Name      Finish Time
1     Dillon Turner    0:40:40
2     Conrad Turner    1:05:40
3     Ried Austin     1:06:30
Read More »

REEB DONKADONK?

You’ve seen them around town, on the ski area and up and down most of the surrounding valleys. This Sunday, you can catch them in some serious medium-speed, low psi action as Fat Bikers kick of the 2014-2105 race season with the Magic Meadows Fat Bike Race on Sunday, December 21 at 2 p.m. on the Magic Meadows Nordic trail by Peanut Lake. Read More »

Do these tires make my butt look big?

The north end of the valley received more than 20 inches of snow this past weekend and the south end got a nice coat of white as well. While the fresh snow has people heading to the hills for their first turns of the season or hitting the Nordic track for some skate and classic skiing, others are lubing their chains for another season of… fat biking. Read More »

HEY! HEY! HEY!

Thanks to the efforts of the town of Crested Butte, the Crested Butte Nordic Center and the Crested Butte Nordic Council, Elk Mountain Events presents the 1st Annual Fat Bike/Snow Bike Race on Friday, February 1. Read More »

Raise $30,000 for Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

When local fourth grader Abby Sanderford and her dad, Kevin, began planning a cross-country bike trip for summer 2021, they didn’t initially intend for it to be a fundraiser. As Kevin put it, “the purpose was to teach my daughter that she could do anything she wanted.” Kevin had completed the trip with his then 11-year-old daughter Skye, back in 2019. Abby is six minutes older than her twin brother Will, so her turn was next by birth order—Kevin seems to enjoy the bike adventures enough to plan a separate one for each of his three children. But this time, the plan changed when Kevin’s wife Jennifer was diagnosed in January with breast cancer.

Jennifer is a local pediatrician, and the diagnosis was as much a shock for the Sanderfords as it is for all families touched by cancer. Kevin said after Jennifer underwent a successful surgery in April, she insisted that he and Abby keep their biking plans. Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough To Wear Pink is a nonprofit in the Gunnison Valley that provides tremendous resources for people who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and at that point the Sanderfords decided to partner with Pink.

“I’m pretty type A, and I think Jennifer is too. We like to think we’re in control of things. And like for everyone, this wasn’t on our calendar,” said Kevin of Jennifer’s diagnosis. “But you’ve gotta deal with it. And Pink helps people deal with it.”

So, Kevin and Abby proceeded to pedal 4,249 miles this summer and raise over $30,000 for Pink.

“When you see and hear about the difference they’re making in people’s lives, it’s pretty easy to get behind them,” said Kevin.
Jennifer’s health outlook has been very positive since her initial surgery, with one more surgery planned for mid-September. She did not need chemotherapy or radiation, and is taking one medication that appears to be working well. “She will be on a medication for the next five years, but she has a really good outlook,” said Kevin.

“The hardest thing for her was probably not being at work, feeling like she needed to be there for other people’s kids,” he says of Jennifer’s treatment. “She loves what she does.”

As for the epic ride that began in Washington State and ended in Maine, Abby and Kevin rode tandem with a trailer they called BOB, or beast of burden, and their rig was 12 feet long total. They shared some highlights in a Q and A session with the Crested Butte News.

For Abby: Have you always liked biking a lot?
Yes, except I never used to like this one trail by my house [the Deli Trail] that was really hard and bumpy. Now I like it though.

How was the big trip? What did you like best?
It was fun. The part that I really liked was how some towns have their own little animal, and they would have big statues. My favorite one was a giant duck, [Kevin says it was in Minnesota and stood 20 feet tall]. It had a button you could push and it would make quacking sounds if you pushed it.

I also liked stopping for different treats along the way, like this one place had really good brownies.
Kevin adds: She also liked Middlebury, Vermont. It was the steepest day, and Middlebury gap was the most challenging single climb, with 12 to14 percent grades. The challenging part is usually the funnest part. The next day was another high grade across the Kangamagus Scenic Byway in Northern New Hampshire.

What was the hardest part?
Doing two mountain passes in one day [Washington and Rainy Passes in Washington on Day 3 of the ride, including about 6,000 feet of climbing over 65 miles].

Favorite ride snacks?
Hostess Ding Dongs and a new flavor of Gatorade: lime and cucumber.

Any advice for aspiring distance riders?
Some hotels are good and some are bad…

For Kevin: How did you stay in touch with the family back home?
Usually we had phone calls at night, and we sent some letters and cards along the way.

How did you pack?
We were completely self-contained, so (in addition to what we wore) we carried a dry bag with two extra pairs of biking shorts and biking socks, two biking shirts and rain gear. We also carried extra tires, tubes, our own food, one pair of casual shorts and a casual shirt, a pair of sandals and one pair of underwear. We only camped a few nights at the beginning. After that since we were staying at hotels and motels we shipped the camping gear back. It meant we had to reach our hotels at night, so failure was not an option.

Longest day?
116 miles. And Abby did not have a meltdown!

Shortest day?
Probably 25 or 30 miles. We had a few of those.

Any company along the way?
My uncle came along for part of it. And two couples we know from Ouray biked with us for 10 days from Fargo, North Dakota to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. And you meet people along the way and then continue to bike with them. Someone I had met on a previous ride joined us for the final 900 to 1,000 miles.

And Jennifer and the other two children flew in to meet you at different points?
Yes, and that was good because it gave Jennifer something to look forward to as she was recovering at home.
She flew in to Great Falls, Montana for five nights, met us in Whitefish and followed along [by car] as we biked our way to Great Falls from there. We would meet up for lunch and dinner, and then at the hotel every night. Then we met up near Cleveland, Ohio to visit Cedar Point amusement park and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and then a science museum.
Then she also flew in to meet us at the very end, in Maine.

Mechanical issues?
Yeah…but not too bad. We use Gatorskin tires, which are useful for touring. So we only one flat on the bike and one on the trailer. The bike is still in the shop getting fixed up though.

How was the weather?
We didn’t have as much rain as usual, but lots of incredible heat. But you just get on there and you pedal. That’s your job.
We did have a long, painful day riding into headwinds in eastern Montana. It was only 63-65 miles approaching the North Dakota border, but it took us about 9 hours.

A lot of this trip is mental. I could not have done it without Abby. Her go to line was “that’s not so bad.”

Did you take some days off?
We took about 5 or 6 days off. We did not take a day off based on weather, but based on towns with more interesting aspects and bike shops in case we encountered any issues with equipment.

What trip is next?
I think Will and I will do a bike trip across Europe. The kids are pretty competitive…Abby did the same ride that Skye did but when she was younger than Skye had been. Will won’t be able to do the same trip younger than Abby was, so he wants to do more countries.
But Jennifer asked me to not do Will’s trip next year because she wants a family vacation. I think I’d better listen or she might try poisoning me! So we will wait another year first.

B. Dills and Jenny Smith take titles 

by Than Acuff

Five Gunnison Valley athletes took up 10 of the available podium spots at the Fat Tire 40 on Saturday, June 27. Three local men finished in the money with team Griggs Orthopedics (Team gO) rider Bryan Dillon in first, Team gO teammate Zach Guy in third and Team gO rider and former Fat Tire 40 champion Brian Smith in fifth place.

On the women’s side of things, Stan’s Notubes Elite racing team member and local rider Jenny Smith returned to Fat Tire 40 action. She hadn’t been in the race since 2012 but picked up right where she left off racking up another Fat Tire 40 title. Team gO rider Janae Pritchett joined her on the podium in third and, in the end, five Gunnison Valley riders took up 10 of the podium spots available.

It was another mind-blowing, pedal mashing effort. Granted, the winners typically finish in the three and a half hour range but it still amazes me.

Dillon crushed the course to win in three hours and 28 minutes. After coming so close the past couple of years, finishing in second and third place, he finally took the win. And the timing couldn’t have been better as this year there was prize money up for grabs. $5,000, to be exact, divided among the top five men and women, compliments of the Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association.

“It’s always kind of cool to win something you’ve been doing for a while,” says Dillon.

The race provided the peak of the annual Crested Butte Bike Week put on by the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce as 110 racers were met with bluebird skies and buff singletrack.

“I thought the trails were in great condition,” says Smith.

In fact, Mother Nature put on her best dress for the entire festival, from the opening day clinics to the closing day of downhill racing.

The festival had something for everyone with the two main races, the Chainless World Championships on Friday and the Fat Tire 40 on Saturday, really opening the doors to bike racing for riders of all types and abilities.

Saturday would be the toughest test for everyone involved. Chamber Director and race organizer Dave Ochs tweaked the course once again for this year’s event to offer up a start/finish area in town and a neutral start “parade of athletes” down Elk Avenue. From there, they headed out on the usual course that includes Upper Upper Loop, Strand, Deer Creek, Meander, West Side, Upper Upper and Tony’s Trail with a healthy dose of road miles as well. The race took riders on a 40+-mile tour when all was said and done.

The beauty of this specific cross-country bike race is that it hearkens back to the days of old (to see the days of old check out “Fat Tire Journal Crested Butte” on YouTube. Mullets, mustaches and bar ends galore). That is, a mountain bike race on mountain bike trails rather than a series of laps on a ski area course. It just so happens, those are the kind of races Dillon prefers.

“They are the kind of races I enjoy doing,” says Dillon. “The ones that get you out on the trails.”

The Fat Tire 40 is not all about pinning it from start to finish because that can end one’s shot at the podium sooner rather than later. The first section of trail is the Upper Upper Loop, which is no cruise through the trees by any stretch of the imagination.

“Upper Upper Loop is kind of dangerous,” explains Dillon. “My goal for that is to just stay upright. I like to take my time but not lose any time.”

That very section doomed one of the Fat Tire title contenders as he flatted there, cutting the lead pack down to five riders when they headed out Brush Creek and up Strand Hill. Dillon’s plan was to either make his move on Strand or Deer Creek depending how things were shaking out. He held off on Strand and then made his move on the road and singletrack climb up Deer Creek.

Smith’s experience in the opening section of Upper Upper Loop wasn’t quite as smooth. Smith took the women’s lead into Upper Upper with Gretchen Reeves hot on her rear wheel. While Smith had a smooth ride on the very same trail weeks ago, this time turned out a little different.

“I had cleaned it earlier this season and that was good but on race day I crashed really hard,” says Smith.

Despite the miscue, Smith remained in the lead, well aware that Reeves wasn’t far behind and always in the hunt, catching glimpses of her on Upper Upper Loop as well as on the climb up Strand Hill.

“I didn’t expect her to be very far behind and she wasn’t,” says Smith.

Both Dillon and Smith then made their moves during the Deer Creek portion of the race.

“Once we started up the Deer Creek road and then turned onto the singletrack, I took the lead,” says Dillon. “I put in a little gap there and then just tried to maintain that. I felt pretty comfortable but I was pushing it pretty good. It hurt, but I wasn’t cramping and I felt good climbing.”

“Gretchen caught me as we climbed up the road, which was good actually because it was kind of motivating,” says Smith. “I was feeling good so I wasn’t too bothered.”

The road from Gothic to the trails on Crested Butte Mountain Resort can be a little disconcerting for anyone alone in the lead. Chances are if there’s a pack of riders behind the leader, they can work together to reel the leader in. Dillon was clear of that threat as he came out of Deer Creek with around a three-minute lead and held the gap as he turned onto the Meander Trail.

Meander provides one final test for all riders, both those gunning for the podium and those just looking to finish. While not steep, it lives up to its name as it meanders slowly up, providing a bit of a physical and mental challenge.

“It hurts because it’s close to the end,” says Dillon. “I think that’s the hardest part of the course. The climb isn’t steep but it can definitely break you.”

Paced by “lots of water, electrolyte drink, chews, GUs, coke and little dill pickles,” Dillon’s only cramping came on the final section of Upper Loop before he turned onto Tony’s Trail and cruised into town for the title. Two and a half minutes later Bryan Alders crossed with Team gO rider Zach Guy on his heels in third place. Nick Gould finished in fourth place and Team gO athlete Brian Smith rounded out the men’s podium and finished in the money in fifth place. All told, the top five men finished within five minutes of each other.

For Smith, once she established her lead on Deer Creek, she too had a relatively smooth ride to the win, finishing in a time of four hours, one minute and 49 seconds, barring one last crash on the West Side Trail.

“I like Meander and I felt really good at the end,” says Smith. “My front wheel hit a rock and drove me into the rocks on West Side and that was the one bummer coming back.”

Dillon, Smith and a handful of other Gunnison Valley riders will now head to Breckenridge for the Firecracker 50 on Saturday, July 4.

Rolling fatties

Fat Bikes are starting to blow up, so a local contingent of Fat Bike enthusiasts, the Gunnison-Crested Butte Fat Bikers, have decided to feed the need and start a fat bike race series. Read More »

Dubbed “the planet’s oldest mountain bike festival,” Crested Butte’s Fat Tire Bike Week celebrates 30 years with a week of festivities from June 22 to June 27.

In an effort to regain some of the magic of celebrating mountain biking in one of the birthplaces of the sport, the festival is undergoing quite an expansion. On top of the Wildflower Rush that will take place on the new and improved ski resort trails, this will be the second year for the backcountry Fat Tire 40 race. The Chainless Race is becoming a bit more structured but should be tons of costumed fun on Friday. Workshops, guided rides and entertainment are all part of this year’s festivities.
The 30th celebration also includes a free performance by Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on Saturday, June 26 in Mt. Crested Butte.

Read More »

Racing is experiencing a renaissance

Sure, all the singletrack in Crested Butte is buried under snow right now. But that doesn’t mean it’s too early for Scott Still from the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce to start schussing out next year’s Fat Tire Bike Week and one of its key components—the Fat Tire 40 Bike Race. Read More »

25 spots left as of Tuesday

There’s still a chance to join in on the pageantry of the Fat Tire 40 bike race this Saturday, June 27 at 8 a.m. sharp. Read More »