Almost a hundred local ranchers living along the rural gravel roads used at Colorado’s SBT GRVL are clashing with the event organizer, requesting county officials cancel the 3000 rider event after years of cyclists disrespecting the land.

Following four editions of the race based in the city of Steamboat Springs, each bigger than the previous, ranchers outside of the city are fed up with obnoxious riders scattering trash along public/private roads, harassing livestock, urinating and defecating on ranch land, and creating dangerous traffic conditions during the middle of harvest season.

“Ill-timed, ill-prepared and full of people racing who don’t care about trash or needing to go to the restroom. The liabilities are incredible,” rancher CJ Mucklow told the Colorado Sun. “Fifteen hundred bikers looped our road for hours.”

Trenia Sanford watched cows stampede on the course due to the cyclists, “…you’ve seen cows run. You know they can buck and twist and move sideways. These bikers had no idea what kind of danger they were in,” she told Rout County commissioners.   

SBT GRVL (a for profit company) CEO Amy Charity says rancher’s concerns are overblown. “Some of the stories got embellished,” she also told the Colorado Sun. “…We’d go out [to get trash reported by ranchers] and find an old event sign…I was expecting Coke cans and Gu wrappers.” 

With the event now bringing in over $4.5 million in revenue to businesses in the city of Steamboat Springs, Charity believes SBT GRVL’s positive financial impact outweighs the ranchers concerns. Nonetheless, for the 2024 edition planned on 18 August she will require participants sign a rider decorum agreement, specifying rules of conduct during the event. If a rule is broken the offending rider will be disqualified if other riders report the violation, but so far she has not offered any remedy for damages to ranchers caused by the event/riders.

The 2024 edition is currently without a permit to operate, leaving the future of the event in the hands of the Rout County Commissioners, beginning with a meeting on 22 January to discuss changing the permitting requirements for large events like SBT GRVL.

Photo Credit: Steamboatradio.com

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