The 40th Annual Pearl Pass Tour with 1978 Breezer Series I #4.47
The 40th annual Pearl Pass Tour, a 39 mile trek from Crested Butte to Aspen, was held on September 10th and 11th, 2016. Once again, the weather was perfect, with warm days and cool nights, and fall colors just starting to show. In honor of the 40th anniversary, the event was run with a night of camping and festivities as it had been done in the early years. Rim Tours out of Moab was brought in to provide support and meals for the 45 or so people that committed to this historic adventure. The goal of the ride this year was to carefully navigate a historic and very rare Series I Breezer built by Joe Breeze in 1978. Considered the first purpose-built mountain bikes, only 10 of these bikes were made, and 5 of them now reside in museums around the world. It was 38 years ago that several of these Breezers first appeared on Pearl Pass, making it somewhat significant that a bike now considered a museum piece should appear once again.
Shown below is the lineup of bikes at the summit of Pearl Pass in 1978. Several original Breezers are shown toward the left side of this Wende Cragg photo.
Shown below is the lineup of bikes at the summit of Pearl Pass in 1978. Several original Breezers are shown toward the left side of this Wende Cragg photo.
Photo credit to Wende Cragg
For the 2016 edition, riders started to congregate outside the Mountain Heritage Museum on Elk Avenue in Crested Butte, with Rims Tours trucks loading up camping gear for the Saturday overnight.
Going out of town, the group quickly began to spread out, with all manner of bikes to be seen. Some were just out for the morning start and would eventually turn back to town. The atmosphere was decidedly festive.
A view from the back side of Mt. Crested Butte where the terrain is wide open, natural, and preserved by land trusts.
The lowest gear for climbing on the Breezer was 32 teeth in front and 26 out back, making for a fair amount of pushing on grades that were steep but relatively smooth. This sign marks the split between Middle and East Brush Creek.
A prominent view of Mount Teocalli. The screaming Mount Teocalli mountain bike trail descends the ridge off to the left while looking into the Middle Brush Creek drainage.
The camp setup by Rim Tours was well below tree line. Campers spread out quite a bit among the trees with tents, but a large crowd collected around the fire for a delicious dinner. While people expected to see the heavy frost found in the Crested Butte valley the night before, the camp at elevation was actually very dry and much warmer. A light weight summer tent was more than sufficient.
Bike camping with a modern 2 pound tent and a vintage 38 pound bike.
The next morning started out with a solid hashbrowns and eggs breakfast to fuel the big push up and over Pearl Pass. A short distance up the road gave this classic view looking into the Cumberland Basin, which is actually part of the Snowmass Wilderness on this side of the road.
At some point everyone has to push regardless of the gearing they brought. Here, flat pedals and hiking boots are a nice choice.
This classic vantage point for taking photos is at the false summit of Pearl Pass. A final loose climb awaits off to the left with the real Pearl Pass summit around the corner in the background.
At last, the 1978 Breezer on the real summit of Pearl Pass. By Joe's accounting, this was only the fourth Breezer of the ten made to have crossed the pass. The other three bikes each made it up multiple times between 1978 and 1981.
At the summit with Castle Peak in the background.
The postcard view of Castle Peak from the Aspen side.
The descent down into Aspen is rough and steep, but a bike built with a slack front end and chainstays that are 18.5 inches long and a wheelbase of 44 inches isn't a bad choice. Here, a bike designed for the steep inclines of Repack would meet the harsh rocks of Colorado. There is really no flex in a Series I Breezer frame. None.
Some parts of the descent are best left for walking. Modern bikes will roll over this, so a lot has changed with mountain bike technology in 38 years.
Some parts of the descent are best left for walking. Modern bikes will roll over this, so a lot has changed with mountain bike technology in 38 years.
A bridge over upper Castle Creek indicates that the roughest part of the descent is now behind.
A view of the Castle Creek valley near the old Ashcroft town site.
The Hotel Jerome was the traditional end point of the Pearl Pass Tour, where the riders from Crested Butte would have a beer at the bar and let the town of Aspen know they had arrived. The current manager of the Jerome Bar is a mountain biker himself and a friend of a Tour participant and welcomed the riders in for beverages and nourishment.
With the challenge of riding to Aspen complete, the remaining challenge was to return to Crested Butte the next day over Taylor and Star pass. With most people taking a shuttle back to Crested Butte, the return would be done in the company of just one strong rider that spent the night camping up Express Creek Road. The route back is actually much more enjoyable riding, with a nice bit of singletrack and less Jeep traffic. The start in the morning began after a good breakfast at the Mountain Chalet Aspen.
There is a reason the town is called Aspen.
Returning to the Ashcroft town site, one encounters the steep climb up Express Creek Road to Taylor Pass. This 5.5 mile slog would take more than a hour of pushing and some riding.
The golden aspens can make the polished nickel look a bit dull in comparison. To have the morning sun filtering through is pure magic and makes one forget all the hard miles ahead.
A look back down Express Creek Road seen below. On the horizon, clouds are starting to form already at this early hour. With many miles left to go, it was worth keeping an eye on the clouds.
The top of Taylor Pass signifies that the big climb is over, yet some hard miles of pushing on singletrack lay ahead.
The beautiful alpine tundra of Taylor Pass. Forget the bike, it's just a beautiful place to be in nature.
A look toward the goal of reaching Star Pass in the middle, with the Crystal Saddle off to the left. The clouds were becoming more of a concern and it was only mid-day.
You couldn't plant a garden this nice or this lush in mid-September.
The summit of Star Pass, with the wonderful discovery of more sun on the Crested Butte side. With the original chrome plated rims on the bike, it was really critical that the rims stay dry to preserve the stopping power. More sunny weather was a welcome relief.
Beautiful singletrack, whether you are riding a vintage rigid bike or something modern with suspension travel. This is what mountain bikers live for.
At last, a return to Crested Butte and the Mountain Heritage Museum. The bike handled great throughout the adventure, with no mechanical issues. Keeping the drive train clean certainly helped and the bike only suffered a few strike to the ends of the long crank arms. What a relief it was to have completed this journey. Perhaps this bike will appear again in ten years for the 50th anniversary of the Pearl Pass Tour. Now that would be historic.
