Slush, sun, and speed in Crested Butte
If there is one thing the laid back Crested Butte way of life can provide during a less than mediocre winter season its the ability to make lemonade out of very slushy, warm lemons. Thats exactly what around 20 Buttians set out to do last Saturday at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. After a several year hiatus, CBMR gave the nod to reinstate the Gaper Weekend Winter Downhill Bike Race (not an official name). So around 5pm on Saturday a crew of brave souls, young and old, loaded their bikes on the Red Lady Express and headed to the starting venue. Within the next hour they would sprint a Le Mans start to their trusty steeds laying in the slush and then run, tuck, push, pedal and kick their way through the sloppy flats of Peanut ski trail before a turn onto Lower Keystone Trail would finally provide enough pitch to seperate the crowd and punish those who were not perfectly balanced and focused with their first bike wreck of the season.
At the bottom of Warming House Hill, where a rochous crowd cheered the racers accross a soupy finish line, no winners were really decided and no attitudes were exchanged. Instead most laughed histerically as they pushed thier bikes to and then dove accross the finish line. High fives were traded and all joined the party on the Butte Deck where the competitors received the greatest trophy one can hope to achieve at such a highly touted sporting competition: free beer.
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- The suds were flowing, spirits were high, and Justin Howard was ripping the crunchy tunes on the Butte 66 deck for the after party.
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- The snow was so deep and sloppy at the finish that no one could ride through the checkered flag so things turned to a foot race.
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- Enjoying CB’s own version of a Pro Challenge.
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- A racer comes shouting through the finish line.
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- Andy Shabo feels the need for speed.
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- It may be a Slow Skiing Zone but the bikes were wide open as they flew through the old location of the jib park.
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- Eliot Rosenberg pulls away from the middle pack half way through the course.
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- Competitors were neck in neck until they made this turn onto lower Keystone.
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- Jacob Tucker leaves a trail as he works his way down lower Keystone.
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- Sloppy conditions made pinning it down roller coaster a bit hairball to say the least.
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- Trying to gain the hole shot!
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- Competitors come slipping and sliding around the first bend.
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- Some competitors were out to win style points on Saturday
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- CBMR’s Laci Wright gives competitors a brief rundown of the course.
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- The Starting Line
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- Eliot Rosenberg and Andy Shabo just want to go fast!
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- The crew of racers shows off their best GNAR faces before the le mans start.
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