MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPT

EMBE

R

1 Elephant Rock: The 21st annual cycling festival includes four road, two off-road courses and a familycourse for cyclists of all abilities

5 Teva Mountain Games: Pro and amateur outdoor athletes from around the world will converge on Vail to compete in seven sports (through June 8)

7 Broncos’ fest: The Broncos Fan Fair returns for its sixthyear at Invesco Field at Mile High (through June 8)

7 Free fishing weekend: No Colorado fishing license required on the first full weekend in June

8 Head for the beach: Pack up the cooler and your skisand grab one last day on the slopes, then kick backand relax on “the beach”

9 Ram camp: New CSU football coach Steve Fairchildholds his first youth camp with instruction for playersin grades 3-12 (through June 11)

12 Tiger’s return: U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego (through June 15)

14 Preptacular: The state's top high-schoolers compete in the all-state games at UNC

14 Tennis time: 92nd annual Denver City Open(through June 22)

15 Stadium Stampede: Run the 5K and finish at Invesco Field

20 NHL draft: The Avs’ Tony Granato gets his crack at rebuilding (through June 21)

21 Crushing end? Colorado Crush season finale againstKansas City at the Pepsi Center

23 Wimbledon (through July 6)

24 Eddie Mac says: The seventh annual Ed McCaffreyfootball camp at Regis High School. The camp includes skills and speed training, 7-on-7 competitions, and combine skills testing (throughJune 27)

25 Lunch date: All the college football coaches in thestate (minus CSU’s Steve Fairchild) at luncheon inColorado Springs

25 Greeley Stampede: One of the top rodeos in thecountry is also highlighted this year with concertsounds from Kenny Rogers to Poison (through July 6)

28 It’s all downhill: The Slacker Half-Marathon runs from the Loveland Ski Area to Georgetown Lake

28 Vail Lacrosse Shootout: Top teams from across the U.S. and Canada compete (through July 6)

29 No boys allowed: Danskin Women’s Triathlonmoves up on the calendar but keeps the samecourse at Aurora Reservoir

25 Start your engines: The 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 and the Sprint Cup Coca-Cola600

25 French Open (through June 8)

26 Bolder Boulder: Be one of the 50,000 to take tothe streets for the annual Memorial Day 10K ending at Folsom Field

26 Down the stretch: A special Monday meet atArapahoe Park (live racing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 10)

30 Take the challenge: The seventh annual Clear CreekCitizens’ Challenge for novice rafters sponsored by Mile-Hi Rafting

31 Sideline show: Meet the Broncos cheerleaders andMiles the mascot at the AT&T store in ParkMeadows from 1-3 p.m.

31 Special time: More than 900 athletes gather forthe Colorado Special Olympics at UNC (throughJune 1)

31 Juco power: Championship game of the 51stannual Junior College World Series in Grand Junction

31 Lake Granby Anglers Classic: Annual two-personfishing tournament (through June 1)

2 Fast times: Colorado Fireworks fastpitch softball tournament brings hundreds of girls softball teamsto the Denver area (through July 6)

3 Fish and fireworks: Rockies against the Marlins for the two fireworks shows (Also July 4)

4 Ball-istic: Rapids annual fireworks game against New York Red Bulls

4 Spike it: AVP Crocs Slam volleyball event at FolsomField in Boulder (through July 6)

5 95th annual Tour de France (through July 27)

11 Loud and proud: Mile High Nationals in high gear at Bandimere (through July 13)

13 Friendly fun: U.S. women’s soccer team plays friendly/Olympic tuneup vs. Brazil at Dick's

14 Best amateurs: U.S. Amateur PubLinks at Murphy Creek GC: top amateurs in country (through July 19)

15 MLB All-Star Game: 79th midsummer classic saysgoodbye to Yankee Stadium

17 British Open: Walking the links this year at Royal Birkdale (through July 20)

18 Daddy of 'Em All: The 112th annual CheyenneFrontier Days Rodeo is worth the drive north (through July 27)

19 Moonlight Classic: The 15-mile and 8-mile bikerides start at 11:30 p.m. from the state Capitol

19 18th annual Komen Aspen Race for the Cure; (make a note, the Denver event is Oct. 5)

20 Pike ride: Watch drivers navigate the 156 turnsalong the 12.4-mile dirt road in the 86th annualPikes Peak International Hill Climb to the 14,110-foot summit

24 Stately competition: The inaugural State Games of the West in Colorado Springs celebratesamateur competition in 31 sports (stategamesofthewest.org) (through July 27)

27 Goose goes: Rich “Goose” Gossage, a native ofColorado Springs, will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

31 Classic golf: Professional golf returns to TheBroadmoor for the U.S. Senior Open (throughAug. 3)

2 Copper Triangle: The 78-mile loop, which begins and ends at Copper Mountain, goes over three passes — Fremont (11,318 feet), Tennessee (10,424) and Vail(10,666)

3 Just tri it: The Tri for the Cure triathlon at CherryCreek State Park is designed for women of any age,athletic ability or fitness level as a fundraiser forthe Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

8 Lot of bull: The Professional Bull Riders tour makes astop at the Broomfield Event Center

8 Beijing Olympics: The world will be watching howChina handles the event (through Aug. 24)

9 Gearing up: The Broncos’ first exhibition game atHouston’s Reliant Stadium, 6 p.m.

9 Going downhill: The 30th annual Georgetown toIdaho Springs Half Marathon is considered one of themost pleasurable races in the western United States

11 Game on: First day that most high school fall sports open practice; boys golfers get to start a week earlier on Aug. 4

16 Pikes Peak Ascent: The 53rd running starts in Manitou Springs and goes 13.3 miles uphill (7,815-foot elevation gain), and for those gameenough, they can turn around and run downhill as part of the marathon

16 “The Race Across the Sky”: The Leadville Trail 100is a 50-mile out-and-back run along forest trailsand mountain roads with a high point of Hope Pass at 12,600 feet

16 Boys are back: The Broncos’ first home exhibitionagainst the Dallas Cowboys, 7 p.m.

17 Down and dirty: Check out Boulder’s Muddy BuddyRide and Run for two buddies with one mountain bike,five obstacles, a 6- to 7-mile course and a mud pit!

22 They're back: Colorado Stage Classic road bikeclassic returns to the Vail Valley (through Aug. 24)

25 U.S. Open tennis (through Sept. 7)

28 Hit the Mother Lode: The 36th annual Crocs Mother Lode Volleyball Classic draws over 500doubles teams to Aspen over Labor Day weekend(through Sept. 1)

30 College sweethearts: College football opens along the Front Range with Southern Utah at AirForce and Ohio at Wyoming

31 On the move: Thanks to the DNC earlier in theweek, the annual Colorado-Colorado State game shifts to Sunday evening at Invesco Field

1 Park it: The Park to Park 10-Miler road race connectsfour of Denver's most beautiful parks, starting at CityPark, then to Cheesman Park and Alamo Placita Parkand finishing at Washington Park

1 Where the Buffaloes roam: CU Kickoff Classic 5Kat Folsom Field to benefit the university’s track andfield program

1 Turkey season: Hunting opens on Labor Day and runs through Oct. 5; check with the Colorado Divisionof Wildlife (wildlife.state.co.us) for more specifics andlicense information

1 Don’t pass it up: Labor Day is traditionally the date some Colorado ski areas end their best offers forseason passes, so don’t get stuck paying too much

6 Off and running: Colorado State-Pueblo opens its inaugural football season against Panhandle State inthe new 7,000-seat DeRose Thunderbowl Stadium

6 Catch me if you can: In the SkirtChaser 5K (presentedby SkirtSports) the women start first in a “Catch Me”wave and the men start three minutes later in the “SkirtChaser” wave; first athlete across the finishline wins $500 (course TBA)

6 Pedal for a cure: The 100-mile Aspen-Snowmass Ridefor the Cure, with a flatter 26-mile option, raisesfunds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

8 “Monday Night Football”: The Broncos open their season at Oakland McAfee Coliseum (8:15 p.m., ESPN)in a rare Monday night doubleheader also featuring the Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers (5 p.m.)

Compiled by Dave Krause, Lori Punko, Patrick Saunders and David Wright, The Denver Post; Denver Post file photos

A Colorado guide toSummer funYou’ve got 14 weeks between now and early September to fill your calendar witha few summertime activities. Here are some suggestions from The Denver Post:

OutdoorsWith 41 state parks, 13 national forests andgrasslands and three national parks, thereare countless campsites to be explored.There are more than 4,000 campsites and58 cabins in the state-park system alone, notto mention the thousands of sites in the 13national forests and grasslands. Anythingfrom car-camping to backcountry trips areeasy to come by. And to add a little excite-ment to your outdoor adventure, the raftingseason should be one of the best andlongest in recent memory thanks to theincredible snowpack this year.

Colorado RapidsBetween now and Labor Day, the Rapidshave six home games, including threestraight July 27 and Aug. 9 and 16. But thebig event — the Fourth of July fireworksgame — is back. One year removed fromhosting the All-Star Game, the Rapids willfind out in mid-July who will be playing inthis season's event July 24 in Toronto.

Denver BroncosAre you ready for some football? It’s becomea year-round sport for the Broncos with vari-ous offseason camps already in full swing forthe team. Fans can get their first up-close andpersonal look at Brandon Marshall’s injuredarm and Jay Cutler’s routine to deal withType 1 diabetes when the team begins train-ing camp workouts at Dove Valley the lastweekend of July. Sit back and relax on thegrassy knoll and work on your tan while themen in blue and orange put on their moves.Just be sure to turn off your cellphone ringer,otherwise coach Mike Shanahan’s jugularvein will harken memories of Barney Fife.The best time to watch is the morning prac-tice at 8:30 a.m., when all the players are onthe field. Wait around until about 11 a.m. andyou can get autographs of selected players.The first home preseason game rolls aroundSaturday, Aug. 16, vs. Dallas at Invesco Field.

College footballThere are a few dates CU and CSU fansneed to remember: single-game tickets andwhen players report. The Rams andBuffaloes will be meeting on Sunday nightin Denver this year, thanks to the DNC, andfans can start getting geeked up when tick-ets for the general public go on sale (July 15for CSU; Aug. 1 for CU). Both teams openpractices Aug. 5. The Buffs definitely havethe better home schedule, including aThursday night game against West Virginia,but seeing how the Rams respond to newcoach Steve Fairchild could bring theexcitement back to Sonny Lubick Field atHughes Stadium.

High school sportsWhile the summer has become one blur ofcamp-hopping for many high school ath-letes, the one day they need to keep in mindis Aug. 11. That is when practices open fornine of the 10 fall sports; boys golf getsstarted a week earlier. But to finish out the2007-08 season, the all-state games are atUNC with events going June 11 (softball)and June 14 (wrestling, volleyball, basket-ball and football) for one last competition.

Colorado RockiesOK, so the Rockies are struggling and the magic of last fall is fading fast. But big-league baseball atCoors Field still holds promise for those who love the summer game. Mid-June brings an intrigu-ing homestand to LoDo, beginning with a three-game interleague series with the ClevelandIndians, June 17-19. That’s followed by three games with the New York Mets, June 20-22. Per tradi-tion, two fireworks games are scheduled for Coors Field on July 3 and 4. Those games draw someof the largest crowds of the season. Prior to the pyrotechnics, the Rockies host the upstart FloridaMarlins, baseball's most surprising success story. Finally, late summer brings the NL West back toCoors Field. From Sept. 12-21, the Rockies host the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks. By thatpoint, the Rockies will be either contenders or merely have the chance to play spoiler.

Known as one of the most active states in the nation, Colorado has a plethora of running and biking events in just about every town in the state. From family funruns to hard-core triathlons and mountain bike races, the weekend warrior can be appeased at any level. We've given you just a taste in this calendar, but check outour Outdoor Extremes calendar every Tuesday during the summer to see what's on tap, or visit denverpost.com/outdoorextremes to get a good look.

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