July 13 will feature cyclists participating in a non-competitive event in support of Yampa Valley community nonprofit organizations.
Those organizations, in turn, contribute to efforts surrounding youth, suicide awareness, climate action and recreation.
The annual Tour De Steamboat, which is celebrating its 20th year, is a 501(c)(3) organization with an objective of generating funds for Routt County nonprofit organizations. Those organizations play key roles in the extensive planning and marketing of the event, as well as being key players in its execution. Working in collaboration with municipalities, volunteers, sponsors and other organizations, the TDS has come to represent the pinnacle of collaboration and community-based partnership in the Yampa Valley.
The beneficiaries of this year’s event include Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide (REPS), Partners for Youth, the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and the South Routt Recreation District.
The TDS started in 2005, and was based on a ride that originally began in the 1970s as the brainchild of Moots Cycles founder Kent Eriksen. To this day, Eriksen plays a role in the event as both a participant and an inspiration to other organizers.
REPS Executive Director Mindy Marriott spoke to the unifying power behind the event.
“Overall, the Tour de Steamboat represents more than just a cycling event. It embodies community spirit, charitable giving, outdoor culture, and a commitment to health and wellness, making it a cherished tradition in Steamboat Springs.”
In years past, the event has raised between $11,000 and $22,000. Proceeds generated are dependent on the amount of riders, event costs, sponsorships and donations. The funds that are produced are split equally among the beneficiaries, who collectively choose a fifth nonprofit organization to donate money to. Within the organizations, the funding is then steered towards programming, operating expenses, payroll and employee benefits.
This year’s ride will feature three different road routes of 26, 46 and 66 miles, all of which will allow for the participation of riders on e-bikes. Additionally, the event is hosting two gravel rides of 50 and 100 miles each, neither of which allows e-bikes. The routes take participants south from Steamboat through various communities, including Oak Creek and Phippsburg. The course also passes through a large amount of properties which are designated by the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust as conserved ranches and open spaces.
Aid stations will be available to participants throughout the different courses, all of which end in the base area of Howelsen Hill.
“Tour de Steamboat represents local Yampa Valley community cycling,” said Yampa Valley Sustainability Council Executive Director Michelle Stewart. “While we have a lot of nonlocal riders in the event, the ride has a distinctly small-town Steamboat feeling.”
That small town feeling, according to Stewart, also combines beautiful scenery with friends and family to create a community-centric momentum to the benefit of participants, organizers and beneficiaries.
Partners for Youth Executive Director Lindsey Kohler has also felt the unifying power that the event holds.
“Tour de Steamboat represents community,” Kohler said. “It is a wonderful representation of the cycling community and the spirit of our local community.”
Kohler went on to explain that the event is a ride, not a race, which leads to a wider range of participants from different age groups and demographics. Marriott added the event serves as a unifying moment for community spirit, charitable giving, and the promotion of health and wellness, while also having a direct economic impact through increased patronage of local businesses.
The ride has evolved into a zero-waste event as well, which ensures a minimal ecological footprint and the preservation of the green spaces that the event passes through.
This year’s event, however, was not without its challenges.
“In the past couple of years, we have had a harder time getting sponsorships, likely due to businesses being burdened by inflation,” Stewart said. “At the same time, some of our ride costs have gone up, which has redacted the overall financial benefit to nonprofits.”
Organizers pointed to the key role that volunteers play in the event, particularly acknowledging the efforts of Katie Lindquist, who has served in many roles in the event over the years, including being the race director.
“It is incredibly satisfying helping run an event that convenes so many locals,” Stewart said.
For more information on the Tour de Steamboat, visit TourdeSteamboat.com/.
