The 2025 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike racecourse will feature the return of Steamworks Brewing Co. on Sunday after a six-year absence.
Before its hiatus, Steamworks was a staple of the mountain bike races. Riders would ride up a ramp, across the patio and through the restaurant as spectators cheered and raised their glasses.
The Steamworks segment of the course will be configured a little differently this year, said Kris Oyler, owner of Peak Food & Beverages.
He said racers won’t ride through the Steamworks building this time; instead, the course will lead them up a ramp in the alley to the outdoor deck, through the courtyard on the north side of the building and through a brewery area onto East Second Avenue.
The courtyard should offer spectators a good vantage point for the excitement, he said.
Oyler said Steamworks’ involvement in cycling events began with the 1990 World Mountain Bike Championships in Durango.
The late Ed Zink, who co-founded the IHBC with brothers Tom and Jim Mayer, approached Oyler with an idea that “scared the pants off me,” he said.
The idea, of course, was to have racers ride through the brewery. Oyler said he agreed to feature Steamworks in the course.
“It really has been fun. It brings a lot of energy to the event,” he said. “I really like the fact that it’s coming back downtown again. I think it centers everything and just creates a good vibe downtown that has been maybe missing the last couple years.”
The Steamworks course segment will have racers stick to the outdoors this year for a couple of reasons, he said. It was difficult for racers’ eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the brewery compared to the natural brightness outside. And Steamworks still has customers to serve during the races.
“This will actually allow us to take care of our customers a little bit better, but still provide a lot of great viewing opportunities,” he said. “We will have our parking lot blocked off and have a draft trailer there.”
The beer starts pouring at 11 a.m. and the band Radio La Chusma is scheduled to play from 2 to 3 p.m.
Oyler said Steamworks will be pouring its and Ska Brewing Co.’s Face Plant ale, a celebratory brew made just for the IHBC by the two breweries. For the last several years, Steamworks and Ska have partnered with Tailwind Nutrition to include its electrolytes in Face Plant, and that continues this year.
Ska Brewing Marketing Director Kristen Muraro said this year marks the 30th anniversary of Face Plant, which is reimagined with new flavors every year.
She described this year’s Face Plant as a 5.5% alcohol-by-volume ale brewed with Bravo hops, Tailwind’s lemon-lime electrolytes and vitamin C, with a flavor similar to wheat beer.
“It’s a beer that will actually help you hydrate – probably not officially, but that’s what I like to say,” Oyler said.
The 2025 IHBC is the 53rd anniversary of 1972 Memorial Day weekend race to Silverton between cyclists and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s morning train.
More than a dozen events are scheduled for Friday through Sunday, including the signature race to Silverton, kids’ races and mountain bike races.
The mountain bike races that include the Steamworks segment start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at Buckley Park.
The course takes racers across East Second Avenue, East Eighth Avenue and East Fifth Avenue, around the Fort Lewis College campus via Rim Trail, and back to the finish line at Buckley Park.
cburney@durangoherald.com
