Adam Davidson didn’t want Pueblo to miss out on its potential as a destination for outdoor recreation. After Gravel Locos, an organization that hosts gravel bike races in different parts of the country, pulled its planned Pueblo event in June, he decided to bet on the Steel City and follow through on that vision.
Davidson, around the time of Gravel Locos’ announcement, left his day job and career as a marketing professional to start Grassroots Gravel, a Pueblo-based race that he hopes can become a “flagship-level cycling event” for people in Pueblo and beyond.
“There’s just so much to be in love with here that it’s easy and the people that live here are just pretty phenomenal,” Davidson said. “You have a huge array of hard-working folks and people making it work even with some (harsh) realities. I’m not an expert on all the things going on in Pueblo, but I can say there is an opportunity to share these things with Pueblo. And I see that as a no-brainer. If I can help people enjoy their backyard and live a healthier life through that, then why wouldn’t I?”
Davidson, 38, has spent the past decade living in Pueblo, learning about its trails and different outdoor amenities. He’s long been an advocate for those amenities and the opportunities they present for recreation. He’s certain they can join other well-known Pueblo staples to become part of the city’s identity.
Grassroots Gravel, then, would show what Pueblo can be when a top-tier outdoor event is offered annually to veteran and amateur cyclists near and far, Davidson said.
“It was certainly a no-brainer for Visit Pueblo and the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce to support the effort of continuing to have a key event that brings a spotlight to Pueblo, whether it be on a local, regional or national stage,” said Donielle Kitzman, vice president of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
Pueblo last year experienced its first taste of what a professionally-run cyclist event looks like when Gravel Locos held its race in the area. Around 500 cyclists, many of them professionals, participated in the race. Some of the racers traveled from other states to join the action, helping Visit Pueblo achieve its vision to promote biking in Pueblo County as part of a grant it had recently received.
Gravel Locos’ Pueblo race was set to return later this month, but its founder Fabian Serralta, who once said Pueblo has a “goldmine of gravel,” announced in June on Instagram that he’d canceled it.
Serralta declined further comment to the Chieftain and referred to his statement, where he shared that the inaugural Pueblo race was a “success” but that the decision from Lifetime to move its Rad Dirt Fest race in Trinidad to the same day as Gravel Locos’ race in Pueblo would make it difficult to replicate last year’s numbers.
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Lifetime, a healthy lifestyle brand, hosts its own set of races throughout the year, known as the Lifetime Grand Prix.
“Despite my optimism, it has become very clear that a grassroots charity event like Gravel Locos can’t possibly compete with Lifetime for registration numbers. I am unfortunately left with one option and that’s to cancel the 2023 Pueblo race,” Serralta wrote in the statement.
The cancellation was the latest in what’s been a rocky stretch for cycling events in Pueblo, many of which have been axed or lost, Davidson said. Multiple external factors led to those cancellations and some of them happened because an organization wasn’t based in Pueblo and didn’t have immense ties to the area, he said.
However, through Grassroots Gravel, Davidson hopes bring stability to the local cycle racing scene. Since June, he’s collected more than a dozen sponsors, including Visit Pueblo and title sponsor Ambipar Response, for this year’s race. It’s set for Oct. 14, has four routes at varying lengths and is open to all ages and any person who wants to give it a try.
A racing timing company that was hired to work the event has been contracted for next year’s iteration, too, Davidson said. He’s spent the past four months making sure everything is in order to offer a race that’s at a level “professionals would expect” but also accessible to the “everyday rider.”
Davidson, who lives in Pueblo with his wife and daughter, said he’s “committed” to the Steel City and growing the sport in the region.
“The outdoors has played a fundamental part in changing my life, and I’m passionate about sharing that with other people and (them) having the opportunity and awareness to experience that, if they want to,” said Davidson, who’s been riding bikes since he was a young teen.
Davidson expects to host smaller events throughout the year and Grassroots Gravel already leads a weekly ride every Tuesday evening. It’s his hope that gravel cycling will help increase accessibility to the outdoors and its offerings for Puebloans. That access is an area he acknowledged could see some improvement, having used bikes to engage communities since 2008.
“There’s work to be done around getting more of the population exposed to these opportunities,” Davidson said. “That’s going to be hard work and work where it’s going to be best to collaborate with folks who have experience doing that sort of thing and build relationships from the ground (up) rather than jumping over into different organizations or trying to provide a solution before we find out what people might be after locally.”
What’s clear is that some of the proceeds from the race will go to Red Creek Volunteer Fire and Rescue, which serves Pueblo and other nearby counties. Awards will be handed out after the race and before an afterparty at Fuel & Iron Food Hall.
And if some cyclists can’t make it this year, they at least know they can draw up plans for 2024.
“Gravel Locos certainly helped the brand recognition of Pueblo on that stage,” Kitzman said. “It played a good role in launching us into that world and we’re excited to have Grassroots Gravel continue with that vision.”
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain atsubscribe.chieftain.com.
