Planning Denver to Washington, D.C. 2026 - Update April 9, 2026

On June 24th I will fly from New York to Denver where I will spend a few days acclimating to its elevation of 5,000 feet. I will then take a bus to Frisco (a ride of about two hours) and then ride eleven miles to Breckenridge where I will spend a few days acclimating to its elevation of 9,600 feet. My first full day of riding will take me up to Hoosier Pass at 11,500 feet and down to Fairplay at 9,900 feet where I'll spend the night.

Denver to Washington, D.C. 2026

I had initially planned to spend a few days in Frisco acclimating to its elevation of 9,000 feet before riding up to Hoosier Pass and down to Fairplay, but the Fireside Inn in Breckenridge is much less expensive than the Snowshoe Motel in Frisco, where I spent three nights on Cross Country 2024. I had such a great time in Frisco that I will probably spend a night there before riding to Breckenridge.

I've chosen the departure date of June 24th in order to avoid weather too cold at the start of the trip and to complete the trip in time to be able to attend my mother's 100th birthday celebration September 5th.

I've been spending a lot of time refining my routes. I've made many improvements to my gear about which you can read at Gear Update - February 27, 2026. I've also bought two tires and two pairs of caliper buckles. I've recently been experimenting with flat pedals and shoes without cleats. I'll report the results of my experiments in my next Gear Update.

You can see all my daily routes here. You can see the spreadsheet I use to plan the trip here.

I will be carrying three and one half pounds of cold-weather biking clothing for the first portion of my trip. I will send that clothing home once it's no longer needed, which might be as soon as I've completed a few riding days.

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If my blog posts provide you with vicarious pleasure, please consider making even a small contribution through GoFundMe towards the cost of my trip (as much as $8,000) by clicking the graphic below. By doing so you will become an active participant in the adventure, no matter the size your donation. Every contribution helps!

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