Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  They call it the Cadillac of bike events. The Haute Route international events are the most prestigious amateur cycle events in the world, taking the participants to the Alps, to the Pyrenees, to Innsbruck, Venice, Norway and amazingly, to Magnolia Road, Boulder County, USA.

This summer's Haute events began with the inaugural Mavic Haute Route Rockies, which features a total of 507 miles and 49, 260 feet of climbing between Boulder and Colorado Springs in seven days. It is the only such event in America this year. It includes Independence Pass, Kebler Pass and Berthoud Pass and Magnolia Road is described as the steepest course of the race, with 16 percent grades and multiple stretches of dirt and gravel roads. Not to mention spring's typical washboard patterns.

Mavic Neutral Support provides daily stage timings, feed stations and features the bright yellow support vehicles and motorcycles that accompany the riders.

At the end of each day, the participants receive daily massages, transfer of luggage to accommodations between stages and all event support experienced by riders in the European Haute Route since 2011. The race is for US amateur cycling, with the opportunity to compete with a professional level of on and off the bike support.

The first day of the race went from Boulder to Boulder, a 66.5 mile trip with a 6,235 ft altitude peak.

Stage 2 was from Boulder to Winter Park, heading up the canyon to Magnolia Road, to the Central City Parkway and then to Winter Park for the night. An 86 mile, 10,826 foot altitude gain.

Stage 3 was from Winter Park to Avon, a 96 mile trek and a 6,562 foot altitude gain. Stage 4 involved a stay in the mountains, Avon to Avon for 105 miles and a 2,133 foot gain.

Stage 5 was Avon to Snowmass Village, 102 miles and 8,858 feet; Stage 6 was Snowmass to Crested Butte, 106 miles and 9,843 altitude fee and the last day, Stage 7 was back to Boulder.

The seven-day event averages from $5,000-$8,000 for accommodations, travel and entry fees.

On Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. the elite cyclists reached the top of Magnolia Road where the first feed stop was set up, offering a smorgasbord of gourmet snacks: mozzarella cheese wrapped in Italian meats, dried apricots, a medley of chips, bananas, oranges, Amos's Chocolate Chip Cookies and energy supplements and bars.

Dave and Rebecca, a couple out of California, prepared the snacks and drinks. They are retired and travel with the support group. Expecting a total of 400 cyclists, 65 percent of them Europe, they put out the food and pour half cups of Coke, which they say the first riders mostly ignore. They are the intense group who barely stop to use the port a potties. If they just go past, the teams' support groups just hand them a new water bottle as they speed by.

As the cyclists gather at the feed stop, a variety of accents are heard as the riders in same team outfits discuss the ride.

One English rider said that everything he heard about Magnolia had been frightening, but he found it manageable enough.

When the elite had blasted past and the rest of the riders had eaten their fill and slaked their thirst, the stragglers picked up the end, more interested in the views than in their times. Sometimes just doing it is enough.

By 9:20 all the riders were headed toward the parkway and the support crew and feed station crew were cleaning up.

By 10:00 a.m., it was as if the race had never happened, as if groups of people from countries all over the world had never climbed the Magnolia Hill, had never passed the "deer" actually yearling elk, in the meadow, and had never wondered what the sticky stuff on the road was.

(Originally published in the June 29, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)