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Memory of beloved biker Bob Guthrie alive at Circle the Summit

Daily News staff report

Before his death in 2008, beloved local cyclist and co-founder of Summit Biking Bob Guthrie was hatching a plan. He wanted to start a local bike event that would raise money to help make his dream of creating a recpath that circled the Dillon Reservoir a reality.

Then came the skiing accident that ended Guthrie’s life and his plans before their time. Through the tragedy of his death, Guthrie’s many friends in the county and the local cycling community decided to honor and remember him by keeping his dream alive.

This year, Guthrie’s vision became reality with the completion of a roadside bike lane that runs from Sapphire Point to Farmer’s Korner, completing the bike path loop around the reservoir.



Saturday, Guthrie’s friends will celebrate his legacy and the realization of his dream by participating in Circle the Summit – the Bob Guthrie Memorial Ride.

The event, which has drawn nearly 1,500 riders in the four years since its inception, grew out of the plans for a fundraising bike event Guthrie was developing prior to his death. Money brought in by the event has helped pay for a dedicated stretch of bike path from Highway 6 in Dillon to the top of Swan Mountain Road at Sapphire Point. This year, local government and other organizations made the push to complete the last stretch downhill from Sapphire Point before the end of the summer season.



Circle the Summit will feature four rides this year: a 100-mile “century,” a 60-mile metric century as well as 45-mile and 21-mile loops. All of the rides will leave from and end at Main Street in Frisco where riders will be greeted by live music and crowds enjoying the town’s block party.

The ride is the biggest fundraising event of the year for Summit Biking, the organization Guthrie co-founded, which has grown to over 400 members. The cyclists, though happy to see a loop around the lake completed, now have new dreams for biking and recpaths in Summit County, they say.

The group continues to fundraise and push for new improvements to the bike path system, including bike racks, benches and improved signage.

They are also broadening their scope of work with a new junior cyclists program designed to nurture an interest in biking in local youth between the ages of 12 and 17 through scholarships, which this year allowed two young riders to attend a Front Range skills clinic.

More information on Saturday’s memorial bike ride is available online at http://www.circlethesummit.com.


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