Weekly Ride Types

Dawn Patrol – Early morning (7:00 a.m. or earlier) road rides of approximately 15 miles, usually on Fridays. A great way to start the day.   

Ladies Ride – Tuesday morning road rides of approximately 20 miles followed by a stop for coffee and conversation.

Pathway Pedalers – Wednesday evening rides of 15-30 miles that use our region's extensive paved bike paths. Intended to accommodate multiple levels of riders, but we encourage participation by those who do not feel comfortable on the road. 

Conditioning Rides – Improve your fitness and enhance your skills with this Monday evening ride on a relatively level circuit loop through the Denver Tech Center area. Riders may opt for their own distance, speed, and duration.  

Hill Rides – Weekday morning road rides with plenty of climbing. Usually requires driving to the foothills.

Weekend Rides – These are the heart and soul of the club. Rides are usually on Saturday mornings, last approximately 2 hours, and include roads and paved trails.

Gravel Rides – Rides on gravel trails in the area. Typically, 10-15 miles with around 1,500 feet of climbing.

Out-of-Town Rides

Once each season, we schedule a week-long out-of-town trip that includes a hotel stay with daily rides and group meals. Some years, it’s in-state, so members can drive to it. Recent locations have included Grand Junction/Palisade and Aspen. 

Other years, we team up with a guided tour company for a fully supported out-of-state tour. Most recently we have partnered with Carolina Tailwinds for tours in Tennessee and Virginia. (See our Play page for more information on the social activities)

We also schedule weekend out-of-town rides in locations such as Steamboat Springs, Frisco, and Beaver Creek.

Ride With GPS

The Village Idiots have a club membership with Ride With GPS, where we maintain our route library of over 150 routes. All our ride listings on the Events page include a link to a Ride with GPS route you can download to your phone or cycling computer, or just study to see what you are getting yourself into!  

As an active member of the Village Idiots, you get access to premium navigation features on all club routes and events:

• Voice Navigation in our mobile app
• Offline Maps in our mobile app
• PDF Maps + Cuesheets
• Advanced Turn Notifications with TCX files
• Estimated time

Village Idiots 2025 Out-of-Town Bicycling Excursion: Michigan Cherry Coast Tour

A 6-day Bicycle Tour of Lake Michigan, Traverse City and Petoskey

August 10, 2025 to August 15, 2025

Carolina Tailwinds Tours

https://www.carolinatailwinds.com/tour/michigan-cherry-coast

The northwestern coast of Michigan's Lower Peninsula is the setting for a beautiful six-day cycling vacation.  Brilliant aquamarine waters of Lake Michigan dramatically frame miles of back roads in the “land of many little bays.”  This tour begins and ends in the self-proclaimed “Cherry Capital of the World,” vibrant Traverse City, MI.  Tour highlights include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and an optional visit to Michigan’s crown jewel: bike-friendly Mackinac Island. 

6 days/5 nights, $2,950/per person or $2,850/per person with early bird rate booking 6 months in advance with double occupancy. Anyone who has participated in a prior Carolina Tailwinds’ tour will also receive a 5% discount. Bike rental is an option for an additional $100/week – Fleet of Giant bikes to rent, or bring your own.

Tour includes 5 nights at boutique inns and complimentary shuttle from Traverse City airport to lodging at Hotel Indigo, as well as luggage transfer between the 2 different hotels and return to the airport late Friday afternoon. As well as, all breakfasts; 4 lunches; 3 nights of dinners, great ride snacks; and hors d'oeuvres most nights.

This 6-day tour offers routes of 25 - 60+ miles each day (your option). As with all Carolina Tailwinds tours, you can take the van to "leap frog" ahead on the route and tailor the ride to your needs.

Sign-up is available now and spaces are limited. To find out more details of the daily rides and schedules please copy the following website link into your browser:https://www.carolinatailwinds.com/tour/michigan-cherry-coast

To reserve your spot: go to the website tour and click on “Book Tour”. Fill out the information and pick the August 10-15, 2025 tour dates. Either Anne or Greg Fleming, owners of Carolina Tailwinds, will respond by email with next steps to send your $200/person deposit. Questions contact a member of the Ride Committee.