Memorial Day is almost here, and that means one thing in Durango: The 54th Iron Horse Bicycle Classic weekend is back to give cyclists, spectators and local businesses great memories with a strong turnout.
Local rising stars will battle for supremacy at one of Colorado’s most prestigious and longest running cycling events. The 47-mile Coca-Cola Road Race will be center stage once again as it has been in every year since 1971.
Last year, the big change was the Subaru Mountain Bike race course featuring Steamworks Brewing Co. for the first time in six years. The return to downtown racing went so well that the iconic route through Steamworks is returning on Sunday, along with the LaStrada LaPlata Gravel race.
Great weather in Durango and Silverton is expected this weekend, making it worth it for local spectators and riders.
“We're super excited,” IHBC Interim Racing Director Erin Glenn said. “It's going to be a great year. Our numbers are up 10% for registration, and we project Friday night for that last-minute registration to be probably one of our biggest years. It's quite amazing, actually, all the last-minute (registrations) that came in on Sunday, but we have 918 new riders this year. So that's our biggest ever that we've had that many new writers.”
Glenn is the IHBC interim racing director after former director Ian Burnett was let go from his position. Her goal this year is to boost registration. Glenn has over a decade of experience working for the IHBC, including being Ed Zink’s executive assistant, being in charge of the registration, working with the riders, vendors and event showcasing.
Another one of Glenn’s goals has been boosting the number of volunteers. IHBC has brought in a new volunteer coordinator, Therese Geter, to partner with local businesses as volunteer sponsorships. These businesses will provide staff and help feed the volunteers. The IHBC has worked to spread the word on social media and with nonprofits. Glenn said it’s the first time in years that the IHBC has only 10 volunteer spots left to fill.
The IHBC will kick off on Friday with the Faceplant Ale Kick Off Parade at 4:20 p.m. Costumes are encouraged. Participants will gather at Ska Brewing Co. before the parade departs at 5 p.m. It will follow the bike path to Santa Rita Park, then move through neighborhoods before stopping at Steamworks. The parade will finish with participants entering Buckley Park from the north side. There will be live music and vendors at Buckley Park.
On Saturday, the Coca-Cola Road Race will start at 7:15 a.m. at 33rd Street and East Second Avenue. The McDonald’s Citizen Tour will start at 8 a.m. at the same location.
The iconic 47-mile road race starts at 6,512 feet in elevation. Riders travel through Hermosa and past Purgatory Resort before climbing Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass, both over 10,000 feet. The race finishes in Silverton at 9,318 feet.
Riders must clear Coal Bank Pass by 12:40 p.m. and Molas Pass by 1:20 p.m. or they will be pulled from the race for safety reasons, as the highway between Purgatory and Silverton is closed only until 1:30 p.m.
Two-time defending men’s pro road race champion and Durango native Cobe Freeburn will not be defending his title on Saturday as he focuses on his training for the Unbound Gravel race on May 30. It’s unclear whether defending women’s champion Sidney Andrew will be riding, but 2024 women’s champion Lauren Aggeler will compete for her second title. Local riders Ivan Sippy and Emmett McManus are signed up to win their first Iron Horse road races.
Plenty of other riders could sign up just before the weekend, according to Glenn. First place for the men’s and women’s races each get $1,000.
One local legend who won’t be at the Coca-Cola Road Race start line is Ned Overend. The 70-year-old has been traveling for the past few weeks for Specialized, and his training didn’t come together with some nagging injuries. Overend said he’ll try again next year, and this will be the first time in 41 years that he hasn’t competed in the IHBC, minus COVID-19 and snow cancellations.
There are 2,000 riders who are expected to line up for the Coca-Cola Road Race and McDonald’s Citizen Tour race, according to Glenn, up from about 1,800 last year.
On Saturday, the high in Durango is supposed to be 71 degrees and sunny, and the high in Silverton will be 51 degrees with sunshine.
Glenn and the IHBC have partnered with Adaptive Sports to have more people at the finish line of the Quarter Horse at Purgatory Resort.
“We also are really trying to promote bringing more people to Silverton,” Glenn said. “A lot of people aren't aware that we have a full festival and expo. We have vendors, a food garden there. The energy is awesome, just with all the riders, the family members and friends that are there to cheer people in.”
The festival in Silverton will run until about 2:30 or 3 p.m. A new addition to the finish line at Silverton will be a hot and cold plunge from event sponsors Four Corners Stoves and Spas.
On Sunday, the LaStrada LaPlata gravel race will start and finish at Steamworks. The 55-mile course includes 4,985 feet of climbing. Riders will start at 8 a.m., ascend Horse Gulch Road, loop around Texas Creek to the east, then return west to Horse Gulch Road and finish at Steamworks.
The Subaru Mountain Bike Race will begin at Buckley Park, where riders will complete a lap around the park before heading south on East Second Avenue to Eighth Street. At Eighth Street, they’ll turn north on East Fifth Avenue into the singletrack. Riders will take a lap on the Rim Trail, descend the south side of the Factory Trail, ride the lower part of the Nature Trail onto East Fifth Avenue, then reverse course down Eighth Street through Steamworks before finishing at Buckley Park.
Sunday is expected to be another beautiful day in Durango with partly cloudy skies and a high of 76 degrees.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
