The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic: When Durango Cyclists Race the Train

The idea is simple enough to explain to a kid: can a person on a bicycle beat a steam train over the mountains? In 1971, a Durango rider named Tom Mayer challenged his older brother, who worked the narrow-gauge line, to find out. Tom took the highway, the train took the rails, and Tom won the bet. The next spring, 36 riders showed up to try it for themselves. Five of them beat the train to Silverton, and a tradition was born.

That race grew into the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, which Visit Durango calls Colorado’s oldest, largest, and most renowned cycling event. It still runs every Memorial Day weekend, and the road route still chases the Durango & Silverton train roughly 50 miles north. Riders climb two passes above 10,000 feet, Coal Bank and Molas, with more than 6,000 feet of vertical along the way.

You do not have to be a racer to feel it. The non-competitive McDonald’s Citizen Tour lets ordinary riders take on the same climbs, and downtown Durango fills with a festival of related events while the steam whistle echoes off the San Juans. For a lot of locals, it is less a sporting event than a yearly reunion.

For dates, routes, and how to sign up, see the official site at ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.