Watch for Bicyclists This Weekend – Bergen Park to Avon

On Saturday, about 3,500 bicyclists are participating in the Triple Bypass Bicycle Tour and traversing Loveland Pass from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to travel west from Clear Creek County, and through Summit and Eagle counties to Avon.  Then, on Sunday, more than 2,200 cyclists are expected to make the return trip from Avon, traveling over Loveland Pass from 11a.m. to 2 p.m., and then east to Bergen Park.

Since bicyclists will be traveling on U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass, the highway will be closed to all hazardous materials trucks both days, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., requiring travel through the Eisenhower Tunnel during that time period.  The closure is being implemented as an added safety precaution, eliminating the road sharing problem between bicyclists and large trucks on the two-lane highway.  Since CDOT does not allow hazardous loads to travel through the tunnel with other vehicles, at the top of each hour, all eastbound and westbound traffic will be stopped for about 15 minutes, allowing waiting hazmat vehicles to be escorted through the tunnel. 

In addition to U.S. 6 between Loveland Pass and Dillon, CDOT is advising all drivers and bicyclists to “Share the Road” and use extra caution along other state highway segments on the tour route, including State Highway 103 between Bergen Park and Idaho Springs and U.S. 6 between Dowd Junction (U.S. 6/U.S. 24 junction) and Avon.