{"id":1687,"date":"2026-06-17T13:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2026-06-17T13:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:35:09","slug":"gravel-biking-events-are-a-hot-commodity-in-colorado-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687","title":{"rendered":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

When it comes to two-wheeled adventures, enthusiasts have typically identified as either mountain bikers or road cyclists. Gravel biking, however, is where everyone comes together.<\/p>\n

Read more Doctors at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado won\u2019t provide gender-affirming care, fearing federal retaliation<\/a><\/p>\n

Providing the sleek and efficient setup to cover long distances, yet also equipped with nubby skinny tires to travel off-pavement, gravel bikes created a groundswell of popularity about 10 years ago and are still having a moment, in part because the community feels more inclusive of all kinds of riders than road cycling or mountain biking.<\/p>\n

In fact, outside of e-bikes, gravel biking is the fastest-growing type of two-wheel adventuring in Colorado, and a handful of event organizers have transformed their gravel races into weekend-long festivals. Here are three to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

Steamboat Springs SBT GRVL; June 28<\/h4>\n

With the tagline \u201cBike Town USA,\u201d it\u2019s no surprise that Steamboat Springs is the unofficial epicenter of gravel riding in the Centennial State. Routt County is home to more than 600 miles of dirt roads, much of which cyclists jokingly refer to as \u201cchampagne gravel,\u201d in reference to the ski town\u2019s trademarked snow.<\/p>\n

In 2019, a group of riders decided it was high time to turn those miles into an event, which they called SBT GRVL. The goal was to offer inclusive gravel racing on stunning, scenic courses for all levels of riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a classic roadie that struggles on mountain bikes,\u201d said Amy Charity, who cofounded SBT GRVL with Ken Benesh and the late Mark Satkiewicz. After taking a break from cycling, though, Charity took part in the Unbound Gravel 200-mile race in Kansas in 2018, and her love for the sport was renewed. \u201cThe challenge, the grit, the support out there brought me back to wanting to ride my bike again \u2026 I thought, we have so many insanely good gravel roads here, and they\u2019re endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charity ran into Satkiewicz, a fellow avid cyclist, and shared her gravel experience. \u201cWe both said, \u2018We should have a gravel race here.\u2019 On a napkin, we mapped out SBT GRVL.\u201d Then Satkiewicz called his buddies in the industry, while Chartity called her contacts in the pro racing scene. \u201cWe had 2,500 riders our first year. We sold out in six days,\u201d Charity said.<\/p>\n

SBT GRVL has since become one of the country\u2019s most coveted gravel biking events, and the one-day ride \u2014 capped at 2,750 riders \u2014 is once again sold out this year. It kicks off June 28 with four course distances:108, 73, 53 and 25 miles. The competitive long course draws a stacked national field, with a $22,000 prize purse split among the fastest top five male and female finishers.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Previously a competitive road cyclist, Charity wanted to ensure that SBT GRVL provided participants with an invigorating but inclusive experience with every possible comfort. \u201cI want coffee, Porta Potties all over the place. I want aid stations; I don\u2019t want to carry food. I want to be taken care of when I finish. We put together all those things that stress you out, that the SBT could solve.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, racing is the opposite of inclusive. It\u2019s intimidating,\u201d she continued. \u201cYour sunglasses need to be a certain type, socks need to be a certain height, and you need to know what you\u2019re doing. What I found with gravel is your kit could be anything \u2014 baggies, Camelbacks. Anything goes. Just get to the end and have an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gravel rides are the culmination of a weekend-long festival that includes a downtown expo, a new trail running race, a toddler bike race, live music and more. \u201cIt\u2019s a blast,\u201d Charity said. \u201cThe idea is to set the tone. Many people compete for money, but we want to set the tone that this whole weekend is intended to be fun. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Colorado man killed in climbing fall on Mt. Sneffels, family says<\/a><\/p>\n

Fort Collins FoCo Fondo; July 19<\/h4>\n

Pre-dating SBT GRVL, Fort Collins\u2019 FoCo Fondo has grown every year since its inception in 2015. Offering about the most relaxed vibe of any high-ranking gravel event, the July 19 Fondo starts and finishes at New Belgium Brewing with five distinctive courses \u2013 the classic 118-miler that climbs almost 7,500 vertical feet through the mountains and around Red Feather Lakes west of town, as well as 100-, 60-, 32- and 12-mile courses that meander through surrounding farm country.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Co-founded by Fort Collins locals and former pro cyclists Whitney and Zack Allison, the Fondo is truly a welcoming event with BIPOC, non-binary and para race categories as well as childcare available during the race.<\/p>\n

With the homestretch lined with beer handoffs, hose-sprays and a DIY bike park ride-through, the Fondo promises to be an \u201cexcellent adventure with as much guidance as you wish, pushing limits, keeping things fun and a little weird,\u201d Whitney Allison said.<\/p>\n

The weekend festival launches July 16 with the Bike and Lifestyle Expo at New Belgium Brewery, which also offers special tours and talks throughout the weekend. Registration remains open leading up to the event. It\u2019s not out of the question for participants to show up on mountain bikes or even e-bikes.<\/p>\n

The Salida76; Sept. 20<\/h4>\n

Newer to Colorado\u2019s gravel scene, The Salida76 was masterminded by Shift Events, the nonprofit behind the famous Triple Bypass road ride from Evergreen to Avon. Since the Salida76\u2019s inception in 2022, the organization has donated $65,000 to other nonprofits.<\/p>\n

Definitely more of a grassroots undertaking, The Salida76 is comprised of two races, a 76-miler and a 76-kilometer course, the winners of which will be awarded \u201csweet swag\u201d presented by \u201csomebody\u2019s kid,\u201d according to the website.<\/p>\n

This year, the 76 morphs into a full-blown weekend event \u2013 the Salida Bike Fest \u2013 with 1,300 participants in the 76 gravel races on Sept. 19 and the Banana Belt 35-mile mountain bike race on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought it\u2019d be fun to play off the old dirt-bagging Colorado rider days of the late 70\u2019s \u2026 think jean shorts and aviator glasses,\u201d said Shift Events CEO\/ED Jen Barbour.<\/p>\n

That said, neither course is easy, the 76-miler climbing for nearly 7,000 feet and the 76K course for almost 5,000 feet, 3,500 feet for both courses thrown at riders over the first 13 miles.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Bow Mar\u2019s plan to install a gate to reduce traffic has Denver, Littleton ready to retaliate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer, with big events in Steamboat, Fort Collins and Salida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,19,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-outdoors","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nGravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer, with big events in Steamboat, Fort Collins and Salida.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colorado Springs Moverss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\"},\"headline\":\"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687\"},\"wordCount\":1082,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Outdoors\",\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687\",\"name\":\"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?p=1687#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colorado Springs Moverss\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss","og_description":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer, with big events in Steamboat, Fort Collins and Salida.","og_url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687","og_site_name":"Colorado Springs Moverss","article_published_time":"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c"},"headline":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer","datePublished":"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687"},"wordCount":1082,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp","articleSection":["News","Outdoors","Things To Do"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687","name":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer - Colorado Springs Moverss","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-17T13:35:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ab63b0a2dc2880ee05c8d1a6f0981754.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1687#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gravel biking events are a hot commodity in Colorado this summer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/","name":"Colorado Springs Moverss","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4857af3bff7f66cee0c97667a8e70c1c","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}