Support for SBT GRVL

SBT GRVL is in need of your support! Scroll down to see a letter from the RCR Board of Directors to our County Commissioners. Let the Commissioners know that you want to see this event continue to benefit our local community in one of three ways:
  • Send a supportive email to our County Commissioners directly: [email protected]
  • Sign the petition linked here
  • Attend the upcoming Commissioner’s Hearing on 10/8 at 9:30 AM in person or virtually to make a supportive public comment in favor of SBT GRVL’s proposed event changes

Dear County Commissioners,

Routt County Riders (RCR) is the leading local nonprofit resource advocating on behalf of your cycling constituents in Northwest Colorado. We are writing today to strongly encourage you to approve the Steamboat Gravel (SBT GRVL) event as proposed for 2025. SBT GRVL is an event that our local cycling community values greatly. There are hundreds of Routt County residents who ride in the race every year. Of the 300-plus residents who rode in the race in 2024, 120 were local youth! Over time this event has become an increasingly important event to your cycling constituents.

Ryder, a Steamboat Springs 14-year-old, told the organizers “SBT GRVL has been one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. It has been a highlight of each summer since the first time I did the race when I was nine. I look forward to doing it with my mom each summer.” 

The above cited total of 300 doesn’t include Routt County constituents who volunteer or those who attend the expo and cheer on riders at the finish line. RCR estimates that at least a thousand locals, including many small business owners, are annually involved and/or positively impacted by the weekend event. That count also doesn’t include locals who support SBT GRVL even if they are not cyclists.

We love the fact that Colorado is a “share the road” state. It is important to remind all that Routt County roads are meant to be shared, we all pay taxes for the upkeep of these roads, and they are legally open to the public. Tim Corrigan ended the 9/3/24 Commissioner’s meeting by noting  that Routt County has never told anyone they can’t use Routt County public roads, whether it’s construction vehicles, cyclists, or ranchers hauling hay. We respect your job as County Commissioners understanding you must advocate for all locals, be it families, businesses, ranchers, or cyclists. In this case, RCR is of the opinion that there are numerous solutions to these unique problems. We have witnessed the SBT GRVL team come up with creative solutions for almost every obstacle that has been thrown in their path to success. While we respect the challenge you are faced with, it is our opinion that the execution of SBT GRVL went well in 2024 and that there is a very small, vocal, minority of locals who continue to voice their opposition to the race. Now that the date of the event has been moved, and it’s separated into a two-day event, we expect it will be highly successful in 2025.

RCR tries our best to speak on behalf of local cyclists (and many of your constituents), including our 800-plus members, and we respectfully ask you to approve the two-day SBT GRVL event in 2025. RCR is highly confident that if the Commissioners work with the SBT GRVL team to solve the few remaining roadblocks, the SBT GRVL event will become an increasingly successful event for all, including both our ranching and cycling communities.

Sincerely,

Barb Dowski
Routt County Riders
Board of Directors Road Committee