Early Saturday morning, about 2,000 bikers, decked out in spandex or funny costumes, astride bikes of all shapes and sizes, amassed at the start line at 33rd Street and East Second Avenue in Durango to take part in the 54th Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
The air was electric with excited conversation and the hum of bike hubs, and, following the staggered starts of the competitive Coca-Cola Road Race, riders in the McDonald’s Citizen Tour and Quarter Horse swarmed over the start, right onto U.S. Highway 550 and off toward the towering San Juan Mountains.
Riders had come from across the county, state and country to challenge themselves on the scenic, lung-busting 50-mile climb past Purgatory Resort, over Coal Bank and Molas passes and down through budding aspen glades to the mountain hamlet of Silverton.
This year’s 2,000-rider turnout was huge, Erin Glenn, race organizer, said. It included around 800 cyclists who live in La Plata County – the race’s largest local cohort in years, up from approximately 600 racers who signed up in 2025.
Two of those local riders were high school students Ellie Bruckbauer and Jack Purcell, who were taking part in their second citizen tour. The two friends said they were excited to be riding together and planned to eat as much food as possible at the aid stations positioned along the race route.
“I’m a bit nervous for the ride down (Molas Pass) into Silverton,” Bruckbauer said. “But I’m excited to drink as much pickle juice as possible.”
Durangoans Emily Hartley, Avery Matela and Emiliah Sawyer were all riding together in their first time competing in the race. The three friends had been training together ahead of the race, and said their goal was for all of them to make it to Silverton in less than four and a half hours, Matela said.
“We’re gonna crush it,” Hartley said.
“We also want to have fun and not suffer too bad that it’s not fun,” Sawyer added.
After the race, Hartley said they all made it to Silverton under their goal. Hartley’s final time was 4 hours and 9 minutes, she said.
“We had a ton of fun,” she said. “It was really hard, but it was fun.”
Her favorite part was seeing the spectators on the side of the road along the way.
“I felt like (seeing the spectators) got me going faster, and it was fun to see all their smiles and cheers for us,” she said.
This year’s Iron Horse also drew riders from far and wide across the United States.
John Temti came from Cody, Wyoming, to participate in the event with his brother, James, who lives in Durango. The brothers said they visit each other in their respective homes to compete in road races, and in September, James Temti would head to Wyoming to take part in the Fist Full of Dirt gravel bike race.
James said his goal was to make it to Silverton around the 3 hour and 30 minute mark. His brother, on the other hand, joked that his was to simply survive the race.
“I’m hoping that I’m alive at the end,” John said.
When asked if they would work as a team, James said no, and that as soon as they crossed the start line, it was every man for himself.
“It’s dog-eat-dog,” James said. “My brother’s going down.”
Both John and James made it to Silverton. James, the first brother to reach the finish line, said he completed the 50-mile ride in 3 hours and 4 minutes, and that his favorite part of the ride was the climb up Coal Bank Pass.
“I thought (the climb) was really fun,” he said. “It was the biggest hurdle, so once past that crux, and then if you can make it up Molas Pass, then it’s just all downhill to the finish.”
That reason is why Molas Pass was John’s favorite part of the ride.
“I survived, and I did have fun,” he said. “My favorite part was climbing Molas. It was just so beautiful. The weather was perfect. We had a little tailwind. The race was almost over. And the pain was over.”
The brothers said they planned to celebrate with a couple of beers and an early night of rest to prepare for the LaStrada LaPlata Gravel Race on Sunday.
Liam Simmons traveled from Boulder to Durango to take part in the road race for the first time with his team, Boulder Junior Cycling. Because it was his first go at the Iron Horse, he said his goal was to ride hard and see what happens – especially on the race’s steep climbs, which he said wasn’t as common on his home roads.
“I have no idea what to expect,” Simmon said. “A bit nervous about the climbing, which we’re not really used to around Boulder. So that’s gonna be interesting.”
He said he was most excited to ride Highway 550 while the road was closed.
“Closed roads on a pretty beautiful highway is an option you don’t get very often,” Simmons said.
Upon completing the race, he said he was glad to be done with the climbing.
“The ride was really hard,” he said. “I mean, there’s way more climbing than we’re used to.”
Simmons said he planned to race in Sunday’s Subaru Mountain Bike Race before heading back with his team to Boulder on Monday.
Rider Lucy Harris, 32, from England, won the women’s pro race category with a time of just over 2 hours, 44 minutes and 33 seconds. She beat the second-place rider by just under 55 seconds.
On the men’s side, Durango’s Kai Lokey won with a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 44 seconds, beating out the second-place rider by 1 minute and 35 seconds.
A spokesperson for the Colorado State Patrol said no crashes or car-bike conflicts were reported to state troopers.
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