Where is the Mountain Bike Capital of the country?
Oregon claims the title for “the northwest.” Winter Park cheerleaders trademarked the phrase for their vast collection of singletrack trails. Moab goes one step further, calling itself “the mountain bike capital of the world.” Bikers in California’s Marin County testify the sport was born in their backyard, a claim disputed by knobby-tired veterans in Crested Butte.
If the principality of mountain biking were decided by what state is home to the best off-road pedalers in the country, Colorado wins.
The proof is in the numbers. At September’s U.S. Mountain Bike Championships in Mammoth, Calif., Colorado’s cache of thick-thighed professional mountain bikers raced to 35 top-10 finishes in 11 categories, beating even the California pedal-pushers on their own dirt.
Alison Dunlap, a professional rider born and raised in Colorado with 13 national titles and a second-place national finish in the cross country competition at Mammoth, credits the state’s active lifestyle, easy access to singletrack and a statewide collegiate cycling program that grooms elite riders.
“The sport is really popular here and the cycling climate is healthy in Colorado,” said the 36-year-old from Colorado Springs, who retired from professional racing after her podium finish – a scant nine seconds behind first – in Mammoth. “The public in Colorado is definitely more aware and supportive of cycling than any other state. Add it all up, and Colorado is the place to be if you want to become an elite racer.”
There are myriad factors that have contributed to Colorado’s growing pre-eminence as the nation’s mountain biking mecca. High-altitude training in the mountains develops stronger riders. The densest collection of ski resorts in the country provides playgrounds for the freeriding downhill racers who ride lifts upward and scream down and over rock-choked trails in the newest arena of competitive mountain biking. Lots of sunshine provides bountiful training regimens. And there are dozens, if not hundreds of regional races every summer in Colorado’s mountain towns, where fledgling racers can sharpen their riding skills.
“It is such an easy place to get into racing and find support. The communities in Colorado are really behind it more than any other place,” said pro rider Jay Henry, a 30-year-old Vail Valley native who finished second behind Boulder’s Travis Brown in the pro marathon competition at Mammoth, a leg-crushing 4 1/2-hour race of nearly 68 miles that climbs more than 8,000 vertical feet.
Colorado has long been a dominant mountain biking hub, but recently the number of top-tier off-road riders has exploded. Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Durango, the Vail Valley, Summit County, Crested Butte and other mountain towns are now home to dozens of professional racers. And more professionals are emerging every day as mountain kids chase their mentors in weekly races and group rides.
Ned Overend, a veteran racer and pioneer mountain biker, offers weekly rides in his hometown of Durango. Vail, Winter Park, Fruita and Breckenridge host weekly races for local pedalers who often find themselves grinding away next to national champions.
“Those races are really helping to breed the next generation of Colorado athletes,” said Dean Crandall, the organizer of Western races for the National Off-Road Bicycling Association, which sanctions professional mountain bike races. “There seems to be more local support here, particularly in the high country. There are a lot of regional races. It’s that kind of racing that keeps the pros on top and helps prepare the newer racers. Mountain biking may have started on the West Coast, but it has really flourished here.”
The array of local races, which offer decent prize money that can fuel a racing career, “has been a good development pipeline for our racers in Colorado,” Dunlap said.
Endurance races are exploding in Colorado. Ultra-races like Montezuma’s Revenge, the new 24-hour Sleepless in the Saddle and 100-mile races in places like Beaver Creek and Breckenridge are increasingly popular. Endurance is a field where Colorado’s professional mountain bikers have earned particular distinction.
Racers Brown, Henry and Nat Ross took first, second and fifth in the marathon race at Mammoth. In the pro men’s cross country race – 5 laps of a 6-mile loop – six Colorado men finished in the top 10, claiming first, second, fourth and fifth. Colorado women racers claimed four top-10 finishes in the women’s pro cross country race.
“Those races at Mammoth were at altitude, and that definitely doesn’t bother people from Colorado,” Henry said. “It’s an advantage for sure.”
Staff writer Jason Blevins can be reached at 303-820-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com.
