Abby Mickey, who finished fifth in last year’s Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, was first to cross the finish line Saturday in Silverton. Mickey won the pro women’s field in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Abby Mickey led Anne Perry (left) and Mindy Caruso (right) across the finish line in 1-2-3 in the pro women’s race Saturday from Durango to Silverton. Mickey beat Perry by a second, and Caruso, last year’s champion, by two seconds.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Mindy Caruso led Abby Mickey down Coal Bank Pass on Saturday, but it was Mickey who led the field to the finish line to win the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic women’s road race in a close finish.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Mindy Caruso sweat plenty in defense of her road race title, but she finished third Saturday once she reached Silverton, while Anne Perry went from the background to a runner-up finish in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Durango’s Sarah Sturm led the peloton early in the race in Durango, then finished fourth in Saturday’s Iron Horse Bicycle Classic women’s road race.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
A scenic ride turned into a neck-and-neck finish for the leaders in Saturday’s women’s road race. Abby Mickey edged Anne Perry and defending champion Mindy Caruso for her first Iron Horse Bicycle Classic crown.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Cliff Vancura/Durango Herald
Cliff Vancura/Durango Herald
Mindy Caruso nears Molas Pass during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Spencer Eschallier, 6, left, of Mancos waits for his dad, Pete Eschallier, to cross the finish line of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday in Silverton. At right are Sophie Eschallier, 7, and Liza Eschallier.
Mindy Caruso, left, Sarah Sturm, center, and Heather Fischer head up the Animas Valley at the start of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Last year's winner Mindy Caruso, left, placed third, Abby Mickey, center, placed first, and Sarah Sturm placed fourth in the women's pro category of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Mindy Caruso of Albuquerque, left, and Abby Mickey of Aspen head down Coal Bank Pass during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Durango's Sarah Sturm and the rest of the pro women make their way up the Animas Valley during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
The pro women make their way up the Animas Valley during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
The pro women make their way out of the Animas Valley during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Abby Mickey of Aspen, left, Mindy Caruso of Albuquerque, center, and Anne Perry of Draper, Utah, during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Mindy Caruso of Albuquerque and Abby Mickey of Aspen head down Coal Bank Pass during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
The pro women set out for Silverton at the start of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Spectators lined the route of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
The leaders of the women's pro category head up to Molas Pass during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Anne Perry of Draper, Utah, left, Abby Mickey of Aspen, center, and Mindy Caruso of Albuquerque make their way up Coal Bank Pass during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Durango Coca-Cola Road Race on Saturday.
Supporters lined the finish line in Silverton during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic on Saturday.
"We have three generations that came in across the line," said Patti Zink, left, who finished the McDonald's Citizen Tour with her husband, Ed Zink, right, son, Brian Zink, and granddaughter, Emma Zink on Saturday in Silverton.
SILVERTON – Three women who love to climb set a thrilling pace, but the racer with the knack for descending came out ahead in the 42nd annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic on Saturday.
In the valley descent into Silverton, 22-year-old Abby Mickey pulled way from an Iron Horse first-timer, Anne Perry, 39, from Draper, Utah, and last year’s champion, Mindy Caruso, 41, to seal the win.
Mickey, a recent graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and a native of Aspen, is a former ski racer who knows how to “hit the corners” of a turn.
“That’s where I get my advantage in those corners,” Mickey said. “I’m able to take them a little bit tighter.
“Once we hit the descent, it was my game. I took it from there,” said Mickey, who wore a nose ring and a blue “Rise Above” jersey sponsored by a bicycle shop of the same name in Golden.
In downtown Silverton, Perry sprinted to catch up, but Mickey still crossed the finish line a second ahead, wining with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds. Caruso, who was four seconds behind, finished third.
Perry said she “figured we would stay together on the descent, but it was pretty technical. It was pretty fast coming down the corners. Abby gapped us.”
Caruso, an Albuquerque resident competing in her fifth Iron Horse, said she was not disappointed.
“I’m really happy with third,” Caruso said. “I would have been happy to win, but those girls could really climb, I was happy to hang with them.”
Both Mickey and Perry said they love to ride uphill.
“I’ve been wanting to come to Durango and do this for several years,” Perry said.
Mickey said she’s “a natural climber. I was looking forward to the race. I didn’t do any specific preparation.”
The trio of Mickey, Perry and Caruso first made a break from the pack at Shalona Hill, but three to four other riders soon caught up with them.
At the bottom of Coal Bank Pass, Mickey, Perry and Caruso broke from the pack again. They raced neck-and-neck until Mickey grabbed the lead going into the descent into Silverton.
The win was exhilarating for Mickey, who won first her first race in a top professional category.
“I’ve been getting second or third all season so this is really awesome,” said Mickey, who finished fifth in last year’s classic.
In the 47-mile road race that began from the parking lot at Durango High School, Mickey said there were moments on the mountain climb where she waged “an internal battle.”
“‘You can do this. Don’t quit! But my legs are killing me,’” she recalled thinking.
Mickey will have to shut off the self doubt as she gets ready for more competition.
The criterium and mountain bike races are today.
She said her legs are “feeling not too bad. I hope they hold up. I have the mountain bike race (today). Ambitious weekend.”
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