Each day through Sunday, The Durango Herald will look ahead to race weekend as well as back at some key moments in Iron Horse history.
Weekend forecast
For the first time in Iron Horse Bicycle Classic history, race organizers have hired a meteorologist to help them best prepare for all Memorial Day weekend activities. Joel Gratz of opensnow.com is providing daily reports to IHBC race director Gaige Sippy.
“In the wake of (Thursday night’s) storm, Friday will be a drier day, though I still can’t rule out a few afternoon showers,” Gratz said on the website. “And the same goes for Saturday, Sunday, and all of next week. During this time, there will be periods of drier weather, but each day will likely offer the chance of showers starting over the mountains and drifting to adjacent areas. ... So what does this mean for your outdoor plans over the Memorial Day weekend? I wouldn’t call any day a washout, but you’ll likely need to deal with the threat of showers each day, and temperatures cold enough to support snow over 10,000 feet.”
From the Iron Horse archives:
From 2007 to 2011, Mara Abbott simply was looking over her shoulder to see who would finish runner-up in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic professional women’s field. Abbott, from Boulder, is the event’s only champion to win four consecutive titles – the race was canceled in 2008 – and she is the only female four-time champion. She could tie Durangoan and IHBC legend Ned Overend’s record five titles if she competes in Saturday’s road race. Abbott says she’ll be here, but whether or not she rides depends on the weather.
Herald Staff