Sports Writer
CRESTED BUTTE -- Willy Warren broke his fibula in four places while mountain biking, so his doctors put three screws and a titanium rod in his leg.
|
Advertisement |
The two have been professionally mountain biking together for 15 years, but this was the first time they've been injured at the same time.
Their injuries, however, didn't stop them from riding in the New Belgium Chainless Downhill bike race last Friday in Crested Butte, which was part of Fat Tire Bike Week.
"It took me three days, at least 12 to 14 hours a day, to build a bike so we could both have fun and enjoy the sport that we love," Warren said.
The bike he engineered looked more like something found in a living room than in a bike race. He took a townie bicycle with chopper handles and attached it to a leather chair with a one-legged ottoman for his broken leg. Then on the other side of the chair was an end table with a lamp, which was bolted onto the vehicles third wheel. In the back, the vehicle had an orange-cooler-trunk to carry their valuables.
"It rides pretty fast; it was hard to keep our helmets on," Warren said. "It was kind of scary, but we held in there. We didn't fall."
When the two finished the nine-mile descent from the top of Kebler Pass and cruised to the finish line in downtown Crested Butte, Warren celebrated by waving his crutches in the air.
The two, however, didn't really stick out from the other characters riding into town; it was like a circus and almost everyone in the race was wearing day-glo spandex and whigs. Except, of course, the gorillas and bumble bees who were content riding in their own skin.
"This town knows how to have a good time and if they're having a good time then it usually involves costumes," said Michelle Zambal, one of the participants. "It's a year-round thing."
Zambal rode the race with her friend Connie Warren on a tandem bicycle and they were dressed up like an angel and devil, complete with wings and matching white-leopard-printed pants.
"It would be a little bit boring if everyone was just in lycra," Warren said. "It would just be like any other bike race. But, in Crested Butte, everything is always done a little bit differently."
The concept of a chainless bike race is also unique, but it wasn't as extreme as it might sound, except to maybe the self-proclaimed "invalids" riding their furniture down the mountain.
"It's humbling. When you hit a flat section you just seem to stop; then the 10-year old passes you," Chad Reich, a.k.a. Skeletor, said. "There was nothing sketchy, it was just a whole lot of fun,"
Since none of the racers had the benefit of pedaling, the race was divided into weight classes to even the field.
"Because we were on a tandem, we were heavier than everyone so we were pretty much last to start," Warren said. "But, we passed a lot of people because we were such a heavy bike."
The two combined may have had a weight advantage, but that wasn't why they chose to ride a tandem.
"We wanted to be together and like chit-chatting as we were going down," Warren said. "We weren't out to win, we were out to have fun."
The racers riding alone, however, had to suck the speed out of the mountain when it was available.
"It's just a dirt road; it's almost painfully slow," Laura Skittles said.
Last year, however, Skittles received a prize for the second-best crash. "The only reason I didn't get first-best was I didn't (wreck) in front of people," she said. "Next time I'll try harder." Besides a skirt made from Skittles wrappers, she wore a pair of elbow pads this year.
"I think this is mostly for fun," Veronica Alien said. "A lot of heckling and costumes, the beer and the silliness of it all is why it's fun."
The event was one of many held in Crested Butte, Gunnison and Almont during Fat Tire Bike Week.
There was also a bike rodeo, downhill races accessed by the Silver Queen lift at the ski resort and the Wildflower Rush cross-country bike race, which was part of the the Mountain Series Cup Series.
"It's just a bunch of people who are enthusiasts in the bike world getting together, having a good time and enjoying it," Warren said. "It's really been a good time."
The chainless downhill, however, is something most bike festivals don't have.
"It's a totally unique experience," Skittles said. "People should come and try it."
Contact Cody Olivas at codyo@montrosepress.com
• Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects in the story.
• Be relevant. Keep your comments on point.
• See the guidelines for TalkAbout. Perhaps your comment is best for that community forum, available from the home page, instead of commenting on a particular story.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. Montrose Press is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in montrosepress.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Montrose Press. Montrose Press does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Montrose Press spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!