A spin to the Merc – Jamestown, Colorado

Posted: September 6th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Cycling | No Comments »

I woke up on Sunday morning and was totally inspired by the cooler weather, soft blue sky and large number of dishes in the sink to jump on my bike and head up to Jamestown. Jamestown is a small mountain town just northwest of Boulder, with an enormous amount of character. It has become a great meeting place or resting spot for cyclist coming up from Boulder.

A number of cyclists like to start the journey from Left Hand Canyon; you’ll see a number of them in varying shades of spandex, removing their bikes from roof tops. I think that’s a fine way to go but today I started off from home and just accepted that after several months of just commuting round town that the pace was going to be slow.

Cycling out of Boulder on Hwy36 is not that much fun even though the shoulder is quite wide and clean of debris. But I can’t complain too much as the views of the Front Range, friendly waves from other cyclists, and general feeling of well-being is enough to get you past the one or two gnarly areas. Off of Hwy 36, you take a left onto Left-Hand Canyon wave to the cyclists pulling on their shoes and gloves and begin the climb.

It’s a super ride. The grade isn’t too steep, you catch occasional glimpses of rushing water, and before you know it you’re taking the turn-off for Jamestown. I did try and catch pictures of all these landmarks but it’s hard to ride uphill and focus a camera. Once you hit the turn-off, you have about a 3 mile jaunt up to town. It kicks up in a couple of spots but not bad and you generally don’t notice them unless someone is flying down hill and you are trying not to act like you are breathing out of your ears.

Finally, you get to Jamestown, where you can swing into the Merc for a full on breakfast or a quick snack on whatever you stuffed into your cycling jersey. I went big with eggs, avocado, bacon and coffee.  I think the Merc is under new ownership but has still retained its casual Jamestown vibe but with better coffee. The Merc also has live music on Thursday and Saturday.

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