A band of mountain bikers in Salida has linked a maze of single-track and old mining roads meandering across the Continental Divide to create what it says is the most difficult single-day ride in the state.
And come August, it intends to test its creation in a 125-mile race for the most expert riders.
“The idea was to create a really cool, ultra-marathon mountain bike course,” says Shawn Gillis, owner of Absolute Bikes in Salida. Gillis led a crew of giant-lunged bikers in creating the Vapor Trail, a high-altitude path that is as historic as it is grueling.
As opposed to 24-hour rides that spin competitors in short laps, the Vapor Trail loops only after it traverses four mountain passes, crosses the Continental Divide three times and winds through several historic mining towns. The majority of the ride is above 10,000 feet and requires riders to climb more than 20,000 feet.
In late August, no more than 75 riders – whose résumés must include the completion of at least two 24-hour solo races or two 100-mile races – will compete in the first race along the Vapor Trail, which begins and ends in Salida.
“It’ll be super hard,” says Nathan Ward, author of a recently published mountain biking guidebook for the Upper Arkansas River Valley. “It’ll make the Leadville 100 race seem like a stroll in the park.”
The Vapor Trail is one of eight biking events this year in Chaffee County, which is renowned for its whitewater and fourteeners but long has been overshadowed by places such as Crested Butte and Winter Park when it comes to riding single-track. That may be about to change.
A local band of riders is lobbying the Bureau of Land Management to exclude motorized access to 30 miles of single-track a few pedal strokes from downtown Salida.
The moto-heads have agreed to the designation and the move would add to Salida’s growing reputation as a pedaler’s paradise. The transformation from pure whitewater and fourteeners is intentional.
Three summers ago the valley withered as a record drought and wildfires crippled the prolific rafting industry on the Arkansas River, the most floated stretch of water in the country. After that summer, locals realized their livelihoods were leaning too heavily on the rubber flotillas and fishermen on the Arkansas. It was time to find a new type of tourist to augment the steady stream of floaters and fishers.
Turns out a recent study by the Outdoor Industry Association showed most river lovers were equally fond of road biking and mountain biking. Hence the push to paint Salida and the entire valley as a paddler’s and pedaler’s playground.
“We don’t want to be in the same situation as 2002 should the weather gods turn against us again,” says Lee Hart, spokeswoman for the Chaffee County Visitor’s Bureau. “Clearly, the river is vital to us, but we are pleased to see more and more attention paid to our biking.”
Jason Blevins can be reached at 303-820-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com.
