Who’s McClure Pass trail proposal for?

In regards to the article about the divisions on the McClure Pass bike trail, the lead photo is misleading (“Redstone to McClure Pass trail proposal unveils deep divisions,” Feb. 24, The Aspen Times). That section of the road is wide enough to accommodate road cyclists. Other sections are more narrow and dangerous for cyclists given the traffic volumes.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has done a disservice to cyclists by poor re-paving and reducing the usable width of the shoulder. But the proposed trail isn’t for road cyclists anyway. It’s for mountain and gravel bikes. This proposal expands the area accessible to mountain bikes (those who stay off e-bikes, of course), but do we really need to make that happen? Cyclists using mountain and gravel bikes on this section aren’t likely to have ridden from Carbondale nor are they likely to ride on to Kebler Pass and Crested Butte. So this section isn’t really about the Carbondale to Crested Butte cycling route. It’s about something else.

Susan Rhea

Carbondale