Registration for Triple Bypass, bike race through Colorado mountains, opens Wednesday

If you're one of those cyclists who itches and twitches at the thought of a big epic ride, you can probably barely contain yourself now. Registration for one of Colorado's biggest organized rides, the Triple Bypass, starts at noon Wednesday.

The Triple Bypass starts in Evergreen and travels over three mountain passes -- Squaw (11,140 feet), Loveland (11,990 feet), and Vail (10,560 feet) -- to finish in Avon 120 miles later, after more than 10,000 feet of climbing.

Yeowch.

Victoria Klinger, president of Team Evergreen, a cycling club that has organized the ride for 22 years, said it started as a team ride to Vail. Ten or 15 people rode the first one.

"Basically the thought was, it was a huge challenge, one you wouldn't do every day," she said.

The event has grown so popular over the years that in 2006, the Colorado State Patrol asked organizers to cap the number of riders at 3,500, said ride director Jenny Anderson. Because of that cap, registration for last year's ride filled in just 44 hours.

If the price tag seems steep -- it's $145 for anyone who isn't a member of Team Evergreen -- organizers say it's to pay for services during the event, like food, permits and police patrols. Plus, the team gave $100,000 to charities with the rest of the registration proceeds last year.

"It's a mix, from Special Olympics, to nonprofits in communities the ride goes through, like Idaho Springs and Vail, as well as causes along the Front Range," Klinger said.