American mountain biking hero Todd Wells didn’t disappoint his home fans Sunday in Durango.
The 39-year-old three-time Olympian dominated the last of three laps in the Mountain Bike Specialists Cross-Country race to pass German Ben Sonntag and claim first place in one of the premier events at this weekend’s 44th Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
“We have a great crowd here, a fun course, and we battled back-and-forth all day. It was good; lots of lead changes and I couldn’t ask for more,” Wells said after winning the race in the town he’s called home since he first came to Fort Lewis College in 1994. “It was a beautiful day, the weather held out, the trails were in perfect condition, so it’s really nice to race in town.”
Wells finished the three-lap, 18-mile race in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 24.2 seconds.
It was Wells, Sonntag and Chris Baddick leading the men’s field the entire way, and Sonntag outsprinted Baddick down the home stretch on Main Avenue in downtown Durango to claim second, with Baddick taking third right on Sonntag’s back wheel.
Sonntag, 34, finished in 1:15:34.3. Baddick, a 27-year-old out of Boulder, crossed in the same time. Sonntag also was fourth in the men’s professional Coca-Cola Road Race from Durango to Silverton on Saturday.
Sonntag originally is from Germany but lives in Durango now and is married to local cycling superstar Carmen Small. He was happy to give Durango a 1-2 finish in the race.
“I’m the German, but, at the same time, I live here in Durango and this is home,” Sonntag said. “So the home crowd was awesome. Glad I got the sprint finish on (Baddick), who was strong.
“Durango 1-2 is awesome. This is our home turf, so glad we did that.”
In the women’s race, it was all Hannah Williams of Steamboat Springs after the first 6-mile lap of the 18-mile race. She easily rode home in first place, finishing in 1 hour, 33 minutes, 19.1 seconds. Rebecca Hodgetts was second in 1:33:53.0, and Jennifer Gersbach was third in 1:35:13.4.
Williams, who competed in the IHBC mountain bike race for the first time Sunday, finished sixth in the Coca-Cola Road Race from Durango to Silverton on Saturday and said she didn’t feel well. She wasn’t sure how strong she would be Sunday going into the race.
“I did not expect to win,” the 32-year-old said. “That race started super fast, and I was actually 10th the first half mile or so. Then, as we started up the climb, it mellowed a bit and I got my rhythm and started passing people.”
The race returned to its roots as the mountain bikers jumped out of the starting gate on Main Avenue and 9th Street. They climbed up toward Fort Lewis College before descending down Chapman Hill and back toward town. Then they flew over ramps and obstacles into Steamworks Brewing Co., the highlight of the race for all the athletes.
“(Saturday’s) road race to Silverton is kind of the tradition, and it’s awesome to finish in Silverton with the views and the crowd, but going through Steamworks, I think the mountain bike race becomes the highlight of the weekend,” said Sonntag, who represents Team Clif Bar, along with Wells’ younger brother, Troy. “They are so loud, and it’s so fun to go through there.”
Wells, a Specialized Factory Racing team rider and a six-time national champion in various USA Cycling mountain biking events, said riding through Steamworks provides plenty of fun, but it also can be hard to adjust to.
“It’s crazy. You go from being outside in the bright sunlight to inside, and it’s in an instant, so you’re blinded,” he said. “Then it’s like a tunnel of noise in there, and it’s really warm in there, too, with all those people.
“You go from bright, cool sunshine to complete darkness, noise and heat. It’s like a sensory overload going in there.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
