Ride the Rockies 2010 edition is slated to end June 19 in Salida. That’s the Saturday of New Belgium FIBArk Whitewater Festival weekend. Yikes! What are your thoughts?
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18 responses to “Ride the Rockies crosses paths with FIBArk”
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Fib-ark is already too big. Add another 2-3 thousand people on top of that and I what will it be like? Guess I’ll be going camping somewhere quiet.
Sounds like a great weekend to get out of town
Tom Karnuta
Watch out! Thats a lot of people. Who planned that one?
Well, at least the Ride the Rockies people don’t pee in the bushes, take up all the parking in town and dent cars without leaving notes.
Wouldn’t miss it for the world…. Lets throw ‘em all a great party!
When I was little, Christmas was my favorite holiday. But, in the last ten years FIBArk has far surpassed it as a time to see friends, have a few beers and catch up. A time to watch the kids running in packs, laughing, swimming and competing in little kayaks. The only thing I like better than hanging out by the river are bikes, so mix the two? Love it!
Sure, this is a planning challenge, but it’s bit like having a packed house party when the neighbor’s party comes over. It’s going to be absolutely awesome! I am ALL about it. I’d like a video of the riders leaving our town the next day. They’ll be thinking the same thing the singer for the Samples was a few years ago when, in the midst of lights, on a warm summer night with the river flowing by, he said “All these years we’ve been all over the state, and how did we miss this amazing place? This is incredible.”
Since the Ride actually finishes in Salida most riders will be arriving between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. The “awards” usually does’nt go past 3:00 and after a week of riding they/we are usually ready to get the h–
out of town, get home, and ready for work. I really dont think we’ll see much of an impact. At least thats been my expierience.
Thanks Greg, that’s great information. FIBArk Sunday’s can be pretty lazy in the afternoon. Perhaps we can can turn up some higher than average Sunday beer and food sales.
The Funnel Cake Nation meets the Recreation Nation times two. Tea-bags or lycra….as long as their money is green, Salida will take all comers.
To be clear, Ride the Rockies is ending on Saturday afternoon. Not Sunday.
It’s the experience as much as the event. Combining two different events like these puts a strain on local business to provide a quality experience. Let’s just hope that the throught proccess behind this decision was considerate, and that all logistics were thought through so that we can reap the rewards of future events.
Eat More Pizza.
FYI: http://www.ridetherockies.com/
Great comment Scott. When we reach a point where we can’t feed,park or show guests a reasonable amount of service it could backfire. Not everybody likes a crazy out-of-control party and it can create tensions between locals and visitors. Really the bigger question is how can we spread our events more evenly across the calendar to keep us busy and show all our guests a quality experience. I for one would like to see some of the non-boater events at Fib-ark spun off to other weekends later in the summer when not much is going on.
After reviewing the previous posts, I would have to say this… Those of you who do not believe this to be good for Salida certainly have the option of going away for the week of FIBArk. Close your doors. You are not open for business!
Before I rant further, I agree that this will test our infrastructure in many ways. Are we up to the challenge? In the current economic environment should we step up and take on the challenge, or should we whine and complain?
Ride The Rockies has been good for Salida and generated exceptional revenue for many years. I say embrace this as an another opportunity to showcase Salida, Colorado. We have never been the last stop before. Should we seek feedback from communities that have. Yes, we should. Can we learn from their mistakes, and their successes, and capitalize on this OPPORTUNITY… I say YES.
Salida, step up to the plate.
Right on Ira. May I remind you, this is the ending point for ride the rockies. Aditionally, because it is an anniversary ride it is one day longer and an additional 100-200 miles farther than the average ride. I assume the end of ride festivities will be at the highschool. Also, the ride begins in Grand Junction meaning a majority of folks will have to get back to Grand Junction to retrieve their cars. As a result, stated earlier, the impact of ride the rockies [ unlike other years ] in my Opinion, will be very minimal.
If i were doing Ride the Rockies this year…the first place i would head to after i got off my bike in Salida is Riverside Park for a big ass bratwurst with all the fixins, the biggest greasy chicken leg i could find AND a funnel cake!! yeah,baby!!!
How would folks feel about offering a place on the Citizen for visitors to sign up for a spare bed or floor for the night with a local and vice versa? (Not WITH a local mind you, though signing up to sleep with a local would certainly have an impact on our brand …headwaters of adventure ahem). But seriously folks, once built, that link would quickly circulate through the RTR boards. In my experience, RTR people, like most bike riders, are good people. I am aware we all have full houses at FIBArk, but perhaps if just a few people found a bed/shower that night it would be a testament to how we embrace our guests. Let me know your thoughts.
Bill,
This has been offered in past years through the Chamber of Commerce when RTR was a stop during the ride. Not sure if they are planning to do it this year since we are the end of the ride – seems like a good idea to put out there though. Getting these folks to stay and enjoy FIBArk would be great. The one comment I would offer here is that in past years, the reason for hosting was that there were no rooms left in town (don’t want to stomp on motel business). I have hosted riders three times, and all have been wonderful experiences. I would be happy to host again if it is a case of lodging not being available.
Ira, I don’t think anyone is whining about RTR the same weekend as FibArk. I agree with Jack. As a downtown business you can only handle so many customers. Restaurants can only seat so many patrons. It’s just nice to spread the wealth throughout the season instead of getting hammered all in one day. Support teams for the riders traditionally spend time downtown shopping, and last year, it was one of my busiest days, I’m just disappointed that won’t be the case this year.