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Crested Butte's Renowned Fat Tire Bike Week is Packed with Races, Fun and Games
Since the 1970s, when locals started retrofitting old Schwinn paperboy bikes with multiple gears, Crested Butte, Colo., has helped write mountain biking history. The bikes may have changed, but the experience hasn’t. The wheels are in motion for the world’s oldest mountain biking festival, the 27th Annual Fat Tire Bike Week on June 25–30, 2007.
It promises to be a super-charged nine days of mountain biking in Crested Butte, with Fat Tire Bike Week at the very center. The endorphin rush begins with the 7th Annual Wildflower Rush Mountain States Cup Race at Crested Butte Mountain Resort on June 23–24. Bridges of the Butte 24-Hour Townie Tour wraps up the fun on June 29–30.
This oldie-but-goodie mountain bike festival celebrates Crested Butte as a birthplace of mountain biking. Lots of whooping and cheering accompanies the more playful events of the week, plus there is a time to give back during a trail work day and to share fun with the kids. To top it off, there are plenty of chances to mingle at a welcome social, pig roast, expo and beer garden, and food court.
• Local mountain bike riders lead beginner, intermediate and advanced tours on the Crested Butte area’s epic trails. (June 25–29)
• After a day of guided mountain bike rides, pull into the expo and beer garden to take a look at the latest products, enjoy a live band and kick back at a pig roast for all participants. (June 26)
• Bike limbos and log pulls are just part of the fun at the Bike Rodeo/Relay Races. (June 27)
• Go globe-trotting with a cast of the world’s top freeriders at a special viewing of the mountain biking movie “Kranked” by Radical Films at Majestic Theatre. (June 27)
• A Poker Run/Scavenger Hunt takes mountain bikers to various spots in town to collect cards for a poker hand, and a Dog/Owner Race and Dog/Owner Look-a-Like Contest are sure to add some exciting and hilarious moments. (June 28).
• The Clunker Krit is an in-town “townie” bike race through the historic alleys and back roads of Crested Butte. (June 28)
• In the Chainless Race, competitors coast their chain-deprived bikes from the top of Kebler Pass at 9,980 feet into the town of Crested Butte, often wearing costumes. (June 29)
• A new Family Fair that includes kids’ rides, games and activities will entertain the youngest members of the crowd. (June 30)
• After a week of riding the area’s trails, give back by joining the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Trail Care Crew and Crested Butte Mountain Biking Association for a day of trail work. In the morning IMBA will be presenting a trail care course, and in the afternoon there will be a field session. (June 30)
For more information and a complete schedule, including times, contact the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce at (800) 545-4505 or visit www.ftbw.com.
Those interested in the story of mountain biking can see it at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, part of the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum in downtown Crested Butte. Classic bikes, photos, mementos and media clips tell the lively story of this home-grown sport and the characters who gave it life. Visit the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame online at www.mtnbikehalloffame.com.
Other mountain bike events before & after the festival
7th Annual Wildflower Rush Cross Country and Downhill Races—Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) presents the 7th Annual Wildflower Rush Cross Country and Downhill Races on June 23 and 24, the weekend leading up to Fat Tire Bike Week. CBMR will provide a marquee venue for one of the stops in the Mountain States Cup Regional Championship Series. On June 23, the race features a traditional 10-mile cross-country course on the Butte’s legendary web of winding single track, climbing 1,800 feet per lap. On June 24, the Wildflower Rush will welcome back the Crested Butte Downhill and Wildflower Super-D. To register, visit www.active.com. For additional information, call (970) 349-2221 or visit www.ridecb.com and click on “Adventure Scene.”
3rd Annual Bridges of the Butte 24-Hour Townie Tour—Townie bikes are just as commonplace in Crested Butte as mountain bikes. Bridges of the Butte runs from June 30–July 1 and is a 24-hour tour, not a race; riders can cruise along as they please. Costumes are highly encouraged, and riders can enter as an individual or a team. There is no limit to the team size; for example, a 24-person team could have one rider per hour. Proceeds benefit the Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Center’s Argentina program. The ASC team has been traveling to Argentina for 10 years to assist with programming, teach ski lessons, conduct training clinics for instructors and volunteers, and help create a certification program for adaptive ski instruction. For more information, call (970) 349-5075.
Visitor information & personalized vacation packages
To view trail reports and sign up for email trail report newsletters that include current information about mountain biking, hiking and wildflower viewing, visit www.coloradomountainbiking.info.
For more information about Gunnison-Crested Butte’s event calendar or to book vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association’s official reservations center at (800) 814-8893 or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. During the summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.