Spicer adds new supporter Ringle to his biking efforts

David Spicer, the man who has brought mountain biking to Beatty has taken biking in Beatty to a new level by adding two new upcoming events, new infrastructure and a new supporter to the Beatty mountain biking experience.

Part of adding to the infrastructure will be taken on by longtime Beatty developer Ed Ringle, who said he is stepping in to help with infrastructure in the town.

“I have had a change of heart toward Beatty,” Ringle said. “When my manager died, I started seeing things in Beatty differently.”

Ringle will be adding to the town’s appeal. Ringle doesn’t need an introduction to the town. He is well known in town for he is the owner of almost all the hotels in Beatty and owns the only casino in town. He announced an upcoming building project which will be across from Eddie World.

“I saw what Spicer was doing and did some research and liked what I saw and I think there is a lot of opportunity there,” Ringle said. “I have stuff that I want to do that will put Beatty on the map. In order for Beatty to change we need to build affordable, quality housing in town. Looking at what exists there now, I think it is atrocious what is available now. The same trailers that were being sold 34 years ago are still being sold.”

Ringle believes that improving the town’s housing is the only way to grow the town and increase the labor pool.

“You can’t grow a town unless you have good labor,” he said. “And that won’t come if the housing is poor. I want to start with 10 houses and if I am successful in selling those, I will then build more.”

Ringle said his houses are in the planning stages. He said he has more plans but will start with the housing first.

Spicer also added his own infrastructure by building new facilities on his ranch.

This year the town had its second annual Taco Festival and with it came new bathrooms, a stage and the start of new concession stands.

Carl Irwin of Irwin Cycles in Las Vegas loved the new structures.

“The flush toilets and showers, along with the shaded eating places on the ranch makes Beatty an even better place to ride,” Irwin said. “The trails on the ranch just became a lot friendlier to ride.”

Spicer was more than satisfied with the festival and talked about the future.

“The mountain bike community is starting to notice what is going on in Southern Nevada,” Spicer said. “We are still a long way out, but we have lots of folks coming through here for events. With hundreds coming through here with bikes we felt they would have to have a place to ride and then shower. I think knowing that they can have a nice place to ride and then shower will get even more to stop.”

Along with building plans there will be major events coming

Cimaron Chacon, owner of Gro Promotions, is working with Beatty on their planning and name recognition.

“We have a big event coming in January,” she said. “Beatty will be hosting the Nevada Cyclocross State Championships.”

Cyclocross is the latest craze in cycling.

“A cyclocross bike is a road bike and a dirt bike,” Chacon said. “The idea is to ride on different surfaces, dirt and gravel and even cross obstacles. There are times that the biker has to carry the bike across those obstacles.”

She added the courses are short, 1.5 to 2 miles. This Nevada championship event will be for points and will be a sanctioned race.

“Steve Claus of Las Vegas Cyclery will be brought in for the event,” Chacon said. “The event will be used to put Beatty on the cycling map. The date is tentative.”

Chacon said the other event will be a “gran fondo” event with Tinker Juarez.

She said Tinker Juarez is the longest racing mountain biker who has been racing since 1975. He is 55 and looking to retire soon, but he is also the winningest racer in the history of mountain biking.

Chacon invited Juarez and his training coaches, Eric Martin and his wife Rachel Cieslewicz to work on the event. They all came to Beatty for the Taco Festival and now are in love with the town.

Martin and his wife own a cycling coaching consulting firm and are both professional riders.

Martin said that the gran fondo will be like a clinic. A gran fondo means “big ride” in Italian. In this case, Martin said they will be changing the traditional gran fondo into a clinic.

“Tinker will ride with people and give them training tips on how to improve their biking,” Martin said. “He has so much knowledge to share. He will be giving this clinic on how to ride while he rides with people. He will just work his way from the front to the back and talk to people as he rides.”

Cieslewicz added, “There will be different distances too for people to choose. We will have a 60 to 70 mile ride, a 20-mile ride and a shorter ride. Right now, the date will probably be after the Cyclocross event.”

Martin said a good target to shoot for will be 500 riders.

Contact reporter Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com