Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

BO RE D \N ilh BI KE S? ~TIIITI ro m~[ffiDJ1nl~ m~~o~ ~. ~®~~~ &l .• '" '" OIl e, co '" C> a; >.. '" :: '" to:l ~ z to:l -.J Co) :>.. Co) .< Bill Manning, orlglnalDr 01 the P ikes Peak Tou r, lo oks out over the Rocky Mounta in foothil l country west 01 Denver, Colorado . PIK S PEAK-OR BUST-IN 1968 E story a n d Ph oto by Ro ger Hull Al though It has not receIve d much publi cIty, the fastest growing - and fr IendlIes t _ motorcy cle tour In the United s tates Is the Annual PIkes Peak Tour. Started by a young Denver couple, Betsy an d Bill Manning, just three summers ago, the first tour was a small, almost local occasi on. Then word began to spread. By last summe r, the news had filtered out of Colorad o. Still thetota lattenda nce for the 1967 Tour was le ss than half-ahundred . But those rIders came from eight differ ent states, Including three from souther n Californ ia . These rIders told theIr fr iends an d the ir flame of enthusi asm has Igni ted a prairie fire of inte r est. Predi c tions a re that the ' 1968 Pikes Peak To ur will double or even triple In attenda nce. The Mannl ngs hav e ha d Inquiries from twenty differen t s ta te s from Or egon to Pennsy lvania; Bill Manning says he expe cts " more than a hundr ed people this summ er . And res ervati ons already are com ing In - five months In advance !" California will be r epresen ted again . Manni ng r epo r ts groups fr om san F r anci s co, Sacra me nto, and Los Angeles have indica ted that they plan to attend. For those who plan to spend their vacati on touring the approxi mately 500 miles of Color a do roads with the m, the Man nings ' have release d a tentativ e s che dule for this year's tour. It will take place during the middle of the first full week in August. Festivi ti es will gei underwa y with a "mIxer " at a Denver motel on Monday evening , August 5th. A sort of meet-al l-the-ot her-people af fair, this party Is designe d to continu e the "one big family" a tm osphe r e which has become an Importa nt part of these tours. The r iding activity starts on Tue sday, August 6th. The fi rst day of the tour will explore the area near Denver ••.such scenic spots as Red Rocks Park, Clear Creek Can yon, the foothill country of the Rockies , and - perhaps - Ce ntral City . (Option al is a trek up Mount Evans.) On Wednesday, the tour move s toward souther n Colorad o. First on the day's agenda will t>e a vis it to the United Sta tes Air Force Academ y which Is s et against the Rockies just north of Colora do Springs . Here the group will have an opportu nlty to roam the e nor m 0 u s grounds , go through the fam ous chapel, an d tour other areas of thi s ne wes t servi ce college . After seeing the Academ y, they will pass through the Garden of the Gods (nature 's weIrdes t sculptu re gallery) on their way to Manitou Springs (a com munity which adverti ses itself as " a pIctures que town In the heart of the Pikes Peak playgro und" ). Here will be a lunch break an d then, Wednesday afternoon, comes the high point of the entire tour (pun Intended), the safari to the summit of Pikes Peak. The road to the lop of the 14,110- foot peak winds upward for approxi mately 20 miles. Sta r ting In pine-sc ented can yons, it proceed s through a s cr ub- for es ts, past the timber li ne , and onto the barren, rocky crest - where there is always at least a breeze and, fr equently , snow flurries year round. Alth ough parts of the road are gr avel, It has excellen t ma intenance . Even Kansas flat-lan ders can make the top without IncIden t. ( Last year's to ur Included a novice r Ider with less than six months r iding exper ience who manuev ered his Harley up the pe ak in apparen t ease.) RIder s will pause at Glen Cove ( Half- Way Hous e, 11,000 feet altitude) for r efr es hments , r es t, and the donning of warmer cl othi ng. At the top , the view through the rarefield ai r extends into neighbo ring states; Kansas to the east, New Mexico to the south. Although many r olls of film are exposed all during the tour, the pictures napp ing reaches a frenzy here. Eac h motorcyclist and his machine m us t pose in front of the monument whic h proclaims in big gr een and white letters: " Summit - PIkes Peak - 14,11 0 feet." Everybo dy always shoots several almost identica l snapsho ts•.•jus t to be cer tain that they have a good one . These photos , enlarge d, matted, and framed, end up on the den wall back home as proof that "I made it! " . Once the clatter or closing shutt ers dies down, the group begIns a leis urely but a wes ome r Ide down thepeak andbac k to Manitou SprIngs , the over-nI ght stoppIng point. Afte r a chance to rest and clean up, the tour wlli travel on a few miles to the Flying W Ranch for a chuckwagon supper. This western - type feed, ;';; ~~ ILL prepare d by the cowha nds on thIs workIng ranch, consIst s of barbec ue beef, baked potatoe s , beans, peaches , rolls, cake, and coffee . The chow Is followe d by a western s how (also staged by tho se cowhands - plus a fe w tndlarst mported fr om Tacos, New Mexico) . Thursda y, the final day of the tour , will mean a trip through so me of the famous gold- rus h countr y an d a trek on to the Royal Gor ge. Spa nned by the world's highest suspens Ion bridge, the Royal Gorge Is one of Colo r ado' s mos t famous to urI s t attractl ons. _ Motorcyclists crossing that bridge will have the opportu nIty of starIng down at the Ar kansas RIver, over a thousand feet below them at the bottom of that unexpe cted chasm. For the connoi s se ur who Is Interest ed In antique machine s , what Is probabl y the world's most rem 0 t e moto r cycle museum Is located jus t a fe w miles wes t of the Gorge. OUlclally, the three -day tour finishes with the jaunt to the Royal Gorge. However , th e Mannlngs are conside ring add Ing an optional tr ip on Fr iday; a ' rIde out of Denver to Rocky Mountai n National Park. This would Include a ride across the top of the Rockies on the highest through r oad in the world; one which Is ope ned by sno wplows late each sp ring, and Is closed a t the fi r s t snowfal l each au tumn. Some tour enthus i ast s ma y have noti ced that the wee k after the Pi kes Peak Tour - the second full week In Augus t - is the well-kn ow Black Hills Tour out of SturgIs , South Dakota. The Mannlng s planned it that way. It Is less than 500 miles from Denver to sturgts , For those who can arrange theIr vacations accordt ngly, Augus t is an excelle nt chan ce to compar e the baby with the daddy of the BIg Tours. (Those who can not make It will just have to go on dreamIng about it .) Riders who are interest ed in obtainin g more Infor ma tion on the 1968 PIkes Peak Tour should write to: Betsy and Bill MannIng, 630 Cook Street, Denver, Color ado, 80206. KRAUSE'S LARGEST PARTS & ACCESSORIES DEPT. HONDA/~/YAMAHA IN THE SOUTHLAND ~ 1157 S. LA aREA ot '(OJ OIU I 11,1, 1J"I",~'fI'" C~fttu,.., • BMW btcJlcwood • • 671004l)6 • GREEV ES I e 9 ..3 ~ .. :: 3 .. e :Ii o z '" ~ a '7' -5OlS • o 9 MOTa -BETA . · _ -

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