Registration for the 45th annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, May 28-30, will officially open online at 8 a.m. Saturday, but Durango-area residents will have a home-field advantage from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Mountain Bike Specialists, 949 Main Ave.
Race Director Gaige Sippy said he expects at least 600 local riders to sign up early.
“They hit it hard,” he said about Durango cyclists. “On Friday, we get the biggest slug of that.”
In 2015, the Iron Horse hosted riders from all 50 states and four countries.
“By the time we role up the carpet we’ll have 4,000 riders,” Sippy said. He called it a strong tourism season kickoff for summer in Durango and Southwest Colorado, and with continued success, event organizers aim to deliver more of what participants come for.
“We want to bring back what people want,” he said.
Events will include the classic rides to Silverton, including the McDonald’s Citizens Tour and Durango Coca Cola Road Race, The Quarter Horse to Purgatory, the Subaru Circuit Race, Sprite Kids Race, Mountain Bike Specialists Mountain Bike Race, Durango Cyclery Cruiser Crit, and British Petroleum Time Trial. Additionally, the Alpine Bank kid’s push bike fun park and downtown activities are also scheduled for the weekend.
Plans are also underway once again to offer the Memorial Train to Silverton for Veterans and Adaptive Sports participants. The 2015 Memorial Train, in its inaugural year, hosted more than 80 veterans, complete with a ceremony in Silverton at Memorial Park. That Memorial Train will be the 8 a.m. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train that challenges cyclists on the 50-mile route to Silverton, embracing the cyclist versus train tradition, which is the historic foundation of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
A portion of the proceeds from the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic support the Mercy Health Foundation and other community entities.
Another local’s advantage is an Iron Horse-specific training program offered by the Durango Parks and Recreation Center, running through April 1. For more information, contact Jan Derck at 749-7823 or at ajgderck@gmail.com, or the Durango Parks and Recreation Center at 375-7300.
For Iron Horse Bicycle Classic information, visit www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.
bmathis@bcimedia.com