Only one paved road connects Crested Butte, CO to the outside world, and that’s the way the locals like it.
Since its days as a mining base camp, the town has had a closer alignment with the mountains that surround it than with anything cosmopolitan. As late as the 1970s, the town found little need for sophistication or intrusion. So when a group of motorcyclists from Aspen roared into Crested Butte one summer day in 1976, boasting of their daring trip over Pearl Pass, a rugged and little-used wagon road that connects the two towns, the locals were galvanized. Out of this spirit, the Crested Butte-to-Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour was born.
Crested Buttians love a challenge. Sure, the Aspenites had motorcycles, but the Crested Butte crew had bicycles. Built in the 1940s and ’50s and salvaged from the Denver dump, their 50-pound, balloon-tired bikes were perfect for Crested Butte’s flat, gridded dirt streets. Locals had even raced their “klunkers” criterium-style the previous winter. Why not take them over the pass?
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From Freehub Mag
At our core, we are mountain bikers and adventurers. Luckily for others, we are also storytellers, builders and advocates for all things bike, and we strive to bring mountain bike culture to the like-minded masses through our magazine and website. People are what drive our sport, and their stories are what motivate us to produce our printed publication, short films and web content. Whether it’s the tale of a world-class athlete, legacy of a local trail builder, or delineation of a struggling community turned mountain bike mecca, these are the narratives that drive innovation and inspiration alike—and the stories we love to tell.
