Arrival & Check-in, Bike Fitting and Warm-up Ride, Program Orientation & Biking Safety

Afternoon: Hotel check-in for our group begins at 12:00 noon and will run through the afternoon as you arrive. Bike fitting starts at 1:00pm. This process will take a couple of hours, so please be on time. After everyone has been fitted, we'll have a warm-up ride along a marked route. Bike staff will be available to make adjustments if/as needed. For the rest of the afternoon/evening, we will have an informative overview of the program to come plus an opportunity to talk with program staff and your fellow participants during an introductory get-acquainted session and dinner. But first we have a private tour of Odell Brewery. Doug Odell's passion for crafting great beer started in his kitchen in Seattle, then moved to Fort Collins where he opened the brewery in 1989, only the second microbrewery in the state of Colorado. In 1997, the five barrel pilot system (one tenth the size of the main brewing system) was brought in to give the brewers a place to create and innovate in small batches. You'll have an opportunity to taste several of these craft beers. During the orientation session, you'll meet your fellow participants and our lead bicycle guides who will cover group information, riding procedures, emergency contacts, bicycle laws in Colorado, why it's important to stay hydrated, etc. We'll review the program schedule, note any updates, and answer your questions. We'll also review tomorrow's itinerary, the distances, terrain and other factors, and what you should expect to see.
This program is for biking enthusiasts who want to learn. We'll ride for substantial distances in the morning, stop for lunch, have an informational discussion of what we've seen, and be off to the next field trip or event. Some evenings will have special activities and we'll always review the next day's itinerary. You'll see and learn about some of the most important aspects of the local economy: exercise, food, and beer.

Dinner: We'll dine out at a favorite local restaurant.

Lodging: Best Western University Inn

Meals Included: Dinner

Biking Fort Collins, Horsetooth Reservoir, and New Belgium Brewery tour.

Breakfast: Expanded continental breakfast includes coffee, tea, juices, bagels, english muffins, toast, donut holes, muffins, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, waffles & hard boiled eggs.

Morning: We'll bike approximately 30 miles of Fort Collins and surrounding foothills following paved bike paths and county roads. Fort Collins has won awards for bike friendliness thanks to its extensive network of bike trails. After traveling through town, we'll follow roads overlooking beautiful Horsetooth Reservoir in the foothills, a very scenic ride with short hiking opportunities possible along the way.

Lunch: Lunches have been excluded from the program cost, allowing you to follow your own pace and preferred diet. Today we'll stop for lunch at a charming coffee/sandwich shop in Bellvue and you can either eat your sack lunch or purchase lunch.

Afternoon: We'll bike from Horsetooth Park to the New Belgium Brewery (the third-largest craft brewery and seventh largest-brewery in the nation) for an insider's look at the process of producing more than two dozen different beers such as "Fat Tire Amber Ale". The company prides itself on environmental innovation, energy efficiency, conservation, and recycling, striving to make each of these a key component throughout the brewery. As a special highlight, you'll have an opportunity to sample several beers in the brewery tasting room.
At the conclusion of our field trip, we'll load into the van and return to the hotel. (No biking after drinking beer!)

Dinner: We'll dine out at a favorite local restaurant.

Evening: After dinner, we'll review tomorrow's itinerary and relax!

Lodging: Best Western University Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Biking the Northern Plains & Organic Farm Tour. Plus optional "bike-in movie" night.

Breakfast: Expanded continental breakfast includes coffee, tea, juices, bagels, english muffins, toast, donut holes, muffins, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, waffles & hard boiled eggs.

Morning: We'll bike 30-40 miles, through scenic rolling countryside northwest of Fort Collins, to an organic family farm. The ride begins after a van transport to beautiful Red Feather Lakes, from there we will unload the bicycles and start our journey through the rolling hills with stunning landscape views of Colorado and Wyoming.

Lunch: You will provide your own lunch. There will be coolers in the van to keep your sack lunch in, and cold water is always available. We will offer evening trips in the van to the grocery store for you to get lunch supplies.

Afternoon: After lunch we will enjoy a very special private tour of Grant Family Farms. Grant Family Farms was started in Larimer County in 1971 by Lewis Grant, then a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. Grant Family Farms is 2,200 acres of land located in Wellington, CO and was the first State of Colorado Certified Organic farm in 1988. The farm's commitment to organic standards was revolutionary at the time. Now, 33 years later, the farm is a national leader in the production of high quality Certified Organic Vegetables and Grains. Grant Farms also raises pastured, organic poultry, meats, and eggs. At the conclusion of our field trip, we'll take the van back to the hotel.

Dinner: We'll dine out at a favorite local restaurant.

Evening: Optional: Every summer New Belgium hosts an outdoor Bike-in Cinema on the front lawn of the brewery. It's quite a sight to see 400 or 500 of our friends and neighbors spread out on blankets, catching a flick and sipping a beer beneath the stars. The best part is watching everyone ride up on their bicycles, lights flashing, bells ringing on those warm summer nights. We will depart the motel on bikes at 7:20 PM. It's a 2-mile ride to NBB, and we will van home after the movie.

Lodging: Best Western University Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Expanded continental breakfast includes coffee, tea, juices, bagels, english muffins, toast, donut holes, muffins, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, waffles & hard boiled eggs.

Morning: Today's route follows the Poudre Bicycle Trail, and the Cache la Poudre River from Greeley to Fort Collins. The route is approximately 35 miles. The Cache la Poudre River is rich in history and is the lifeblood for water resources in the Northern Colorado Region. The Poudre River Trail Corridor is the section of the river between Greeley and Windsor in Weld County, Colorado. It is a wide paved path with gentle grades that is away from road noise and busy intersections. It allows those that use the trail to enjoy the natural beauty of the meandering river and the stands of cottonwood trees and wetland meadows that line its banks. We will make a stop at the Poudre Learning Center for a quick educational presentation on the area.

Lunch: You will provide your own lunch. There will be coolers in the van to keep your sack lunch in, and cold water is always available. We will offer evening trips in the van to the grocery store for you to get lunch supplies.

Afternoon: We will continue our ride west on a marked route back to our hotel in Fort Collins. The afternoon route includes county/town roads and bike paths. Reminder, all week there will be a leader biking with the group as well as a sag wagon that will monitor the group and be available for assistance or for a rest from riding. Following an afternoon break, the vans will depart from the motel for Equinox Brewing / Hops & Berries. We'll enjoy an educational presentation on how to create your own home brewery, what materials are required, and what the process is like. There will also be beer samples available for tasting if you are interested.

Dinner: We'll eat at a favorite local restaurant. We'll return to the hotel by van.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Take time to explore on your own or for R&R.

Lodging: Best Western University Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Expanded continental breakfast includes coffee, tea, juices, bagels, english muffins, toast, donut holes, muffins, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, waffles & hard boiled eggs.

Morning: We've scheduled this program to coincide with the annual "Tour de Fat" festivities in downtown Fort Collins. "Tour de Fat" is a celebration of bicycling and energy sustainability that has developed into one of the highlights ending the summer in Fort Collins. You will have the option to bike in the parade or just watch all of the silly costumes other cyclists are wearing. Feel free to bring your favorite costume to wear, or stop in a local thrift shop during the week to find one. Whether or not you bike in the parade or wear a costume, this parade is always a highlight of the week for Road Scholar participants. If the dates of this festival change, we will schedule a different ride for this morning.

Lunch: Lunch is on your own. Today you will be on your own to choose from one of the many great restaurants near the motel. We'll regroup after lunch.

Afternoon: Van departs motel with bicycles in the trailer for afternoon ride. We will be driving into the mountains for a scenic bicycle ride ending at Inlet Bay Marina - Horsetooth Reservoir. All-aboard our private deck-boat for a wonderful evening on Horsetooth Reservoir with dinner catered and refreshments provided. Don't forget your camera as we celebrate our week's accomplishments in style.

Dinner: We’ll have a special dinner aboard a houseboat with an evening cruise through the scenic Horsetooth Reservoir in mountains west of Fort Collins.

Evening: You've ridden many miles, seen and learned many things. Spend the remainder of the evening relaxing with your new-found friends, then prepare for tomorrow's departure.

Lodging: Best Western University Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Expanded continental breakfast includes coffee, tea, juices, bagels, english muffins, toast, donut holes, muffins, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, waffles & hard boiled eggs.
The program concludes with breakfast. Hotel check-out is at 11:00am.
We hope you've had a great time on this exciting new biking adventure and will join us for other rewarding Road Scholar learning programs in the future. Best wishes for all your rides!

Meals Included: Breakfast