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#1
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SBT GRVL Runs Afoul of Local Ranchers & Residents in Colorado
NSFW image in the article, selected quotes below.
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These are the same sort of issues that killed off many mass charity rides and proto-fondos back 20-30 years ago where it was common to have thousands of road cyclists at a single event of many in the state or region per year. I visited with the Chamber of Commerce in a relatively close but very rural metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia county about a mixed terrain race last year. One of the petitioners told everyone how terrible the bicyclists behaved at a large charity ride in the 1990s that they had for a few years before canceling the permit. This stuff sticks and is hard to shake. The balance between rural living and event promotion has been strained for a long time but has generally stayed out of the spotlight. This is another reminder that almost every gravel cyclist is a guest in someone else's home and needs to act like it. The promoter, the participant, as well as their support people need to be an ambassador for the sport - sentiment that seemed more common several years ago before the gravel boom in 2019. |
#2
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- If the roads are public, they arent the rancher's roads. Them complaining that there is 'too much' traffic is weak.
- Sucks that cows got loose because they freaked out over seeing cyclists coming. If the cyclists were on permitted roads, then livestock freaking out isnt a good reason to not allow the event to continue. - Spectators driving on roads is fine, even if someone dislikes the traffic. - People coming into the county a few days before the event is the weakest complaint I have heard in a long time. Oh waah waah, people are taking time off work and spending money while visiting the area where you live! - Cyclists littering garbage or clothing is wrong and needs to stop. - Spectators parking where they shouldnt is wrong and needs to stop. - Organizers not letting an ambulance thru is insane. I am guessing there is more to that claim than what is mentioned. Hope so, at least. |
#3
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I've done SBT GRVL twice, and I'd hate to see it go away.
That said, after living at ground-zero of Ironman and other triathlons for several years, I have a lot of sympathy for the ranchers. These events are very disruptive if you live in the area, and I don't blame them for trying to get it shut down. |
#4
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Classic NIMBY conflict. Similar forces helped destroy road stage racing in tbe US (see Tour of California). I guess it’s coming for “gravel” now with the increased popularity.
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#5
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How many people do you think you would have to poll in the general public before you found someone happy and accommodating to a stranger going to the bathroom in their yard and leaving behind soiled garments? |
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#7
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Without question, we should all respect the property and communities of others as if they were our own. |
#8
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The issue with "net positive" is that it just takes a loud minority who don't benefit / are annoyed by something to stir up plenty of resistance. Sure, some folks (say, local B&Bs) love tourism, but often that isn't enough.
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#9
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Actually, part of the SBT GRVL route is on private roads.
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#10
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We should be careful in thumbing our nose at others behind a sense of mass ownership of common spaces.
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Someone who lives in Weschester County New York doesn't have primacy of access to gravel roads owned and maintained by the county in Routt County Colorado. In many areas, rural roads are at the pleasure of the landowner who has agreed to an easement with the county, city, or state. Obviously, this would be very specific, but "ownership" often isn't as clear as we like to imagine. Locally in Georgia, residents have successfully lobbied the county or state to take unpaved roads private, buy out easements, or cancel contracts for bridge renewal/replacement to reduce access to vehicles, horses, OHV, and bicyclists/hikers. Quote:
There's a fine balance here and while it's fun to be glib online, the reality is a lot more complicated and full of pitfalls that can kill an event dead instantly. |
#11
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I simply think a permit by the groups that maintain public roads should still be issued if the complaints only rise to the level of 'my livestock got scared and broke thru the fence'. I also think, and stated, that complaints like improper parking are legitimate and should be addressed. As for the claim that someone from NY doesnt have 'primacy of access' in CO, I am not suggesting they have that in CO. I am simply saying that if the road is public, then it can be used for cycling(as well as driving a car, truck, van, etc. And if the road is public, then hopefully the body which grants permission to use that road for an event will agree since its a public road in an area with very little traffic that would be disrupted. If 'primacy of access' is a legal term, I sure havent heard of it. I get what it means, its pretty obvious, just saying that if there is some specific legal definition that somehow changes the discussion, let us all know. If a road is private, then yeah permission from the owner is needed. That really isnt what I posted about initially though. And if there is a road that is on an easement, then whatever the local laws are concerning access for that easement should be followed. Again, that isnt really what I posted about initially. I simply hope to see that public roads can still be used for public use and public benefit, especially in an area where there is such little traffic. Littering and improper parking should then also be addressed. |
#12
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Around here, you still hear about the cyclist who peed in a cornfield once 30 years ago. They mostly plant corn too close together for that now though.
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#13
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...ragbrai pics off google. |
#14
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Enh, I was reading a different article about this and I think the ranchers have some valid complaints. It sounds like the the roads are blocked off literally all day. One of the interviews mentioned that they couldn't leave their driveways, couldn't use the road to get to their livestock. I'd be pretty pissed if the only road for me to get to work was blocked for someone to have a recreational activity on.
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#15
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Call them NIMBY all you want but this bird won't fly much longer if this continues to be common.
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