They say life begins at the end of your comfort zone. I couldn’t agree more. Every experience I’ve had that’s outside of what I’m used to has breathed fresh air into my soul. From backcountry skiing on Mt. Tallac to starting mountain biking, once I break through that mental barrier, the flood gates open. I immerse myself in whatever it is, trying to learn techniques and the history. “Where did it come from? How did it evolve?” Right at the top of this list sits the Pearl Pass Tour.
The Idea Of The Pearl Pass Tour Is Born
Before mega events like the Red Bull Rampage in Utah or the Crankworx Festival in Whistler, there were grassroots events helping pump passion into the sport like the Downieville Classic. One of the most critical for the evolution of the sport is the Pearl Pass Tour and arguably the OLDEST organized mountain biking event in the world. Back in the summer of ‘76, a group of boisterous motorcyclists from Aspen decided to trek up Pearl Pass and down into Crested Butte, making a raucous that they’d accomplished an insurmountable feat.
Crested Butte Locals Take The Challenge On Schwinns
The locals must’ve thought if a bunch of Aspen Hollywood-types could do the pass on motorcycles, why couldn’t they do it on bikes? You have to remember in 1976 the concept of a mountain bike was foreign. All they had were Schwinn Excelsior bikes with longhorn-style handlebars and balloon tires. Talk about insane! Fourteen locals huffed & puffed their way over the pass from Crested Butte into the town of Aspen, piling their clunkers in front of Aspen’s Hotel Jerome. Boy, that must’ve been a sight especially in that era! And so… the story of this tour began to spread like wildfire throughout the United States.
California Mountain Bike Invasion
Around the same time & a few thousand miles west, mountain biking was beginning its life. A crew of Bay Area cyclists were pushing their limits on the trails of Mt. Tamalpais when the story of the Pearl Pass Tour reached them. Talk about the ULTIMATE test for their newly designed bikes! So, in 1978, Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher reached out to the Crested Butte town hall to learn if the event was happening. The person on the line was Myles Rademan. Though there wasn’t a “real” event at the time, he saw the opportunity to bring in tourism revenue with a cyclist group from California. And thus, the race was born.
Pearl Pass Not For The Faint-Hearted
Compared to any other mountain biking race, the 39 mile trek is a serious test even by today’s standards. First, Pearl Pass is one of the HIGHEST mountain passes in Colorado standing at 12,750 feet & some years with snow not melting at the top! Second, this pass was built in 1872 by miners to get from Crested Butte to the mining town of Ashcroft, meaning it takes what the land gives it.
For the first 20 miles you can expect singletrack riding and long sections of hike-a-bike followed by seven icy stream crossings across a 4,000-foot climb to the peak of Pearl Pass. Then on the descent, certain sections take riders over tightly packed rocks the size of bowling balls. In the words of the CB Klunkers team, “I thought that some sadistic miner had taken truckloads of them and dumped them on the road, just to make the tour a little more challenging.” The original race may have taken two days but now with bike technology, it’s done in one.
Why You Should Go To The Pearl Pass Tour
Sure, you can participate in any of the large organized festivals or races that exist, but to truly embrace the mountain bike culture, you should put the Pearl Pass Tour on your bucket list. It will be painful. It will be arduous. But in the end, you will have an understanding of what the forefathers of mountain biking did for the sport and truly appreciate how far technology has come. For more about unique races, hidden vacation destinations, and tips on mountain biking gear, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide: The Down & Dirty On Mountain Biking.
Event Details
Date: September 9th & September 10th
Time:
- 2-day Klunker Tour starts on Saturday September 9th, camp-out and ride to Aspen on Sunday the 10th
- 1-day Mountain Bike starts & finishes on September 10th
Location: Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum @ 9 am
Cost: $25 (based on past years) for Shuttle
For more info: cbklunkers@yahoo.com
Not the oldest mountain bike event. That honor goes to the Appetite Seminar in Fairfax,California, annual event since 1975.
Just a quick thanks for crediting my photos in your very nice article. Honorable!
Of course! 🙂 It’s the least we can do.