49th Annual Copper Country Color Tour

September 30th, 2023 | 8:00am R.L. Smith Building (MEEM)

NEW FOR 2023 – THE DIRTY DIETER [deet – er]

(80 miles / 130k)

50 miles of gravel, 30 miles of road

Yep, we added a gravel section to the Color Tour. This route will not be easy, but you don’t do this because it’s easy. Expect plenty of aggressive gravel riding, along with some kinder gravel roads and a bit of pavement. The route will take you on ATV trails with difficult terrain including some muddy and rocky sections. Oh yeah, and the apex of the Dirty Dieter is a climb up the cliffs on Cliff Drive.

Bring your gravel bike for this ride, but it could also be done on a mountain bike. The Strava route is posted below so you can assess it for yourself. Keep in mind this is less supported than other routes; You’ll have your one-and-only aid station in Gay.

See the pictures below of what to expect for the Dirty Dieter. Oh yeah, there’s one section of sand in the route; we’ve created a Strava segment of this called “Sandy Send”; there’s a prize for the person who goes the fastest!

Information

The Copper Country Color Tour is an annual scenic ride hosted by Michigan Tech’s Copper Country Cycling Club (C4). Enjoy riding along the pristine shores of Lake Superior and through colorful forests.

The event is on Saturday, September 30th. Registration and packet pick-up will be from 7:00-7:50am outside of the R.L. Smith Building (MEEM) on the Michigan Tech campus.

The rollout through downtown Houghton is at 8am.

Routes

Routes are available for a variety of experience levels. 60K route goes Calumet, 115K route goes to Gay and Allouez, with the 210K route going all the way to Copper Harbor.

With up to five separate food stops, you will be properly nourished throughout most of your ride.

The riders going to Copper Harbor will be greeted with pasties at Keweenaw Adventure Company, courtesy of Roy’s Pasties and Bakery.

Click the links below for the Strava routes for each ride: