SBT GRVL has become one of the largest gravel races in the world, with a lottery-capped field of 3,000 taking part in four distances over four days in rural northern Colorado.
Now, The Colorado Sun reports that the ranchers in Routt County, home to Steamboat Springs and lots of cattle farms, say it’s too much. Their particular beefs include:
- Trash left behind
- Riders disrespecting private land
- Crowding and disruption during their busy season
The upside to the event is the millions of tourism dollars it brings in, but the ranchers reportedly say they don’t see any of that. And now they’re asking the county to reconsider the event’s permitting.
It’s a bit like the show Yellowstone, where entrenched interests aren’t happy about new developments. As more states look to boost revenue from tourism, and ski towns in particular seek summer revenue to boost flagging snow seasons, gravel races and cycling events are popping up in more and more rural areas.
What’s SBT GRVL’s Response?
Founder Amy Charity has published the events 2024 Action Plan on their website, which includes several course safety improvements and increased local messaging.
One big one is course modifications that eliminate two-way traffic, which creates congestion for both cars and bikes, plus better signage and pre-event information for locals. Another is enforcing rules like “riders must obey traffic laws”, which includes keeping to the right side of the road, and “riders must use provided Portalets to relieve themselves”. Because, yeah…people pooped in places they shouldn’t have.
They’re also dramatically increasing pre-event education and scheduling information for residents, plus more information for participants and their guests about the area, its agricultural industry, and what their impact is. Knowledge is power.
Another solution could be simply changing dates to a less busy time of year, but that would be a solution for 2025 or beyond. Late August coincides with the Routt County Fair, and likely sees folks getting out for one more family trip before school resumes.
Charity is quoted as saying each year the event’s permitting doesn’t come through until early summer, but has always been approved, so we’ll have to wait to see if the proactive efforts and course reroutes are enough. Until then, keep training…Steamboat Springs tops out over 10,000 feet above sea level.
