Sheriff Doug Scherar praised event organizers for their work to mitigate issues, but said people at the extremes of the event are causing most of the problems.
People at the extremes — both ultra-competitive riders and disgruntled rural residents — caused the most significant issues with this year’s SBT GRVL event, according to feedback gathered during an after-event meeting with the Routt County Commissioners on Tuesday.
Organizers of the 3,000-rider bike race say there was a significant increase in signs being sabotaged ahead of the event and that two 911 calls were made about harassment of riders this year. Also a concern were the most competitive riders that placed their ability to podium ahead of following the rules of the road, law enforcement officials said.
This year’s SBT GRVL event came with significant changes compared to last year after nine months of feedback from rural residents — new routes, no two-way traffic and increased messaging ahead of the race, to name a few. But despite changes leading to a smoother event then last year, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar said in a letter reflecting on the race that events this large “cannot be effectively managed.”
“I commend SBT GRVL for all the work we put in over the last year, all the changes you made. I think the event went smoother this summer then it did the summer before,” Scherar said at the meeting. “Your problem riders are these competitive riders, half of which probably didn’t even attend the rider brief I spoke at. … Those are the ones we have problems with, those are the ones that will continue to ride in the giant mobs taking up the entire road. … I don’t know how we mitigate that.”
“I’ve gone over and over in my mind about how we make that safer, and I don’t have any answers, Scherar continued. “The bottom line is it is too big in my opinion.”
Tuesday’s meeting was not about making any decisions about the future of the event. Rather, the meeting is required by Routt County’s updated large special event permitting process put in place this year specifically to address past issues with SBT GRVL.
Still, commissioners said the size still appears to be one of the most significant issues with the event, a comment that they had made before the event happened as well. While there was not robust direction to staff for how to review the event for next year, Commissioner Sonja Macys said she would not support allowing 3,000 riders again.
“We’re not talking about prohibiting this event,” said Commissioner Tim Corrigan, agreeing with Macys. “In my view, it is a question about the scale and the nature of the event that needs to be discussed.”
Issues talked about on Tuesday were not exclusively with cyclists. Scherar said they had two reports of riders being harassed during the race — one by a four-wheeler and another by a pickup truck. Sheriff’s Deputies were not able to make contact with either person, though event organizers say they have video of both incidents.
SBT GRVL founder Amy Charity said many of the signs they had placed directing riders and drivers the night before the race had been sabotaged or removed entirely by the next morning. Some of those signs are still missing, Charity said.
More changes are expected for next year’s event as well. Charity said SBT GRVL is pursuing the last weekend in June for the race next year rather than August, a time that has conflicted with the Routt County Fair in particular.
Charity also pointed to several factors she sees as positives of the race. She estimates riders spent roughly $5 million locally that weekend and that businesses reported it was one of the most successful weekends of the summer for them. Organizers spent more than $200,000 to put on the event and they made nearly $25,000 in donations to local nonprofits. She also estimated 80% of the trash they picked up during the event was not related to them.
“We are part of this community and we don’t want to go anywhere,” Charity said. “We want to find ways to work with our county to ensure that isn’t the case.”
But rural residents say the event was not without problems for them either. One rancher brought in a mangled piece of fencing he said happened after horses were spooked by riders.
“This is the result of two horses who blew through the corral,” said rancher Cody May, who lives on County Road 46. “They came out, we had a good discussion, but this is a liability. Who would have paid for that horse had he killed himself?”
Christy Belton, who owns a ranch along CR 52E, said to her the issue is not with cyclists, but with the fact that this is a true race and not just an organized bike ride.
“The distinction that I want to make is that it’s the race, that’s the challenge,” Belton said. “As soon as you turn that into a race, it tips the scales. … They are here to want to race, they are not here to enjoy our working landscapes.”
Commissioner Tim Redmond noted that he feels his main job as a commissioner is to focus on public safety, and he takes comments from law enforcement very seriously. Corrigan noted that commissioners have largely not considered the economic impact of events like this in the past, but that maybe they should going forward.
Brent Whittington, who owns Steamboat-based Moots Bikes, said his company really benefits from having this many cyclists in town. He said he didn’t think the size was really the issue, rather the riders and residents on the extremes.
“It doesn’t matter if you have 100 riders or 100,000, it’s always those aggressive nuts at the front who cause a negative impact,” Whittington said. “Just like the aggressive nuts who were harassing cyclists, it’s hard to solve for the extremes.”
Top Photo Caption: Participants in SBT GRVL ride along a gravel road in Routt County. (Routt County/ Courtesy)