CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO – Thanks to an outpouring of support, the Adaptive Sports Center (ASC) has elected to run the fifteenth-annual Bridges of the Butte Townie Tour as a 24-hour event once again. Last month, the ASC announced that the event would be twelve hours this year because of difficulty finding volunteers to work late night course marshal shifts, excessive noise and disrespectful behavior from late night riders, and declining participation in the overnight hours by registered riders. After the announcement, a number of enthusiastic community members who’ve actively participated in the event for years stepped up and volunteered to help out. “We have a core group of enthusiastic and passionate participants in Bridges of the Butte, and a number of them including Trevor Bona and Will Dujardin spoke up and have offered to help,” says ASC Executive Director Christopher Hensley. “Earlier this year, we decided to dial the event back to twelve hours because our staff was stretched thin and we had a hard time filling those overnight course marshal shifts, and people were complaining about unregistered riders and noise. We hope that this year is different.” The Bridges of the Butte Townie Tour, Presented by Bank of the West, fills every year with three hundred registered riders. The ASC works to ensure riders follow rules including riding with lights at night and being respectful of neighbors. “Unfortunately, every year a few riders don’t follow the rules or ride without registering and neighbors have had some legitimate complaints about noise and other disrespectful behaviors,” Hensley says. “We hope that this year the community can take a more active role in helping us keep this event safe and respectful as a twenty-four-hour ride.” Known for its festive atmosphere, creative costumes, and cheerful participants, the event is something locals and visitors look forward to every year. All funds raised are donations to the Adaptive Sports Center’s scholarship program, and many riders raise hundreds of dollars or more by asking friends and family to pledge donations for each lap they ride around town. Last year, the three hundred registered riders rode nearly 6,000 miles around town and raised nearly $60,000 for the ASC’s scholarship program. Despite the event’s previous successes, the ASC has seen a decline in fundraising and overnight participation by individuals and teams over the past few years. ASC staff believed that shortening the event to twelve hours could help refresh the ride and bring in more pledges from more people riding for the entire event. After the ASC announced the change, community members Trevor Bona and Will Dujardin volunteered to join the event committee to mobilize others to help ensure overnight course marshal shifts are filled and get the word out that excessive noise, partying, and disrespectful behavior during the late-night portion of the event will force the ASC to permanently shorten the ride. “A lot of people are passionate about this local event,” says Will Dujardin. “We reached out to Adaptive, the marshals, and community members to find solutions to keeping the Bridges of the Butte a 24-hour event. We hope the community can get behind supporting the event in the right way through volunteering, registering, and a thoughtful late night presence while remembering that Bridges is a fundraiser for Adaptive first and foremost. “ “We’re grateful for this renewed energy from our core base of passionate riders,” Hensley says. “We hope this year we can all work together to re-energize this event while being respectful of our community during the overnight hours. We truly care about the local community and this event and want to make sure it continues so we can keep raising money for the ASC’s Scholarship program.”
