County to roll out carpet for Quizno’s Pro Challenge

“We want them to have the best view of our roads that they can”

The entire Gunnison Valley, it seems, is ready to pull out all the stops to accommodate the Quiznos Pro Challenge bike race at the end of August and Gunnison County is no exception. The county’s department of public works is working with race organizers and volunteers to make sure the roads and racecourse are clean and clear.

Local volunteers hope the county will find a balance between grooming the course and allowing spectators and the media to take in the race scene from some of the best seats along the entire route.
The course will take 120 cyclists and their support teams on three county maintained roads: Gothic Road between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, Taylor River Road through Taylor Park and all the way to the top of Cottonwood Pass. For two days, they could be 43 miles of the most immaculate county roads in the state.
“We want them to have the best view of our roads that they can,” director of public works Marlene Crosby told the commissioners at a discussion of county road closures Tuesday, January 25.
Anticipating the impacts of the closures, Crosby said the leg up Gothic Road would be the “least problematic,” since it’s only three miles long with few joining roads and driveways. “Having a tour bus spin out on its way up to the mountain would probably close the road for longer than the race would,” she said.
The narrow, winding road through Taylor Canyon between Almont and Taylor Park is another matter and the dirt road over Cottonwood Pass might require an entire day to get into the shape Crosby wants.
In preparation for race day, the county is planning to coordinate closely with the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the most of the property on either side of the route, as well as organizers from race manager Medalist Sports to make sure the road is clear of traffic and debris. “We’ll have to sweep Taylor to make sure we get all the loose gravel off,” Crosby said.
“The Forest Service will be working with us on Taylor and Cottonwood to close the campgrounds, close the road a certain amount of time before the race and get everybody off the road,” she said. “Then as the race moves on, we’ll just start opening the road behind them.”
There are a few concerns about the ability to control traffic on trails and driveways that intersect the road. Crosby suggested parking equipment in front of access points big enough for a vehicle and finding people to post at particular trailheads.
“The Forest Service and the State Patrol think that may be one of the most problematic things that we have with the dirt bikes and ATVs that cut across the route because you have to stop that as the race goes by,” Crosby said. The Forest Service wouldn’t want the road up Cottonwood open to the top until the racers were safely down the other side.
Another concern is where to put the spectators and all the cars they ride in, whether along Taylor River Road or on Cottonwood Pass, since there aren’t many facilities able to accommodate a swarm of people through the canyon and none on the pass.
Aaron Huckstep, who has been at the front of the volunteer effort working on behalf of the race, asked Crosby to picture the scene along the Tour de France route, with people stacked deep on either side of narrow streets. “That’s what people want,” he said.
Aside from the lack of space or accommodations, Crosby wants Cottonwood Pass, which is the only unpaved section of the entire Quiznos Pro Challenge route, to be in perfect condition so as not to endanger any racers or the chance to host a stage of the race in future years.
“I can’t maintain Cottonwood and have it in good condition for this race and have it open to traffic the day before. It needs to be closed Tuesday [August 23] morning and keep it closed until the race is past,” Crosby said. Closing the pass for a full day will allow the public works crew to move freely in both directions while they’re patching and smoothing the road and it will keep more traffic from creating new problems.
“I think if you shut down Cottonwood the morning of the race, you are missing a huge opportunity to showcase the valley one last time,” Huckstep said.
One suggestion was to allow people to drive up the road to Ruby Subdivision midway up Cottonwood Pass to access the venue where they could park and walk to a better place to watch the race. Gunnison City Manager Ken Coleman threw out the idea of running a bus service from a staging area to a place where spectators could watch the race.
In the end it was agreed that it would take a balance of being conservative about traffic on the roads and getting people to a place where they can see a high-level bike race against the impressive backdrop of Taylor Park.
The commissioners will vote on the road closures at a regular meeting next Tuesday, to give race organizers notice of the decision before they announce the official route.