The Buff Classic has added the Dirty Epic which is a mixed surface course featuring some smooth asphalt, buff gravel, and some pretty epic Jeep road style descending. The ride starts up Boulder Canyon, which will be closed to cars, and turns up Magnolia Road around 4 miles up Boulder Canyon. Magnolia is steep, averaging over 9% for the first 4+ miles, with some sections nearing 20%. Whatever bike you are riding, be sure it has good climbing gears. Bikes that are 1x in the front will need a 40″ on the back.
The ride has raised over $3.4 million for high-merit/high-need scholarships for Colorado high school graduates since the ride was created in 2003. Over the 18 years of the ride the Buffalo Bicycle Classic has supported 425 scholars, 383 scholars have graduated, 23 are continuing, and only 19 students have not graduated from CU. That amounts to the amazingly high graduation rate of 95%. Of the 23 current BBC Scholars, 8 are planning to graduate in Spring 2021, one in Summer 2021, 6 in Spring 2022 and 7 in Spring 2023.
About the Buff Classic
The gravel section of Magnolia (miles 5-12) is in excellent shape and riding beautifully. From there it is a mix of road and gravel to get to the Switzerland Trail (signed as 120 at the Peak to Peak Highway). The Switzerland trail is riding its typical rocky self. The section from the Peak to Peak Highway to Sugarloaf is a gentle downhill grade, with exposed and occasionally unavoidable rocks. We would suggest a minimum of a 40c tire (bigger likely better) given the quality of the road. On ride day we will have a mechanic stationed here at the Sugarloaf lot. After reaching Sugarloaf, the Switzerland dives down to Pennsylvania Gulch where there is a small townsite, and the road becomes more technical and steep and it’s an unsupported section of the ride. Disc brakes and bigger tires will assist riders on this section.
After concluding the Switzerland Trail, you will enter Wall Street, which is riding fast and Buff! A quick pavement descent from there down 4-Mile Canyon, where you can prepare your legs for the short but painful grunt up Poorman Road, and your final paved ride back to the start/finish area.
If any of this doesn’t sound super fun to you, it’s not too late to consider riding our more conventional gravel ride, the Dirty Buff. Or if you want mountains, but maybe not the super technical rocky sections of Switzerland – you could consider the Buff Epic or the Epic 75 (yes it’s road riding, but you still get to ride up Boulder Canyon, it’s a longer route, and it still has all those tough mountains!)
The BBC is known for its fun and challenging courses, exceptional food and hydration at our eleven aid stations, and exceptional catering, beer, and entertainment at the finish on the CU campus.
The BBC attracts riders from across Colorado and nearby states. In 2019, our 1300 riders enjoyed our eight different courses across Boulder and Larimer counties, from the family-friendly 14-mile Little Buff to the 100 mile Buff Epic that includes a closed lane of Boulder Canyon and follows the Peak to Peak highway with over 7800 feet of climbs before rejoining our other routes to return to campus. New in 2021 is the addition of the Dirty Epic 55 mile gravel ride designed by legendary coach Neal Henderson.
Still plenty of time to register, go here: https://www.colorado.edu/event/buffalobicycleclassic/register
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