Outlaw biking comes to CB

Looking to put down deeper roots

by Katherine Nettles

There is a new youth downhill race team that started in the valley this summer. The Outlaw Crested Butte bike team has eight local athletes and two local coaches training in Crested Butte this season and racing all over the country—sometimes even winning. 

The bike team was established in 2015 out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Abby Santurbane, the Outlaw team manager for Crested Butte, says the impetus to start a satellite program in CB came together for several reasons, the biggest being uncertainty for her own two sons. 

Her family lives in Colorado Springs most of the year and spends summers in Spring Creek; her oldest son was originally invited to be a part of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) program a few years ago before it transitioned away from the resort and CB Devo agreed to take it on.

When families got word that the program was in flux, Abby took action. She knew of the Outlaw program in Utah and decided to learn more.

“We didn’t know if CBMR was going to have a youth downhill race program or not,” she recalls. Santurbane contacted Tyson Henry, who started the Outlaw program in Utah and had collected more than 100 riders in Salt Lake. 

“I asked Tyson if he would ever consider a satellite program in CB,” she says. “He is absolutely an incredible coach; he cares so much about his athletes. He has athletes on the podium over in Europe. And I just thought, what a cool thing it would be to get this foundation here in the valley.”

The answer was yes, and the program started in early June with athletes ages 8 to 14. “These are all kids who want to race their bikes, and who are willing to travel to races,” says Santurbane. “It is a race-oriented program dedicated to helping athletes at all levels become both better bike riders, as well as better humans.”

They do not train on the resort, because they did not have a US Forest Service permit this year and did not have an arrangement with CBMR to use their resort either. So the downhill team had to earn their turns this summer, riding trails all over the valley to access the coveted downhill they needed for training.

“We started working with Ben Pritchett who runs a guide service (Colorado Backcountry) and is able to access trails,” says Santurbane. She says the arrangement has worked out great, and there has been great support from the community.

“That has been the biggest challenge but we’re doing it with what we have, and the kids have really stepped up,” she says. The bonus is that the athletes got some extra uphill conditioning along the way. 

The group took part in two different race series this year: the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series and Mountain State Cup. There were several races in each series, both covering mountain resorts all over the country.

“The courses are super challenging,” says Santurbane. “It’s such a small group that the coaches get lots of one-on-one time with the athletes.” She says a lot of parents have volunteered as well. “It’s been a whole community.”

While the group has certainly grabbed some great podium moments, including for Santurbane’s son Harkin, the program has also taken part in trail days when possible to make sure community service is a part of their experience and value system.

“We welcome any athletes that are interested in racing and it’s been so nice to see how these athletes have bonded. I’m excited to see where this program goes. I’d love to see the program evolve and give these athletes an opportunity to go as far as they want to go in this sport,” she says.

They will finish out the season in mid-September. “We might have a couple of camps in the desert this fall, but a lot of these athletes also ski,” says Santurbane of the schedule.

Santurbane says the next steps are to get some permits next year and to expand the program. “We’re trying to develop a race program but it’s also a chance for kids to grow…it would be amazing to see this program really take off in the valley. The opportunity is unique because we don’t always have access to all the big things here. So giving these kids opportunities to go to different bike parks around the country and having so many stoked kids live here who want to do it is great.”

While Santurbane’s two sons are part of the program, she says odds are you won’t see her on the trails in any competitions. “I’m a climber at heart,” she admits. But she is dedicated to the cause.

“With the expansive road the Outlaw Bike Team has paved in the downhill race scene, it has the potential to open opportunities for these young Gunnison Valley athletes to go as far as they dream in the sport.”

More information about the program can be found at www.outlawbiketeam.com