SBT GRVL Runs Afoul of Local Ranchers & Residents in Colorado

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by contronatura

Sounds like whiny suburbanites more than anything. Agri- and cyclo- tourism are the main things that can be utilized to maintain the historic & distinct character of these rural communities. It appears they're more interested in exclusive laws to prevent any outright benefits for the local economy but which will prevail-- the dull impulse towards profit or NIMBYs?

Er, I'll go **** in your yard and block your driveway so you can't get to work and then we'll see how whiney you get.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by rothwem

Er, I'll go **** in your yard and block your driveway so you can't get to work and then we'll see how whiney you get.

But, it's the only way to maintain the historic & distinct character of these rural communities.

[Turkle]

For comparison, I've run my share of mass-start running events, and there were always comfort stations conveniently placed along the route at sensible intervals so no one had to, um, micturate on anyone's property.

I do think that it's reasonable to expect bike events to do the same, and to set expectations that the world is not their litter box. The photos of cyclists relieving themselves on private property are NOT a good look.

However, regarding blocking the roads. In my experience, there is no "good" day to do this, people really do lose their minds over not being able to use a street for 1 day out of the year. It doesn't matter how much community outreach you do, or what mitigation plans you put in place. People will absolutely HOWL if they can't drive their car when/where they want at all times. If it's not harvest season, it's the school year, or it's church day, or whatever. So I'm very much inclined to ignore those complaints.

I mean, the Richmond marathon goes on at the exact same time every year here, it's not like it's a surprise that one day / year it will be hard to drive downtown. And everyone complains like it's an unprecedented burden!

Drivers, man.

[rwsaunders]

That's why we welcome the Furries in town every year....no issues.

https://www.anthrocon.org

[45K10]

I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to do this ride. You have to pay $250 to ride with a bunch of other people on awesome dirt roads, with great scenery. Which you can't really look it because there are 1500 other people on the road that day.

When you could do it any other time of year by yourself and probably not piss off the locals in the process. Hell, they might even say hello or let you fill up your water bottles if you ask nicely.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Turkle

However, regarding blocking the roads. In my experience, there is no "good" day to do this, people really do lose their minds over not being able to use a street for 1 day out of the year. It doesn't matter how much community outreach you do, or what mitigation plans you put in place. People will absolutely HOWL if they can't drive their car when/where they want at all times. If it's not harvest season, it's the school year, or it's church day, or whatever. So I'm very much inclined to ignore those complaints.

I mean, the Richmond marathon goes on at the exact same time every year here, it's not like it's a surprise that one day / year it will be hard to drive downtown. And everyone complains like it's an unprecedented burden!

Not being able to "use a street" is a big deal if you live in a rural environment. There's a big difference between not being able to drive downtown during an event and not being able to leave your own property for most of the day.

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by 45K10

When you could do it any other time of year by yourself and probably not piss off the locals in the process. Hell, they might even say hello or let you fill up your water bottles if you ask nicely.

I like to ride in ranch country and meet the locals. Horse locals meet me at the fence, realize I have no treats for them, and walk away while giving me a dirty look. Llama and alpaca locals just give me a dirty look and don't come near. Cow locals don't seem to understand moo.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by 45K10

I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to do this ride. You have to pay $250 to ride with a bunch of other people on awesome dirt roads, with great scenery. Which you can't really look it because there are 1500 other people on the road that day.

When you could do it any other time of year by yourself and probably not piss off the locals in the process. Hell, they might even say hello or let you fill up your water bottles if you ask nicely.

1. There's plenty of time to take in the scenery during the race. It's not like you're in the middle of a 1500 person peloton the entire time.

2. Parts of the course are on private property, so you can't ride it on another day.

3. If it's not worth $250 to you, don't do it. Clearly, however, it's worth it to a lot of people.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

Not being able to "use a street" is a big deal if you live in a rural environment. There's a big difference between not being able to drive downtown during an event and not being able to leave your own property for most of the day.

Yup, this. Often in rural areas there's *one* road for miles and that's what you've got to use. If its blocked, you're stuck.

[ridethecliche]

It's sad that paying a fee often makes people feel entitled to do things that can be simply described as 'un-neighborly'.

I think the organizers need to work with the area to come up with a course that keeps the spirit of the event while not totally disrupting the lives of folks that live in the area. I.e. maybe some roads need to be treated as 2 lane roads with travel only permitted on one lane to allow folks to get out if they need to. Sounds like something needs to be workshopped within the area.

At the end of the day, I think a lot of the folks don't realize how much this helps infrastructure and the local economy... but steamboat isn't huge. I can't imagine how overrun it feels during an event like this. Asking because I don't know, but does the mountain step in to carry some of the load of people?

I think the event also needs to do a big show of support for the locals in a much more obvious way. Like, offer a scholarship that kids in the local high school can apply for and put towards college expenses. Make a big show of donating to local fund (which they're already doing).

It sounds like they really need to generate some good will.

Also sounds like folks need to be cited and ticketed for littering and worse. That's just gross man. ***. If you can't figure out how to put a wrapper in your pocket during an event, you have no business coming out. That area is bloody gorgeous. Leave no trace and all...

[benb]

Let's not forget the big draw. You get way less kudos on the socials if you go do a big epic ride but there is no brand name to associate yourself with, even if just going for the ride on your own is actually a lot harder.

Could be a convergence here of:

- Very rural area, very expensive to get porta-potties
- Very large event, need way more than porta-potties than a smaller one
- Very long (hours) so even more expense
- Lots of the land is private, harder to find a place to put the rest stations
- Race wants to make as much money as possible
- The race has already pissed off all the land owners that might have been willing to have rest stations on their land if it had been handled better from the beginning.

3000 is WAY too big for me. Not going to be something I ever worry about. It takes a lot of motivation to do something that has 500 people in it. Great rides do not require a crowd for me, they're often better alone. The 500 rider events I've done that are all day like this have managed to handle all this stuff well. I don't think I ever had to worry about finding a toilet at all or even wait in a long line.

[45K10]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

3. If it's not worth $250 to you, don't do it. Clearly, however, it's worth it to a lot of people.

Yep not on my list but it seems they have cornered the market for people who ride gravel and drive a blue Porsche

[tomato coupe]

A lot of people seem to think the pee/poop problems are due to an insufficient number of port-a-potties. I don't think that is the case.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by 45K10

Yep not on my list but it seems they have cornered the market for people who ride gravel and drive a blue Porsche

All 3000 riders drive blue Porsches? That's incredible.

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

A lot of people seem to think the pee/poop problems are due to an insufficient number of port-a-potties. I don't think that is the case.

What do you think it is, then? Just plain disrespect on the part of cyclists? I actually wonder about this. I've only done a few big organized bike events in my day, but they all featured plenty of rest stops and facilities, but these "gravel" events out in the middle of nowhere might be a totally different story.