Near perfect cycling weather had riders pumped for the 2025 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic McDonald’s Citizen Tour bright and early Saturday morning in Durango.
Some riders were determined to beat the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad morning train to Silverton. Others were content to enjoy the scenery of the San Juan Mountains and the welcome party at the end of the ride.
Several riders interviewed by The Durango Herald were feeling nostalgic to be back in Durango and riding the Iron Horse again after life led them away from Durango.
Megan Altendorf said the last time she rode in the IHBC was 10 years ago when she lived in Durango.
She returned to town from Boston to ride to Silverton once again this Memorial Day weekend. She chose this time to return because it’s been a decade since she’s ridden the Iron Horse, and other classic events that went away during the COVID-19 pandemic made a return this year.
“Been training hard because I’ve been at sea level,” she said.
She said she returned to Durango about two weeks before Saturday to train and acclimate to the elevation. Most of her previous training at home in Boston was on her smart trainer in the comfort of her living room.
She expected to arrive in Silverton between 4 and 4½ hours after the ride began at 8 a.m. sharp.
“Good luck to all the riders. It’s a beautiful day so it seems like it’s going to go well for people,” she said.
Rachel Day and Madalene Andoe were tackling their first rides to Silverton on Saturday.
Day said she intended to ride in the IHBC in 2020, but the ride was canceled because of the pandemic. She moved from Fort Collins back to Durango last year and is ready to beat the train.
Andoe said she’s lived in Durango a long time and loves cycling, even though she’s not a road cyclist. She’s completed separate segments of the Durango-Silverton route but never all in one ride. That changes Saturday, she said.
“I’m (expletive) stoked,” she said. “This day is gorgeous. It’s so cool to see everyone riding up throughout the town. It’s a bucket list thing. When in Rome, you know?”
The U.S. Highway 550 route from Durango to Silveton is her “favorite drive in the whole world” and she is elated for the chance to ride it without any cars or vehicles on the road.
She’s been training since December.
“I tried to get in shape enough that I could actually enjoy this ride,” she said, laughing. “I am trying not to get picked up by the bus.”
Day said she loves how supportive the Durango community is and she appreciates everyone who put in the work to hold the IHBC.
Dolores resident Brett Lecompte said the Iron Horse ride Saturday was his first speed ride to Silverton, but he’s completed the stretch before and completed quarter horse rides twice before.
Lecompte, 62, said he’s been cycling since he was 14 or 15 years old - his son’s age. His son was scheduled to race on Saturday.
“I just love being up in the mountains. It’s fun. Even though I’m (over in) Dolores, I have lived in Durango, so I feel like a local. And it’s the second oldest road race. It’s just fun to be part of a big tradition like that,” he said.
He was also looking forward to riding his new bike, a Priority brand.
“It’s an interesting bike,” he said. “It's a Priority. So it’s got no derailleur. All the gears are inside here and then it’s got a self-drive. It’s a pretty new bike to me, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Phoenix resident Patrick Hess made his way to Durango to visit his friend Christian Gray for the pair’s third go of the Citizens Tour.
“Stoked for the weather. Last year kind of sucked because it snowed on the second descent into Silverton,” he said. “Very excited that there’s no forecast of snow. Should be a good day out there.”
He said he and Gray typically reach Silverton in about 3½ hours, although Gray added they dilly dallied a bit on previous attempts and they planed to take the ride a little more seriously this time.
The descent into Silverton and the party awaiting him is his favorite part of the route, he said.
“I’m beaming down and you have all the beautiful mountains up there,” he said. “Really looking forward to that.”
The ride itself is challenging, particularly because he’s used to Phoenix’s approximately 1,100 foot elevation. But it’s worth it.
He said he enjoys cycling because of the community.
Gray said he’s into cycling because it’s his main form of exercise.
The classic Citizen Tour stretches 50 miles and over two mountain passes. Cyclists climb over 6,000 feet, surpassing 10,000 feet elevation, before descending into Silverton.
cburney@durangoherald.com
