On Tuesday, August 23 the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (USAPCC) will kick off stage 1 where the racers will get their first real taste of the mountains.The folks in Salida are clearly excited about the race start and they’ve even set up their own website, SalidaStageStart.com, to fill visitors in on the race and surrounding activities and events. As the smallest host city in this year’s race, Salida should be a great spot to get up close to pro riders while experiencing all the amazing mountain bike trails in the area (more on that later).
The view of Salida from the trail on S Mountain.
After an opening circuit around the town of Salida, the cyclists will head up to the top of Monarch Pass to duke it out for the first of the King of the Mountains (KOM) points. If you’ve mountain biked the Monarch Crest trail you probably drove up most of the roughly 13-mile ascent to Monarch Pass on US 50. The climb appeared less steep than I remembered during my drive-by last week; officially, it’s 3,200 feet over 13 miles which isn’t exactly Tour de France steep but still it’s higher than Alp d’Huez. And over the next stages the racers will be forced to ride even higher!
From Monarch Pass it’s a quick descent down to the town of Gunnison where the riders will head north to the finish at Mount Crested Butte. Along the way there’s a sprint line in Gunnison and another in the town of Crested Butte just a couple miles from the finish. Speaking of the finish, the line at Mount Crested Butte represents the race’s only uphill finish where the top riders will pick up more KOM points.
Race day in Crested Butte promises to be an all day party, starting with a Townie Criterium at 11:45 (the same time racers will be leaving Salida). At 1pm the US Handcycling Federation is putting on a handcycle criterium in town while up in Mount Crested Butte kids will get a chance to race in a strider bike competition. Oh, and there will be plenty of live music, food and beer at the Finish Festival just steps from the finish line where the first riders are expected to roll in around 3:30pm.
Mountain Biking Stage 1 (Salida)
Ok, so the cycling race promises to be exciting but depending on where you stake your spot, you’ll probably only get to see the riders for a few moments before they buzz past. Which leaves plenty of time for mountain biking!
Salida is best known for its epic mountain bike route known as the Monarch Crest trail. This 30+ mile singletrack ride starts at the top of Monarch Pass (right on the USAPCC Stage 1 course) and (mostly) descends via the Continental Divide/Colorado Trail, Silver Creek Trail, and Rainbow Trail back to the town of Salida. Maddslacker wrote about this ride a few weeks ago and last week I got my second chance to ride the trail. Still as epic and beautiful as usual but this month there’s a world-class bike race happening there too!
Salida sits at a bit of a mountain bike trail crossroads with the Continental Divide Trail (~ 3,000 miles), Colorado Trail (~500 miles), and Rainbow Trails (~100 miles) all within just a few miles of town. While I was there I spoke with riders from New Zealand, a group in the middle of riding from Canada to Mexico via the Continental Divide trail, and dozens of day-trippers from around the state. And if Salida is the hub of mountain biking in Central Colorado, Absolute Bikes is the grease that keeps mountain bikers running smoothly. I spent a good bit of time in the shop with owner Shawn Gillis and was excited about the stories I overheard: epic day trips on Monarch Crest, Leadville training rides, and top Divide Trail race finishes.
Mountain biking around Salida isn’t just about big miles – there’s also a world-class trail system right in town that offers everything from machine-cut beginner fare to advanced, technical singletrack cut into the hills. Shawn from Absolute Bikes has been instrumental in getting the Salida Mountain Trails built and maintained and last week he gave me a quick tour of the network. The cool thing is the trails are sited and designed to maximize the riding season so even when other local trails are socked in with snow, the “S Mountain” trails are usually ready to ride. The parts I rode reminded me of classic “desert” rides like Bootleg Canyon and Chutes and Ladders in Fruita. Absolute Bikes has great maps and their folks are always happy to point riders to the best singletrack.
Mountain Biking Stage 1 (Crested Butte)
As a mountain biker I couldn’t have been more excited about Stage 1 of the USAPCC with a start in Salida and a finish in Crested Butte. For many years if you had asked me to name my favorite mountain bike trail the answer would have been (and might still be) Trail 401 in Crested Butte. And the crazy thing is when I asked the locals for their next favorite ride, most of them had a really hard time choosing from the dozens of classic trail rides in the area.
Crested Butte is also home to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Mount Crested Butte features lift-serviced downhill runs for gravity-oriented riders (more on that from mtbgreg1 soon). Some have even argued that Crested Butte, along with Marin County, CA, is the birthplace of modern mountain biking.
And it’s not just that the trails in and around Crested Butte are well designed and fun to ride – the scenery turns great rides into world-beating epics. In summer the wildflowers along the trail are unbelievable and the soaring mountains make every view photo-worthy. If only trails like 401 weren’t so flowy – it’s damn hard to force yourself to stop to admire the views!
Where to Eat
For such small, remote mountain towns, both Salida and Crested Butte have some amazing dining options. After an epic ride along the Monarch Crest trail, I recommend treating yourself to a big steak dinner with a poblano relleno stuffed with grits at the Laughing Ladies Restaurant in Salida. And in Crested Butte, head to the Brick Oven for pizza (natch) and Colorado beers on tap while hobnobbing with local super-athletes on the outdoor patio. The Brick Oven patio also happens to be located just feet from the sprint line in Crested Butte so get your table early!
Where to Stay
Salida has a number of chain hotels including the Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, and Super 8. I spent a night at the Hampton Inn and it was great – close to downtown plus there’s an indoor pool/hot tub and free breakfast.
Since Crested Butte is more of a resort town and ski destination, there are a number of options for lodging as well. The Elevation Hotel & Spa is super swanky and is located at Mount Crested Butte with lobby-level access to the bike lifts and mountain bike rentals. Not only that, it’s just steps from the stage 1 finish. You can also find plenty of condos for rent in the ski area through web sites like VRBO.com.
Fun Facts
This area of Colorado is so massively amazing for mountain biking that I haven’t even mentioned Gunnison (site of the first sprint line of Stage 1) or the ride I did while I was in Crested Butte last week (it’s actually along the Stage 2 course). So stay tuned for info on the next stage – who would’ve thought mountain bikers would have so much to get excited about for a cycling stage race?
