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Iron Horse Bicycle Classic hosts Locals Registration Party on Friday

Festivities will return to downtown Durango in May
Emmett Mcmanus, left, and Cobe Freeburn fly down Coal Bank Pass during the 2024 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic pro road race making their way to the finish line in Silverton. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

Although Thanksgiving was only a few days ago, it’s already time to look ahead to the 2025 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in May.

IHBC is hosting the Locals Registration Party on Friday at Mountain Bike Specialists from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Riders will get the cheapest price if they register at the Locals Registration Party. The Coca-Cola Road Race and McDonalds Citizen Tour will be $135 on Friday. Registration will increase to $150 on Saturday, then $175 on Feb. 28 and $190 after May 23.

The IHBC festivities will kick off on Friday, May 23, with a cycling festival at Buckley Park. The festival will kick off the weekend with a packet pickup and registration party. It also kicks off the launch of Faceplant Ale from Steamworks and Ska Brewing. There will be a parade that ends in Buckley Park. There will be music and vendors to celebrate bikes in Durango.

On Saturday, May 24, the usual events will take place with the Coca-Cola Road Race and McDonalds Citizen Tour.

The main change in 2025 will be the festivities returning to downtown Durango after a few years away. The Alpine Bank La Strada La Plata Gravel race will take place on Sunday. It will be a 55-mile race that starts in Buckley Park and will do a loop East of town, come back into town and finish at Buckley Park.

Also on Sunday will be the Subaru Mountain Bike Race. Riders will start downtown and return to going through Steamworks Brewing Company like in years past. Riders will also ride trails around Fort Lewis College and Chapman Hill.

“It’s something that’s been long requested,” IHBC Race Director Ian Burnett said about returning events to downtown Durango and to Steamworks. “It’s the number one question when you run into people in town and out of town … We had a good hiatus and a good relationship with Steamworks and it felt like the right time to bring that back to the community and downtown.”

On Friday at the Locals Registration Party, the gravel race, mountain bike race and Quarter Horse will be $75 each. The price of each of those events will increase to $90 on Saturday, $105 on Feb. 28 and $120 after May 23.

The road and gravel omnium and king and queen omnium will each cost $190 on Friday. The price will increase to $200 for each omnium on Saturday, to $225 on Feb. 28 and $240 after May 23.

Burnett is focused on getting local, regional and national racers to compete in the IHBC to keep IHBC a top race in the country. He wants to keep the fun culture people return year after year for.

bkelly@durangoherald.com