From: bobr@gold.gvg.tek.com (Bob Rhodes)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Colorado 500
Date: 22 Dec 92 21:24:20 GMT
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA

This past September I participated in the 17 annual Colorado 500; my 4th in
the past 5 years.  This ride originated when Wally Dallenbach invited some
friends to his Basalt, CO, ranch for some trail riding after the Indy race
car series one year, & has grown into one of the best known off-road events
in the country.  This year I rode ~800 miles during the event from Wally's
ranch in Basalt (near Aspen), through Crested Butte, to Ouray, & back to
Snowmass, which is between Basalt & Aspen.  The organized ride is 4 days,
Tuesday through Friday.  Monday previous is registration, & Saturday following
is a free day, with the banquet on Saturday night.  By arriving early Sunday
morning, & riding on that day, registration day, the 4 days of the event, 
& Saturday, I usually manage to get in a full week of daily riding.  The 
area in which the event takes place ranges from 7,000 feet, to over 14,000 
feet.  There is a great section of single-track above Wally's ranch that 
reaches above 11,000 feet, which works well to dial in the jetting.

Participants choose their riding partners & routes, & so the riding can
be as challenging or easy as you like.  Out of the 800 miles I rode, only
about 75 to 80 miles were on pavement.  Of the ~275 bikes on the ride, 
less than 25 were street-legal.  Bikes must have head & tail lights, horn,
silencer, & mirror, but the CO 500 provides temporary CO registration for the
participant's bikes.  Most bikes are enduros, or enduroized mx bikes, with
bicycle horns & mirrors.  XR600s used to be the most popular bikes on this
ride, but 2-strokes have become the most common during the period of my
involvement.  The majority of the riding is on fast jeep trails & dirt roads,
but a lot of single-track is available by teaming up with long-term
regulars who know the area.  Due to the jeep trails & dirt roads, my KDX200
runs in upper gears a great deal, & gets great mileage.  I frequently run
over 100 miles on a tank of gas, without going on reserve.  Gas is usually
available every 50 to 75 miles in small towns.  I just carry a bottle of
2-stroke oil in my fanny pack.

The CO 500 provides hotel reservations in first-class hotels during the 
event, & chase trucks haul your clothes & personal items from town to town.
I would start out each day with just my riding gear, & follow some route
that I selected with riding friends towards the evening's destination, &
when we would arrive, our things would be waiting at our hotel.

1992 saw sponsorship by ATK, Kawasaki, Honda, KTM, Yamahs, Bridgestone Tires,
Tucker/Rocky Distributing, Budweiser, Valvoline Oil, Champion Spark Plugs, 
Penske Racing, Malcolm Smith Racing, Answer Products, Marlboro Racing, & 
many others.  While the entry fee is steep at $600, the ride is really 
financed by the sponsors.  This year the CO 500 generated $18,750 that was 
donated to various charities & organizations.  Most of the money goes to 
schools in small CO towns, Forest Service trail maintenance, search & rescue, 
& small community functions.  For some of the small schools & other community 
services the money donated by the CO 500 represents a significant portion of 
their annual operating budget, & the appreciation expressed is almost 
embarrassing.  However, it's neat to ride in to Ouray, & find a banner 
stretched across Main street reading "Welcome Colorado 500".  First time I 
ever rode into town on a dirt bike & felt welcome.  I believe that one of the 
reasons Wally has remained successful in keeping this ride alive is the good 
will he has generated in the small communities in this area of CO.

Updates are sent to CO 500 participants during the year, & my recent news
letter sets the dates of next year's event as Monday, 8/30 for registration,
Tuesday through Friday, 8/31 - 9/3, riding days, & Saturday, 9/4, free day
& banquet.  This event is expensive, & takes a lot of time & preparation, 
but is one of the most memorable for me.  It's also always a great conversation
starter when I meet other riders.

Bob
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt