I’m excited to announce the 2018 season and 31st year of the Aspen Cycling Club! We have a great race schedule planned with ten road and seven mountain bike races, starting on May 2 and ending with our banquet at the Limelight Hotel on September 19. The race schedule features classic ACC races, new variations of some of the classics, as well as two new races: the Snowmass Discovery Circuit and Glassier–Buckhorn in Basalt. This season has been made possible because of the hard work and dedication of our volunteer board: Sara Shaw (Vice President), Jon Gibans (Secretary), Rachel Beck, Scott Leonard, Heidi Mellin, and Andrew Ralston.
The biggest change for the 2018 season has been the Calendar. Seasonal closures, the Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday, and greater permitting restrictions have made us break from the balance of road and mountain races and our traditional format of alternating between road and mountain each week. These changes were unavoidable, and we hope to return balance to the schedule in 2019.
Starting this year every member of ACC is expected to give back by participating in at least one local Trails Day AND by marshaling at least once. We have also eliminated points awarded for Trails Day, which removes a loophole that has too often decided end-of-season results. Listening to member feedback we will continue to allow proxy marshals, because ACC races cannot happen without the help of Club members, friends, and family. For more details, please see the Rules section of our website.
ACC again has once again decided to host a Trails Day. We encourage each member to give back to our local trails system by participating in a Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers/Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association trails day. Both organizations work extremely hard to design, build, and maintain a sustainable trails system throughout the Valley. Please see our Trails Day Page for more information.
Chris Head will be back as our Race Director. In 2018 Chris did a fantastic job of coming up to speed and was instrumental in making the season a success. Assistant Race Director Ned Ryerson and Results Coordinator John Callahan will also be back joined by Brian McCall (Treasurer, new for 2018), rounding out a solid team with decades of experience.
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce our new Title sponsor for 2018, The North Face. We can provide an exceptional low-cost race series because of their support and the support of our other sponsors. These organizations make it possible for us to continue to offer an exceptional and low-cost race series. Please keep these businesses in mind as you look for goods and services in the Valley. Without their help our Youth Scholarships, Kid Worx night, and race series would not be possible.
Thanks to the support of our sponsors, the cost of participating in ACC races remains an extraordinary value—Club Membership ($125) has decreased in price and covers your membership fee and entry into all races—less than many single-day events in Colorado. If you elect not to purchase a Club Membership, race-day registration is $20. Club Membership and race entry for junior racers (18 and under) will continue to be free.
Please register for the season electronically. This simplifies membership registration for competitors and expedites early-season data entry for results tabulation. To register online, go to the Registration page and click Register. I encourage everyone to purchase a Club Membership, which allows you to participate all ACC races for free, grants you access to our post-race parties, and eliminates the need to bring $20 to each race. Plus, it makes life easier for our amazing staff!
With that, a warm welcome to the 2018 season!
Tyler Newton
President, Aspen Cycling Club