RIDE DETAILS
THIS YEAR: SEPT. 26, 2026 | BOULDER OCTOPUS
START & FINISH at Ideal Marketplace parking lot; SE quadrant
Arrive at 7:30am. Roll out at 8am
Time in the saddle is approx 8 hours. Elapsed time is approx 10 hours.
BOULDER OCTOPUS on GARMIN
STRAVA map coming soon!
NEXT YEAR: SEPT. 2027 | VAIL OCTOPUS 2.0
START & FINISH at Smiling Moose Café in Edwards: 1170 Edwards Village Blvd., Edwards, CO 81632
Arrive up at 7:30am.
Load the truck with your gear. Roll out at 8am
Time in the saddle is approx 9 hours. Elapsed time is approx 11 hours.
VAIL OCTOPUS 2.0 on STRAVA
RIDE OPERATIONS
Van/sag wagon support throughout the day. All of your supplies go on board.
The van stages halfway up the hill and stops to monitor riders as we ascend and does the same on the way down.
As we climb, we break up into small groups and/or go solo as you wish.
We wait for all riders to summit before descending. Eating and clothing changes are done at the summits.
We re-group briefly at the bottom and commute together to the base of the next climb.
The van driver is a paid volunteer; usually any willing mechanic I can find; sometimes not.
WHAT TO BRING
Your cell phone
VAIL: FRONT and TAIL bike lights. We will finish in twilight or dark.
Two 1-gallon jugs of water for your own consumption (do not bring the 2.5‐gallon jugs with a spout).
Use a standard-sized cooler for your food storage. Put your name on the sides.
Use a common clear plastic storage container for your gear/clothing/tools. Put your name on the sides.
...these type of containers allow us to quickly find the right item inside the van.
see examples illustrated HERE
If you are not accustom to 8hr rides, I encourage you to bring a variety of digestible foods. Eight hours of food bars is not good fuel (for most people).
YOUR CELL PHONE is mandatory, so you communicate with the support van driver in the event of emergency or a bail out.
You can bail out of the ride at any point during the day, but the support driver must be notified.
POST RIDE CELLY
Upon your completion, you will receive the unique, pile of coveted Octopus schwag.
If we have any time & energy, we'll get some food & drink at a nearby restaurant.
THIS YEAR: SEPT. 26, 2026 | BOULDER OCTOPUS
START & FINISH at Ideal Marketplace parking lot; SE quadrant
Arrive at 7:30am. Roll out at 8am
Time in the saddle is approx 8 hours. Elapsed time is approx 10 hours.
BOULDER OCTOPUS on GARMIN
STRAVA map coming soon!
NEXT YEAR: SEPT. 2027 | VAIL OCTOPUS 2.0
START & FINISH at Smiling Moose Café in Edwards: 1170 Edwards Village Blvd., Edwards, CO 81632
Arrive up at 7:30am.
Load the truck with your gear. Roll out at 8am
Time in the saddle is approx 9 hours. Elapsed time is approx 11 hours.
VAIL OCTOPUS 2.0 on STRAVA
RIDE OPERATIONS
Van/sag wagon support throughout the day. All of your supplies go on board.
The van stages halfway up the hill and stops to monitor riders as we ascend and does the same on the way down.
As we climb, we break up into small groups and/or go solo as you wish.
We wait for all riders to summit before descending. Eating and clothing changes are done at the summits.
We re-group briefly at the bottom and commute together to the base of the next climb.
The van driver is a paid volunteer; usually any willing mechanic I can find; sometimes not.
WHAT TO BRING
Your cell phone
VAIL: FRONT and TAIL bike lights. We will finish in twilight or dark.
Two 1-gallon jugs of water for your own consumption (do not bring the 2.5‐gallon jugs with a spout).
Use a standard-sized cooler for your food storage. Put your name on the sides.
Use a common clear plastic storage container for your gear/clothing/tools. Put your name on the sides.
...these type of containers allow us to quickly find the right item inside the van.
see examples illustrated HERE
If you are not accustom to 8hr rides, I encourage you to bring a variety of digestible foods. Eight hours of food bars is not good fuel (for most people).
YOUR CELL PHONE is mandatory, so you communicate with the support van driver in the event of emergency or a bail out.
You can bail out of the ride at any point during the day, but the support driver must be notified.
POST RIDE CELLY
Upon your completion, you will receive the unique, pile of coveted Octopus schwag.
If we have any time & energy, we'll get some food & drink at a nearby restaurant.
Overheard during Octopi rides...
'this totally sucks'
'this is fucking fabulous'
'are you fucking kidding me?' [ very common ]
'it just dawned on me that this is also 17,000 ft of descending'
" I will finish next year if it kills me' He finished. He lived.
from a random gal driving by near the top of Vail climb 7: 'hey, is this that Octopus ride !?'