adventure
DAVID EPPERSON / COURTESY OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS CHAMBER
ROUTT COUNTY’S DIRT ROADS ARE GETTING WORLD-CLASS ATTENTION
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS IS “GRAVEL TOWN, USA” Words by Kim Fuller
T
here may not be an official trademark
based bike manufacturer Moots Cycles has
attached to the moniker, but hundreds of
put effort into creating equipment and events
miles of dirt roads and gravel bike events are
for gravel riding, which has certainly helped
giving Steamboat Springs its new name to cyclists:
spread the word, and Soard says gravel riding
Gravel Town, USA.
is a welcomed alternative for road cyclists and
Steamboat is home to more than 600 miles
mountain bikers looking for something new.
of dirt and hard-packed gravel roads. Seemingly
endless route options paired with the love of
riders frequent more rural roads with far less
wide-open spaces draw more and more dirt-
high-speed traffic than road cyclists often endure.
pedalers to Steamboat and the surrounding area
Around Routt County, riders may encounter cattle
of Routt County.
drives and slow-moving tractors more often than
“Our ranching heritage is the reason we have
Not to mention the safety element. Gravel
the hazards of riding on the side of a paved road.
so many of these roads in the first place,” shares
Laura Soard, marketing director for Steamboat
so you have more opportunities to look around
Spring Chamber.
you,” Soard shares. “You have to pick your lines
“The pace is a little slower than road riding,
Soard says the sport has been gaining
but it’s not as intense as single-track mountain
popularity in the area for a while now. Steamboat-
biking. It’s a good thing to do with kids because
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