DURANGO, Colorado (Dec. 6, 2022) — Registration for the 51st Annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic will open on Friday, Dec. 16. There will be a local registration party on Thursday, Dec. 15 from 5:00-8:30 p.m. at the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies in Durango. Photo courtesy Iron Horse Bicycle Classic The annual celebration of cycling in Durango, Colorado will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28, 2023. In addition to the world renowned Durango-Silverton road race and ride, the Iron Horse offers mountain bike and gravel races as well as a festive cycling-centric community atmosphere. Last year, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the event, the Coca Cola Road Race and McDonald’s Citizen Tour events sold out. Interested riders are encouraged to register early.
“We’re excited to build on last year’s 50th anniversary momentum to put on another incredible cycling weekend in Durango. The Iron Horse is a world-class bike weekend that cyclists in Colorado and beyond won’t want to miss,” said Ian Burnett, IHBC Race Director.
The backbone of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is the Durango-Silverton route, where riders “race the train” over two mountain passes for a total of 50 miles and 5,700’ of elevation gain. The tradition began in 1971 when Tom Mayer, a cyclist, challenged his brother Jim, a railroad worker on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, to see who could get to Silverton faster. Tom was able to pedal the distance faster than the steam engine, and the legend of the […]
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