roubaix's six stages that are reserved for riders who use adaptive equipment. Since 2015, the race has welcomed riders from Adaptive Adventures, a non-profit dedicated to providing participants with opportunities to participate in sports.

"A lot of them are vets who are amputees that are athletic and have found cycling as a way to enjoy themselves," Grealish said. "We've got three different divisions for the adaptive group, the handcycling division, trike division, and an upright division."

The Roubaix kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with the youth categories, and continues in waves throughout the day. The top three finishers in most races will receive a medal, while the winning professionals will receive a cash prize, as well as a unique and highly prized sandstone trophy designed as an homage to the namesake race's 'setts'.

"To have one of those on your mantel as a local racer is special," Grealish said. "People are really kind of nuts about it."

Registration for the Boulder Roubaix is now open, but spots are filling up fast, Grealish said. In fact, sign-ups for the 2022 event are already outpacing 2019, with two weeks still to go. For organizers, that's just one more reason to celebrate after a "rough" two years for the cycling community.

"When you look at the pandemic, and everything that's happened, for a lot of folks, it brings back a sense of normalcy, and people really want to see the race happen," he said. "We're very grateful that we can keep doing it."

Online registration for the Boulder Roubaix is now open. For more information or to reserve your spot, visit https://www.dbcevents.com/. Residents in the areas should expect road closures on Nelson Road, St. Vrain Road, Hygiene Road, as well as others. To view a complete course map, visit https://www.dbcevents.com/.