Coloradans know that Crested Butte-Gunnison Valley is the official “Wildflower Capital of Colorado,” but it’s also a champ when it comes to all types of biking, be it on skinny tires, fat tires or a bike with one gear. It’s also the home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

This year promises an epic season of biking events, with mountain bike races and rides galore, downhill and cross-country racing, the 32nd Annual Crested Butte Bike Week, a 24-hour cruiser bike tour and the 36th Annual Pearl Pass Mountain Bike Tour from Crested Butte to Aspen.

But that’s not all. The Crested Butte-Gunnison Valley has again been selected for a stage finish and stage start for the second USA Pro Cycling Challenge, the start for the Ride the Rockies, and a stop on the Leadville 100 Qualifying Series for the second year in a row.Here’s a sampling of what’s in store in upcoming months:

Growler Mountain Bike Series, Aug. 30, Sept. 13 and Sept. 29 —Classic Mountain Bike race/fun ride series for all ages and abilities, with men’s and women’s divisions in three categories. Visit www.gunnisontrails.com for details.

• 32nd Annual Crested Butte Bike Week, June 21-24 — Previously known as Fat Tire Bike Week, it includes: kick-off party June 21; the infamous Chainless World Championships, June 22; Fat Tire 40 mountain bike race, June 23; cross-country and downhill racing during the Mountain States Cup Wildflower Rush races, June 23-24; the Adaptive Sports Center’s annual Bridges of the Butte townie tour (think one-speed cruiser bike), June 23-24 (many teams in costume): and Alison Gannett’s Keen Rippin’ Chix Bike Camps, June 21, 22 and 23.

• 10th Annual 24 Hours in the Sage, Aug. 18-19 — Relay bike race on a 13-mile loop, noon Aug. 18 to noon Aug. 19; a 12-hour race, noon Aug. 18 to midnight; live entertainment; World Townie Championships; and family fun with a playground, paddleboats and more. Information, www.24hoursinthesage.com.

• USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Aug. 21-22 — 680 mountain miles in seven days, with Stage 2 finish Aug. 21 and Stage 3 start Aug. 22. Visit www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com and www .upccinfo.com (for Crested Butte-Gunnison Valley portions of the race).

• West Elk Bicycle Classic, Gunnison/Montrose/Delta Counties, Sept. 2 — Bicycle gran fondo with two length options; 130-mile ride climbs nearly 10,000 feet.

• 36th Annual Pearl Pass Mountain Bike Tour, Sept. 8-9 — Bike run from Crested Butte to Aspen via Pearl Pass, celebrating Crested Butte as one of the birthplaces of mountain biking. Information, www.mtnbikehalloffame.com.

• Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey, Leadville 100 Qualifying Race, Sept. 15 — Each race provides 70-100 qualifying slots for the LT100 and five of the six will be approximately 100 kilometers, with two climbs in excess of 2,000. Route and registration information, www.leadvillequalifiers.com.

IF YOU GO

To catch a glimpse of biking in the Crested Butte-Gunnison Valley, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUIB8fAWi9M. For trail reports, visit www.coloradomountainbiking.info.

To find out more about Gunnison-Crested Butte’s calendar of events or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association’s reservations center at 1-800-814-8893  or visitwww.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/packages. Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta.

The Crested Butte-Gunnison Valley offers mountain biking terrain and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Photo by Photo courtesy Xavier Fane