Ride the Rockies bicycle tour won’t be returning to Grand County this year
Nearly 2,000 bicyclists pedaled their way through Grand County last year during the epic Ride the Rockies tour, but they won’t be coming back again in 2019.
Ride the Rockies, an annual bicycle tour that covers hundreds of miles of routes winding through the Colorado Rocky Mountains, announced over the weekend that it will shift its location this year to focus on Crested Butte, Snowmass and Gunnison.
The communities of Grand Lake, Winter Park and Fraser braced for an influx of riders coming into the area last year as riders camped overnight at each of the towns. It brought with it a stimulus to the local economy — a boon to local lodging, grocery stores and restaurants — but also busier roadways and some frustrated residents.
Last year, the route began in Breckenridge, with riders navigating roadways along the I-70 corridor to Edwards then up to Steamboat Springs before heading over to Grand Lake, through Winter Park and then back to the starting point in Breckenridge.
The route this year will take riders in a loop from the starting point in Crested Butte to Gunnison, Buena Vista, Snowmass, Carbondale, Hotchkiss and then back through Gunnison to the finish line at Mount Crested Butte.
Ride the Rockies 2019 goes from Sunday, June 9 to Saturday, June 15.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.
Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.
If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.