Cyclists from all over the globe are slowly arriving in Durango, and there’s no shortage of storylines in anticipation for this weekend’s 45th Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
Can Ned Overend win his sixth road race at age 60? Will youngsters such as local prodigy Chris Blevins and the slew of Fort Lewis College standouts be able to hang with a legend like Overend and world-class professionals Todd Wells and Benjamin Sonntag?
While many familiar names will climb Coal Bank and Molas passes during the 47-mile trek from Durango to Silverton, getting a feel for the favorites ahead of time is a tough task.
“There’s always someone nobody expects to show up who comes in late on Friday and does really well,” Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Race Director Gaige Sippy said. “You just never know.”
The full field of professionals will gather at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Main Avenue in front of Durango High School and race to the Silverton finish line in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic’s main event: The Coca-Cola Road Race.
It is the second oldest road race in the nation. The man versus machine concept of racing the steam engine train from Durango to Silverton and novelty of the weekend’s events keep participants coming back and entice new ones to join. The road race has always been the main attraction for professional and amateur cyclists to test their skills against the steep inclines, high winds and incredible, potentially distracting scenery.
“Not every bike race has the natural beauty this stretch of road has to offer,” Sippy said. “Add in a steam engine and the highway closure, and it’s got a lot going for it.”
Though many come just to enjoy the ride and are simply happy to finish, many professionals are here to win. The prize purse for the men’s road race is $3,000, with 10 places paying out.
Last year’s road race champion, Keegan Swirbul isn’t registered this year, and neither is Fort Lewis rider Ryan Standish, who took second a year ago.
For now, at least, that leaves a familiar name as the top finisher in the field from last year’s road race: 60-year-old Ned Overend.
When it comes to local knowledge and Iron Horse experience, there’s no matching Overend. His first race, and first win, came 34 years ago. At 59-years old, Overend won the road overall title last year after completing the road race, criterium and time trial. Though only participating in the road race this time around, with a nickname like “The Lung,” there’s no reason to believe he can’t win it at 60.
“It doesn’t matter how old Ned is, he’s going to be there at the front of a pack with the best riders in the field, and he’s going to race a smarter race than everyone else,” Sippy said. “His nickname comes from the many wins he’s racked up at high altitude. That guy is incredible.”
The Fort Lewis College cycling team will be well represented, as six Skyhawks and FLC road coach Ian Burnett will participate. There’s sure to be bragging rights at stake, but having that many teammates from the second-place team at the 2016 USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals is certain to provide an advantage this weekend.
FLC’s Payson McElveen won the Squawker Classic’s road race earlier in the year, and he’ll have nearly his whole team there again this time around. Burnett took 20th last year, and Stephan Davoust, Cormac McGeough, Ian McPherson and Skyler Trujillo round out the Skyhawks’ contingent on the men’s side.
Durango’s Chris Blevins, a senior at Durango High School, has been a regular in the winner’s circle lately. The 18-year-old won a UCI Junior Series cross country mountain bike race last week in Albstadt, Germany. Three weeks ago, he won the Peace Race, a five-stage road race in the Czech Republic. He’ll graduate from DHS on Friday night and, with such a busy graduation weekend on schedule, will set his sights strictly on the road race.
“I want to have fun,” Blevins said. “I’ve been at sea level the past few weeks, and that’s always a big factor with the Iron Horse, being adjusted to the elevation. I’ll see how I feel, and I’m just going to enjoy it and hope for the best.”
Seasoned veteran and 2006 champion Rolando Gonzalez is riding with a new sense of confidence since being granted U.S. citizenship. He has experience riding with the Costa Rican National Team and will be one to watch after finishing eighth last year in the road race.
Also competing in the road race is mountain bike pro Benjamin Sonntag, who has been strong all year on the mountain bike with lots of podiums at the Epic Rides series events.
“It’s really hard to pick a winner beforehand, because you don’t know who will show up at the starting line,” Sonntag said. “I do know that it would be foolish to count out Ned (Overend).”
While the younger guys feel like they’ll get an idea of their chances at the starting line, Overend knows better.
“You really don’t know until you actually get on Coal Bank Pass,” Overend said. “Ten minutes into that climb, you’ll get an idea for what kind of day you will have.”
Sunday’s mountain bike race will start at 12:30 p.m at 9th Street and Main Avenue. It will feature riders zipping through Durango’s 6-mile, downtown course that cruises through Steamworks Brewing Company in a setting like no other.
Two Durangoans, Todd Wells and Sonntag, proved yet again that they are the guys to beat after last week’s action in Grand Junction. Wells won the Epic Rides Grand Junction Off-Road 40-mile mountain bike race Sunday, and Sonntag finished second, 1:47 behind. The result was the same last year in the Iron Horse with Wells edging Sonntag by a fraction of a second.
“We get to ride through Steamworks Brewery while people are mere inches from us drinking at the bar,” Wells said in anticipation of the Iron Horse after last week’s win. “What an event!”
McElveen finished seventh in Grand Junction over the weekend, and Levi Kurlander was 29th. The two should also be near the front of the pack Sunday.
“Many fans complain that mountain biking isn’t spectator friendly, but we feel like we changed that with the ride through Steamworks,” Sippy said. “There’s nothing like that anywhere in the world.”
The Morehart Murphy Subaru Circuit Race is also scheduled for Sunday at varying times depending on classification. The start/finish line will also be at 9th Street and Main Avenue as racers will ascend up the 9th Street hill, around the Fort Lewis College campus, come back down Goeglin Gulch Road and back into town.
Monday’s time trial will start at 8 a.m. at County Road 250 and end 14 miles up at Old Shalona Hill. The road omnium champions will be crowned shortly after.
“The circuit and the time trial are for the hardcore road guys who want three days of racing,” Sippy said. “It is very hard for an amateur level rider to find three days of racing in the same town. If they aren’t great climbers, they can try to compete on different types of courses.
“With this much talent, the races will probably come down to whoever has the best day that day. Weather forecast looks decent, so we’ll cross our fingers that it stays that way and get ready to go.”
Sports editor John Livingston contributed to this report.
jfries@durangoherald.com
