{"id":1314756,"date":"2019-09-18T14:29:20","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=987862"},"modified":"2019-09-18T14:29:20","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:29:20","slug":"mountain-biking-future-is-bright-in-rifle-as-local-mountain-bike-organization-grows-and-brings-big-plans-for-enthusiasts-in-the-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/mountain-biking-future-is-bright-in-rifle-as-local-mountain-bike-organization-grows-and-brings-big-plans-for-enthusiasts-in-the-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain biking future is bright in Rifle as Local mountain bike organization grows and brings big plans for enthusiasts in the area"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Competitors make their way through the rocky terrain of Hubbard Mesa during last year’s Roan Cliff Chaos mountain bike race organized by RAMBO.<\/strong>
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This weekend as part of Rifle\u2019s Western Adventure Weekend, Rifle Area Mountain Bike Organization will host the Roan Cliff Chaos mountain bike race 8 a.m. Saturday on Hubbard Mesa.<\/p>\n

This weekend as part of Rifle\u2019s Western Adventure Weekend, Rifle Area Mountain Bike Organization will host the Roan Cliff Chaos mountain bike race 8 a.m. Saturday on Hubbard Mesa.<\/p>\n

Organizers said the race goes back several years, with RAMBO taking over a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree years ago the city approached RAMBO with the idea of having a mountain bike race during Western Adventure Weekend,\u201d RAMBO President Erik Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were really excited about doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villasenor said locals and the recreation department had run the race before and they approached them and asked if they could use the name.<\/p>\n

With the help of race organizer MAD Racing the last two years the Roan Cliff Chaos was revived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first year RAMBO is running the race on its own, without a professional event organizer,\u201d Villasenor said. \u201cWe are learning as we go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villasenor said this year is going to be a standard cross-country mountain bike race with a fixed course.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will provide food, swag and prizes. We\u2019ve had some local sponsors which have been awesome,\u201d RAMBO vice president Alison Birkenfeld said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really grateful that the city of Rifle have donated money to put the race on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racers will have options: 9.5 mile\/one lap for beginners, 19 miles\/two laps for intermediates, and a 28.5\/3 laps advanced course.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe course is going to be set out on Hubbard Mesa, those are the local trails we ride right now,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mesa is an open HOV area, the only one in the state. It\u2019s kind of like our backyard jewel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Villasenor said last year they had 32 racers, and are hoping for that and more. \u201cBetween 40 and 50 would be really nice,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to make it on fleek. I want everyone to come out and get a T-shirt, get stickers and have a donut,\u201d Birkenfeld said.<\/p>\n

Birkenfeld said people can register online at roancliffchaos2019.itsyourrace.com or at 7 a.m. Saturday before the race begins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the race is happening out there (Hubbard Mesa), we want people to enjoy the festivities that are going on downtown,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

FUTURE IS NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is also the first year proceeds from the event will go directly to building new trails in the Rifle area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hottest news right now is we are working with Mike Pritchard, executive director of Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association, the Economic Development Corporation, the city of Rifle, and the BLM to get a nonmotorized trail system put in at Rifle Arch,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

The system would incorporate mountain biking and hiking on BLM land north of Rifle.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now Rifle doesn\u2019t have a legit nonmotorized trail system. The plan is in the works, and very close to being finalized,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

Birkenfeld believes there will be a tag-along syndrome if you bring people to a small town like Rifle and give them something fun to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion I think it just drives commerce. As soon as you get people out here wanting to camp or bike, they\u2019re going to want and need more than we have right now,\u201d Birkenfeld said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will bring more businesses like coffee, outdoor clothing and bike shops. It opens up opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birkenfeld moved to Rifle 25 years ago, then moved upvalley to Glenwood for several years, and moved back to Rifle because it\u2019s more affordable.<\/p>\n

Through a friend she was introduced to the Rifle mountain bike scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe environment lends itself to so many other alternatives. When you look at the landscape and wonder why aren\u2019t we hiking this and why aren\u2019t we biking this in a safer environment,\u201d Birkenfeld said.<\/p>\n

She thinks this could become a stop for all the people that pass through on their way to Fruita to ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cool thing is we are about to become a little vein of the main artery, that goes all the way from the Front Range to Moab,\u201d Birkenfeld said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t have to go all the way to Fruita anymore \u2014 stop in Rifle and ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rifle Economic Development Corp. Assistant Director Katie Mackley fully supports of the project as a great economical development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that a big part of attracting business, attracting people to this area is place-making and community-building, and we know that trails are a way to do that,\u201d Mackley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love RAMBO, we love the concept of building this world class trail system. We know it\u2019s going to bring not only tourism to the area, but also people are going to identify the area as a great place to start a business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villasenor said they\u2019re hoping to have shovels in the dirt by late spring or early summer, and shooting for phase one to include anywhere from 5 to 10 miles.<\/p>\n

Officials don\u2019t have an exact number because it will be mostly be volunteer working with a professional trail builder on the new trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say exactly when, but they have 30 miles laid out that will go in over a course of time,\u201d Villasenor said. \u201cThe way we are looking at it is a 10-year project; it\u2019s a huge project. I did not realize the amount of work that goes into building trails until going through this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

RAMBO has been working with the city of Rifle and BLM for two years so far on the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big and exciting project for us right now, not only for RAMBO, but the city in general, because it is kind of lacking in nonmotorized recreation, honestly,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt fits everyone\u2019s goals of some healthy alternatives to recreating, hiking and mountain biking, that\u2019s another reason I\u2019m excited about it, being part of that process to help everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW RAMBO BEGAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Villasenor said that the organization began in 2012 as a Facebook group created by Aaron Mattix and roughly 10 local riders who had been riding in the area for a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey mostly rode in Rifle, but they kind of rode everywhere in Western Colorado,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then it has progressed into a formal group; we\u2019ve organized ourselves with a board and we have partnered with Katie (Mackley) and the Rifle Economic Development Corporation, who are acting as our fiscal agent so we can start taking in money and making it more official,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

With 500 members on the Facebook group and 50 active members, RAMBO is growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach month brings something new. It\u2019s an all volunteer group so we kind of just chip away at it,\u201d Villasenor said.<\/p>\n

kmills@postindependent.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Competitors make their way through the rocky terrain of Hubbard Mesa during last year’s Roan Cliff Chaos mountain bike race organized by RAMBO. This weekend as part of Rifle\u2019s Western Adventure Weekend, Rifle Area Mountain Bike Organization will host the Roan Cliff Chaos mountain bike race 8 a.m. Saturday on Hubbard Mesa. This weekend as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1314756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 15:40:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1314756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1314756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1314756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1314756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}