There’s a new gravel bike race in Routt County and it’s focused on community and safety.

Outlaw Gravel will make its debut May 31. The format is different than traditional gravel races. It follows an enduro format — where the event is broken into staggered timed and untimed segments.

“This will be a fun event that holds safety and community as its highest pillars,” said Outlaw Gravel Founder Garett Mariano. “We are looking to reduce rider impact and make the ride as great an experience as possible.”

The ride is the brainchild of Mariano’s Tuesday night rides with Steamboat Velo. He hatched the idea for the ride as the team worked its way through the pristine backroads around town.

Much of the chosen route was explored during those idyllic Tuesday rides.

“For a while we had pondered an enduro-style during those rides,” said Mariano. “One day, I finally said I would undertake the endeavor.”

Two courses — a 40-mile short course and 66-mile long course — begin and end at the base of Howelsen Hill. From Howelsen, riders will make their way to Stagecoach Reservoir. The short-course riders will head back to town, while the long-course riders will continue onto the second stage to the west of Emerald Mountain.

“Much of the roads we chose have limited traffic, making them safer,” explained Mariano. “We also staggered the start between 8 and 9 a.m. so that Sunday the roads with the most traffic are clear of bikes by 10:30 a.m.”

The first two timed sections were released Thursday, and the third and fourth timed sections will be released later this week. The full route is available on the website.

The final timed segment will be a sprint to the finish. Riders then will be greeted by spectators, a live band, a caterer from Hayden and cold beverages.

Mariano and his team also partnered with local businesses like Alpine Bank and the Hotel Bristol.

“They’ve expressed to us that they believe this will bolster local businesses amid what is historically a down weekend,” said Mariano.

The race also has a junior rider program that it is sponsoring in conjunction with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. It aims to reduce the barrier to entry for the next generation of riders and is sponsored by the Glas Deffryn Ranch, which is funding the scholarship. The only requirement is the ability or willingness to ride a bike 40 miles.

A portion of the proceeds from the race will also go to the Dirt to Snow-Mark Satkiewicz Legacy Fund. It provides bike and snow equipment for Routt County kids.

“We wanted to do something different and get more people out biking,” said Mariano. “It’s great if you want to test your mettle on the timed segments. But the ride is about so much more than that.”

Outlaw Gravel route and registration information is available at OutlawGravel.com.

“There are still spots open,” said Mariano. “But we anticipate selling out, so sign up as soon as possible.”