Durango was well represented on the top step of the podium of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic La Strada La Plata Gravel race.
Emmett McManus won the men’s pro race and Kaylee Blevins won the women’s pro race.
McManus took the win after completing the 55-mile course in two hours, 33 minutes and 8.1 seconds. It was a nice bounce-back for the Durangoan after finishing third in the men’s pro race on Saturday
“I was really motivated after yesterday to do good,” McManus said. “I was hitting the climbs pretty hard and I felt good all day. It was one of the better days I’ve had in quite a long time so I was pretty stoked.”
McManus thought the whole gravel course was sick. He enjoyed the climbs and descents; the vibe at the front was relaxed but the leaders were still going hard and taking different pulls.
Behind McManus was Isaac Allred in second in 2:34:24.1.
“It was pretty sweet; I did not feel as good as Emmett was,” Allred said. “It was still super fun ripping it with him. We had a crazy average speed.”
Early on in the race, there was a lead group of four. But about 20 miles in, McManus and Allred separated. Allred was pushing hard to stay with McManus and McManus pulled away on the last climb.
Blevins finished first out of nine riders in the women’s race in 2:56:48.9.
“I thought it’d be fun; I came into town for my best friend’s wedding on Friday,” Blevins said. “A bunch of signed up and I thought I’d give it a go. It was super fun. It was a great course, they did a great job with it.”
Blevins liked the mix the course offered. She liked the opportunity to ride the beautiful roads out on Texas Creek while shredding down Horse Gulch Road to end the race.
Behind Blevins was Alayna Szuch. The Colorado School of Mines track and field athlete finished in 2:56:55.6, about 11 seconds behind Blevins.
“It went surprisingly well,” Szuch said. “I was surprised; I thought I’d be a lot more tired. I felt pretty good and had a great day. I got to work with a lot of great riders.”
Szuch competed in her first IHBC weekend this year. Her mother competed before at IHBC, had a great experience and convinced Szuch to come down to Durango and compete.
Her focus has been on IRONMANs, but Szuch wants to get more into cycling.
Blevins and Szuch battled for almost the entire race before Blevins used her Durango knowledge to pull away at the end. After riding Horse Gulch road countless times, she knew the right lines to take to let it rip and get a gap.
“What makes the Iron Horse so special is you have everyone from the sixth graders to your parents’ friends doing the event,” Blevins said. “You have WorldTour racers, cross-country mountain bike World Cup racers doing it to hobbyists doing it. It’s such an inclusive, fun event and with all the different disciplines, it gives everyone a way to participate. It’s so much fun to come back and be home for this weekend.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
