By Shannon Lukens.
Routt County Commissioners listened to race staff with the SBT GRVL cycling event Tuesday morning, and they listened to public comment with many rural residents still opposed to the bicycle race, which was held Aug. 18.
Commissioner Tim Corrigan thanked the many people packed into the Commissioners’ Hearing room for their respectful public comments, as did Commissioners Sonja Macys and Tim Redmond.
Corrigan said they are not talking about prohibiting the event, but about the scale and nature of the bicycle ride/race, which has 3,000 participants riding through rural Routt County. He also said, about past Large Event Applicants, “We haven’t considered the economic impact of land use decisions, but this one is impossible to ignore.”
Race organizers said the SBT GRVL ride brings in over $5 million to community with flights, rental cars, lodging, restaurants, and more.
SBT GRVL owner and co-founder Amy Charity also told commissioners that SBT GRVL is a small business, that spends over $200K locally on local businesses and vendors, and that their event is one of the most profitable weekends of the year.
Corrigan says he’ll direct staff to schedule another public meeting in the next few weeks. He says the event is a transition for the community as we are dependent on the tourist trade to support local businesses. “We will be looking at some limits on scale and nature of the operations,” said Commissioner Corrigan.
Amy Charity was encouraged.
“Having just finished the meeting, I’m encouraged by some of the commissioners’ comments, Corrigan in particular, stating that this isn’t a shutdown. Let’s really find a way to having another working session and see if we can work through some of the challenges that are still out there. And economic does mean something. We are a local small business. And we are helping with the tax revenue shortage that is occurring right now in Steamboat. That’s important. Not to mention lives that we are impacting in a positive way so I am hopeful that we can find solutions and continue this event.”
Commissioner Corrigan said his goal is to have the permit process finished this fall. The meeting was held as a follow up to the Large Event Permit process.
Amy Charity was with SBT GRVL staff, and presented final results from the event. She said they spent a year working to make it a positive for Routt County. They revamped the event and changed it substantially after hearing feedback a year ago from rural residents who were frustrated with the impact on county roads.
Charity said they moved the ride to areas that were much more remote “to have less of an impact on residents.” She said that change needed to happen.
They also had more presence from the Routt County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado State Patrol, as well as more portalets for riders.
Last year, there were nine shakeout rides, which is an organized ride before race day. This year, there were 11 scheduled but they reduced that to two. One was in Hayden. The other was juniors on River Road. They will eliminate all shakeout rides in the future.
Charity said the Command Center was absolutely needed and an outlet for the community. They received 26 calls from Thursday to Sunday, which was lower than anticipated, and they called each person back. Those calls were from people who had concerns about the race. Two staff members called because of riders being harassed by one person on a four-wheeler and another person in a pickup truck. Race organizers say they have video. Sheriff Scherar asked them to send it to him.
Commissioner Macys added that she was concerned about the harassment of riders. “It’s pretty serious if someone intentionally harassed (the cyclists).” She also said she will not sign off on the race if there are 3,000 people.
Charity said their messaging to riders was substantial, asking they follow the rules of the road and be respectful to people and livestock, and that they listened. “We moved the needle on rider behavior.”
They also reached out to residents on the courses, sending three mailers, attempting to visit each home, putting a banner on Lincoln Ave., and advertising on radio and in the newspaper.
She said they did a trash sweep right after the event and again on Monday and picked up many more bags of trash than what was caused by the race and riders.
She said they gave just under $25k to local nonprofits, including the Routt County 4H Scholarship fund. Charity added, “And I bought a pig at the Routt County Fair.”
Charity also said they hope to move the date to June next year so as not to interview with hay season and the Routt County Fair. One date being discussed is June 27, but nothing is finalized.
Charity was disappointed to see the “No Gravel Race” signs throughout the course. “It was hurtful to us.” Commissioner Macys agreed that the two groups said they would operate in good faith. She was also disappointed with the signs. “I thought it was a violation of the agreement when we left here (from the last meeting). It wasn’t productive.”
Charity also said SBT GRVL staff put out informational signs about the race the night before and many were sabotaged and some are still missing.
She finished by thanking the room for the feedback. “We’re here to learn and listen and find ways to improve the event for years to come.”
Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar spoke, commending the SBT GRVL staff for the changes this year, saying that it went smoother. He said the problems are the competitive riders because many didn’t attend the rider talk that the gave before the race. “They are the problem.” He said some took blind corners and hundreds were taking up the road on County Road 46 at the beginning. “I don’t know how we mitigate that and make it safer.” Sheriff Scherar added, “The bottom line is that it’s too big, in my opinion.”
Ryan Parker with Colorado State Patrol also said those cyclists competing to get in the lead caused the major problems. He thinks they should have more motorcycles next year. He said the message about the race was given to locals, but not as much to visitors who may be coming to the area for the weekend from the Front Range.
Public Comment
Brett Whittington owns Moots Cycles. He was the first to speak during public comment. He said he has never seen someone flex the way they have as SBT GRVL did this year, saying it was massively different than events from years past. He said it is hugely impactful for our community. He said it is hard to solve the extremes in an event like this. He wants the race to continue, saying it was a super safe event.
Patrick Delaney lives on County Road 80 and owns the Hayden Granary and Wild Goose Coffee, which was also an aid station site. He said it was the busiest day they have ever had and he would love for the race to come through Hayden again. He said everything was cleaned up that afternoon.
Paul Lundy is a resident and volunteer and said he was impressed how race organizers adjusted to requests and continue to improve.
Kody May lives on County Road 46. He told of two of his horses who went through his fence, and he brought pieces of the fence for commissioners to see. He said SBT GRVL staff came out to his ranch and “we had a good discussion.” May’s question is who pays for his horse if it is killed? What if his horse hurts someone? Who is liable? “I was opposed to the race before and I’m still opposed.”
Cedric Danby lives on County Road 46, west of 44. He says there was no compliance or enforcement on the oath that riders took. “The event is a free for all. Participants are on their own. They won’t behave if they check a box on the oath.” He added that it is an incompatible and unsafe use of our county roads. He said there were 170 signs posted in opposition. He asked if there is a tangible benefit to the people it impacts in the community. “Is this event worth the trouble?”
John “PJ” Wharton shared the rider oath, and said staff did everything they could do to fix any problems. When he was riding on 129, “we were all self-policing to do the right thing.” He also noted that the race left at 6:15 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning so there shouldn’t have been many people on the roads for “big groups that early in the morning.”
Kelly Pickett is a horse owner who lives on a county road. She responded to Kody May’s horses getting out, saying that cars and trucks and moving hay is much more frightening to horses than someone on a bike. “I don’t know how the horses got out. I never had a problem with the riders.” She added that she has three short-term rentals in Steamboat Springs and got the highest amount she had ever gotten on race weekend. She added, “All of us are paying for these roads. Being on a bike is less impact than a car or vehicle.” She ended with, “The energy is amazing and positive.”
Christy Belton is on 52E. She agreed that the event was much smoother this year. She said the problem with rural residents isn’t the SBT GRVL ride, but the race. “We love the cyclists and love to share our working landscapes. But as soon as you turn that into a race, it tips the scales. They are here to win a race. The race turns into a wild event that is fast and furious. It’s very different than a ride.”
Dale Appel lives near 43, 33, and 33A. He also said this year was better. “Our county roads are not made for a race. These are very unsociable people to us.”
Carol Fischer lives in North Routt. She started off saying, “Shame on us for providing this lousy, selfish behavior again.” She questioned the number of participants saying she counted 3,100 who were registered, and that North Routt Fire was told 3,300 and one cycling publication said 3,500. “It’s simply impossible to accommodate thousands with a wide array of skill levels.” She asked that the race not happen again.
Nancy Mucklow also lives in North Routt County. She told commissioners that they should support the events that support the benefit of the constituents.
Mary Kurtz is on County Road 56. She is opposed because of safety issues, liability and overwhelming impact. She said SBT GRVL brings 7,000 people to the area but at what cost? She said a rising trend in Colorado resort communities is to push back on the crush of tourism.
Larry Belton said his family came to Routt County in the late 1800s. He’s on County Road 56. He said what bothers him is the impact on local cyclists who want to ride their bikes. He said it’s not fair to them because, “These guys… they don’t care. They just want to win the race.”
Harriet Freiberger is on County Road 56. “Is this what we really want? These riders have no interest in our community. Is it worth the negative impact?” She was also worried about how difficult it would be if there was an emergency to a resident and services couldn’t get through because of the bike race.
Morgan Bast said the event is inspiring, especially to women in the community. Race organizers say 31% of those in the race were women. Bast brought up the Ride for Racial Justice, All Bodies on Bikes, and the support of the LGBTQ community. She said the earlier start times made a difference this year. She said SBT GRVL showed the friendliness of our community. “This event is truly friendly and truly welcoming.”
Stefan Bast was last to speak during public comment, thanking race organizers for making all of the changes. “I urge spirit and cooperation moving forward and appreciate the efforts the organizers have done.”
Agenda of the Routt County Commissioners Meeting
Past Steamboat Radio News Coverage
Sept. 1, 2024 — Event Review of SBT GRVL is Tuesday, Sept. 3
August 4, 2024 — SBT GRVL announces courses for Aug. 18 event
July 30, 2024 — SBT GRVL staff is reaching out to Routt residents on the route
July 16, 2024 — SBT GRVL reaches out to riders to “Respect the Routt”
June 4, 2024 —SBT GRVL GIVEN PERMIT FOR CYCLING EVENT
Feb. 5, 2024 — SBT GRVL ORGANIZERS HOLD ANOTHER MEETING AND ONLY THREE SHOW UP
Jan. 22, 2024 — ROUTT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS LARGE SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS
Jan. 3, 2024 — SBT GRVL ORGANIZERS ADDRESS CONCERNS FOR THE 2024 RACE WHICH IS SOLD OUT
Nov. 8, 2023 – SBT GRVL OWNER HEARS FROM MORE ROUTT COUNTY RANCHERS
Oct. 16, 2023 – ROUTT COUNTY RURAL RESIDENTS TALK TO COMMISSIONERS ABOUT FRUSTRATIONS WITH SBT GRVL EVENT
Oct. 13, 2023 – COMMISSIONERS TO DISCUSS SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS MONDAY, INCLUDING SBT GRVL
Sept. 9, 2023 – ROUTT COUNTY RANCHERS ARE ANGRY WITH SBT GRVL CYCLISTS
Aug. 17, 2023 – WORLD CLASS SBT GRVL ROLLS INTO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS