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Mara Abbott ties Ned Overend with 5 Iron Horse titles

SILVERTON – Once Mara Abbott entered the mountains, the 2015 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic women’s road race all but ended.

The now-five-time winner asserted her climbing dominance over Coal Bank and Molas passes to tie Durango legend Ned Overend with the title Saturday in 2 hours, 42 minutes, 30.4 seconds.

“I should probably beat him,” Abbott said of Overend. “I guess I’ll have to come back again.”

The victory was Abbott’s first since 2011, which was her fourth consecutive title after a race cancellation in 2008.

While Abbott dominated the mountains, former Canadian Olympian Joelle Numainville owned the start of the race. She took off like a shot from Durango High School and caught up with the men’s pro field before the peloton left town.

“I know I’m not that good of a climber,” said Numainville, who finished fifth in 2:59:33.4.

The rest of the women’s peloton caught up to Numainville in the valley as the initial climbs started.

Numianville, who took 12th in the 2012 Olympics road race, normally rides at sea level and hadn’t trained much in the San Juan Mountains before the race.

Abbott and a group of women that included second-place finisher Samantha Lunsky traded leading a pack through the valley to work together and reel in Numainville.

“That was able to keep us going fast enough so that (the breakaway) wasn’t a problem,” Abbott said.

After Shalona Hill, Abbott put her feet down. She rode clear of the women’s pack from before Purgatory Resort through the finish line in Silverton.

Abbott’s time was the 30th fastest in the field regardless of gender or classification.

“She’s absolutely amazing, so she took off pretty early,” Lusky said of Abbott.

Abbott just was finishing her cooldown ride to the end of the pavement in Silverton when Lunsky arrived.

Lunsky asked Abbott for pictures and invited her to ride with the University of Colorado team during the summer in Boulder.

“You’re like my favorite person ever,” Lunsky told Abbott.

She also offered Abbott a ride back home to Boulder so she could stay for the rest of the weekend’s omnium events. There currently are eight women registered for the circuit race and time trial that make up the omnium, including Maria Santiago, who would have won the title if it was awarded last year.

The circuit race will start at 9:17 a.m. for professional women, and their time trial will be at 8 a.m. Monday.

Riders also can compete in the Mountain Bike Specialists Cross Country mountain bike race, which will go through Steamworks Brewing Co.

That race kicks off at 2:45 p.m.

kgrabowski@durangoherald.com

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