Event Review of SBT GRVL is Tuesday, Sept. 3

September 1, 2024 Shannon Lukens

By Shannon Lukens.

Routt County is holding an Event Review of the SBT GRVL cycling event Tuesday morning, Sept. 3. It starts at 9:30 a.m. in the historic Routt County Courthouse. Agenda

Documents are being presented at the meeting. They include a letter from Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar (below) that says the majority of participants in the SBT GRVL ride were respectful and followed the rules of the road. But some of the more highly competitive participants were not in compliance. He said 3,000 participants and their supporters “cannot be effectively managed,” adding that Steamboat Springs Police and the Routt County Sheriff’s Office is suffering staff shortages.

Letter from Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar

County Manager Jay Harrington (document below) agreed with Sheriff Scherar that, “the scale and scope of the event continues to create challenges.”

Harrington said he spoke with dispatch and they received six calls pertaining to the race on race day. Four were for ambulance requests and two calls were from SBT GRVL staff in reference to riders being harassed on course. These calls were listed on the Community Log which tracked 25 calls to the Community Command Center on Thursday through Sunday, the majority of which were frustrations with cyclists, whether it was during the race or around Steamboat Springs that week.

Rural residents in Routt County have expressed frustration with the race since right after the 2023 event. Complaints were about disrespectful riders and not being able to access their rural properties during the event. The event is during haying season and the last day of the Routt County Fair, when ranchers are trying to return home from the fairgrounds in Hayden.

One letter (below) submitted for Tuesday’s meeting is from Bill Fetcher who asks that it be moved to mid July so as not to interfere “with ranchers’ haying operations and the county fair.” Fetcher also asked to set a cap of 1,000 entries. Fetcher Public Comment.pdf

SBT GRVL race organizers are presenting a recap of the event, (SBT GRVL 2024 Routt County Recap Meeting Deck.pdf) which includes changes they made this year. That includes changes to the route, with no two-way rider traffic and more portalets and more police/sheriff presence on the course. Race organizers addressed the concerns by visiting homes and properties along the route before the race, setting up a Command Center for concerns and complaints, having each rider sign an oath to “Respect the Routt,” and more.

Organizers said they performed trash clean-up along the route, and that it was estimated that 80% of that trash was not from the race.

SBT GRVL will also present that it is estimated that riders and sponsors spend $5 million during event weekend. SBT GRVL donated $24,600 to local nonprofits.

The SBT GRVL presentation for Tuesday lists areas of improvement for next year which includes rider safety as two calls were made to 911 to report rider harassment and endangerment. All shakeout rides would be eliminated. Those are the group rides taken the week before the event. No parking along the course if residents request it. Limit the number of riders. The portable bathrooms go out sooner, on Wednesday. And the race date would change, possibly to June.

On the Medical Log, 49 injuries were listed with ten people visiting the Emergency Room.

SBT GRVL organizers sent an email titled, “Hello Steamboat Community” on Aug. 27, that said, “Looking ahead to 2025, we’re already hard at work to plan next year’s event and we need your help. Routt County is holding our Event Review on September 3rd from 9:30am – 11:00am at the Steamboat Springs Courthouse Hearing Room and we’d love to have you there to voice your support. We’re incredibly proud of the collaborative work we’ve put in over the last year to ensure our event is planned and put on responsibly and respectfully in this beloved area we call home.”

The email added: “We’re committed to continuing those efforts as you know and we hope you can show up and speak on our behalf during the public comment portion. If you can’t join in person, there is a Zoom option. Your presence at this meeting, either in-person or virtually, would mean a great deal to us. Please forward this email along to your network. Thank you again for everything you contributed to 2024. Here’s to 2025 and beyond. If you have questions regarding this, please reach out to our Community Relations Director, Greer at greer@sbtgrvl.com.”

Here is a list of the documents being presented at Tuesday’s meeting.

Documents: