The Copper Triangle course is a spectacular 78-mile (126 km)loop cresting three Colorado mountain passes - Freemont Pass (elevation 11,318 feet), Tennessee Pass (elevation 10,424 feet) and Vail Pass (elevation 10,666 feet). The course passes three ski areas and is littered with historic mining outposts and camp Hale, the training ground for the famous 10th Mountain Division. The total elevation gain for the course is 5,981 feet.

Susan took Stan and two of her friends along the course the day after he arrived from Vancouver in June 2006. For reasons known only to Susan, they decided to take Stan in the opposite direction to the one listed in the map below. After cycling out from Frisco, they reached Dowd Junction and headed toward Battle Mountain and Tennessee Pass. It soon became apparant why most cyclists opt to start the ride the other way around. Throughout much of the 78 mile tour, they were buffeted by ferocious headwinds. The winds were particularily strong climbing up Battle Mountain, reaching up to 60 mph. By the end of the day, after cycling an additional 22 miles to Susan's home in Frisco, they completed a full "century" ride, 100 miles (160 km) through some of the most beautiful country Stan had ever seen. What a great welcome to Colorado!

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