Bike riders roll out of town on a regular basis, whether its on the bike path for a Rudy’s or in a car for bigger events like the Growler mountain bike race in Gunnison or the Optimum in Glenwood Springs. That’s where local racers have been recently, as they’ve laid down miles on courses and clocked quick times.

Last weekend, Jona Bollinger scored double wins in the women’s single-speed division at two separate bike races, the Teva Mountain Games in Vail and the Growler in Gunnison. Logging more than 50 miles on her single-speed, the back-to-back wins were no easy feat.

“It was grueling,” she said. “It’s one thing to go out and ride a single-speed, but racing a single speed is totally different and even harder.”

A love of racing, however, overpowers the occasional hardship, and Bollinger’s happy to be steering a single-speed until she can get her regular bike, broken earlier this year, fixed.

Hardship was the theme at last Sunday’s Growler mountain bike race at Hartman Rocks. Gunnison is famed for its severe weather, and now, its Growler. The 64- and 32-mile loop course was described as brutal by those who competed. The finishing times alone, seven hours on a mountain bike, made the case for the race’s gnarly rep.

Racing the full 64-mile Growler, Rico’s Jeff Hemperly placed 21st with a time of seven hours, one minute. Brian Flaherty finished 24th in seven hours, 15 minutes. A considerable portion of the field relinquished the Full Growler, opting for just the one lap although signed up for two. The drop-outs created their own race category called the Growler Lite.

Then there was also the 32-mile Half Growler, which included Bollinger and Matt Beaudin. Beaudin finished eighth overall in a time of three hours, 20 minutes. Bollinger rounded the course in four hours, two minutes.

After some busy weekends of competition, Bollinger took a break from racing this weekend. She’s still riding lots, and preparing for the 8th annual Wildflower Rush this coming weekend. This year’s event will have fewer flowers and more snow. A postponed snow melt has made for some serious pre-race challenges for event organizers from the Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

“They’ve actually gone on the mountain with snow cats and shoveled off all the trails,” Bollinger said of the event. “They’re bound and determined to have that race.”

Bollinger is excited for some high-country singletrack in the cross country event on Saturday. There is also a downhill event on Sunday.

The mountain bike trails around here are gradually opening up and losing their snow, but a strong contingent of roadies are still pedaling away on the black top. This weekend, Daniel Murray, Chris Cardoza and Juju Julien hit the road for the Western Slope Omnium in Glenwood Springs. The weekend included a 87-mile Rock’n the River Road Race on Saturday, followed by a criterium in downtown Glenwood Springs on Sunday.

There’s is more serious bike action coming our way:

Today, Ride the Rockies brings 2,000 cyclists to town as part of its six-day, 435-mile tour from Durango to Breckenridge. Starting early this morning, riders left Cortez for a big day in the saddle, including a long, steep climb up Lizard Head Pass. The cyclists should start arriving in the afternoon, and will spend the night in a make-shift tented community on the high school soccer field. Then, tomorrow, it’s back on a bike for another leg of the tour, from Telluride to Montrose on Tuesday. Take caution driving as the riders will enter and exit town on the bike path as well as the rest of the legs on Highway 145 and 62.

Starting next Monday, the sixth annual Telluride Bike Week celebrates all that’s bike with events that promote cycling for transportation, fun and health. Stay tuned for the daily bike week events that happen after Bluegrass.