GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – The annual Maverick Classic and Beer Fest brought cycling and local flavor to Grand Junction over the weekend.
The multiday event drew hundreds of cyclists to compete on CMU’s home turf, from downtown criterium races to road racing in Whitewater.
“We have about 300 unique riders that come out to this, a lot of them from out of town. And so it’s helping the local economy, shining a spotlight on Western Colorado and what amenities we have from a cycling perspective. And obviously just a great way to really showcase CMU cycling,” said Ben Snyder, executive director for the Grand Junction Sports Commission.
Snyder said the event continued to grow this year, bringing in large crowds and a boost to the local economy.
“A couple thousand people came out to watch. We had a beer festival where we sold over 500 tickets and all those proceeds went back to CMU cycling. So it’s a great economic impact for our community,” Snyder said.
Beer festival activates downtown space
The beer festival featured local breweries and vendors which gave spectators another reason to stay downtown.
“In 2022, we realized that as we were doing the criterion races downtown, we were taking off a major parking lot. And obviously our goal was really to help the local economy, help local businesses. And we realized that if we were taking away some of our customers or not letting them park, it wouldn’t be a good opportunity for them. So we said, how can we get more people down there?” Snyder explained.
The solution was to activate the space with a beer garden featuring local breweries. The festival started with six or seven breweries and has grown to 10 to 15 each year.
Snyder said the event offers something for everyone, even those unfamiliar with cycling.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for people, even if they don’t know about cycling or know much about the sport. They come out and watch and they understand how technical this is, how tactical it is that teams work together on an individual sport like this,” Snyder said. “But it’s just fast-paced action that it’s free to watch. And obviously the beer festival, who doesn’t love the beer festival?”
The CMU cycling team won both races on Saturday (3/28) and Sunday (3/29). Organizers said they hope to keep growing the event each year, bringing more riders, more fans and more opportunities to highlight Western Colorado.
National championships coming in 2027
Snyder said this year’s race is the last one in Whitewater for the time being. In 2027, the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will come to the Western Slope.
“This was exciting because this is our last year in Whitewater for the time being. In 2027, we’re actually going to have the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships coming. So we’ll do a practice race in March in Palisade, but then we have the national championships coming in May, where we’ll do an event in the time trial in Fruita, the road race in Palisade, and then the downtown criterium in Grand Junction again,” Snyder said.
The Road National Championships will include about 500 riders from around the country.
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