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All eyes were on local rider Todd Wells to see if he could win his first Iron Horse Bicycle Classic men\u2019s road race.<\/p>\n
It was a different Wells, however, who was first to the finish line \u2013 Todd Wells\u2019 younger brother Troy Wells.<\/p>\n
Troy Wells won the 43rd IHBC professional men\u2019s road race with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 19 minutes, 13 seconds. The race was shortened from its usual 47-mile trek to Silverton to a 26.5-mile sprint to the top parking lot of Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort. Race organizers made the decision to shorten the race after snow fell on top of Coal Bank Pass late Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Troy Wells narrowly edged 58-year-old and five-time IHBC road race champion Ned Overend, a Specialized teammate of the Wells brothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, it is awesome. Normally I\u2019m like not in great form for this race, but this year I\u2019m climbing well,\u201d the 29-year-old Troy Wells said. \u201cIt is a good day. I wish it went to Silverton, but really this finish here is probably better for me. Less super-high altitude climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overend finished a bike\u2019s length behind Troy Wells. The IHBC record-holder was happy to see one of the riders in his group come away with the title.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was climbing great, too \u2013 strongest guy in the race the whole time,\u201d Overend said of Troy Wells. \u201cThe most aggressive and strong in the flat and the climbs. I haven\u2019t seen him ride that well in the mountains.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is good. If it wasn\u2019t me, it was Troy or Todd, and I\u2019m sure Todd is happy to see (Troy) win, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd Wells, who crossed the line with a top-10 finish, was elated to see his younger brother cross the line in first place as an Iron Horse champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is great for him. He works really hard and has had a lot of bad luck, so it is nice to see him win,\u201d said Todd Wells, a three-time Olympic mountain biker and 11 years Troy\u2019s elder. \u201cTroy was really strong all day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Troy Wells, who rides and trains with Overend, the captain of the Specialized cross country team, said it felt great to edge his friend at the finish line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so used to Ned putting me away every Tuesday night (at our local community rides). It is good to even just be able to ride with him,\u201d said Troy Wells, a member of the Team Clif Bar mountain bike team.<\/p>\n
Troy Wells said the main group of riders in contention to win broke away from the peloton at Shalona Hill, the first real climb of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cTodd and me were together through Glacier Club, and then on Haviland I had a pretty good gap, and Ned came across. I saw (Overend) coming and waited for him, and then we just worked together,\u201d Troy Wells said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t really know where the finish line was up here, so it was like a mystery finish. If we had known exactly where it was, it might have been different, but we kind of just rode steady until we saw the banner, then I started getting my sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overend and Troy Wells gained a big gap ahead of the next six riders behind them, which included defending champion Kip Turner and his High Desert Bicycles team out of Albuquerque.<\/p>\n
Every time Taylor and his group would catch up to Troy Wells, Troy Wells would attack to regain a gap. Todd Wells did his best to keep the rest of the pack behind Overend and his brother once they established a dominant lead in the final miles.<\/p>\n
\u201cTroy and I got off out front together one time, and I couldn\u2019t really help him. Kip and those guys towed the group back up to us, and Troy went out front again. When they caught up again, Ned went with Troy. Then, for me, I just sat in the group and made sure nobody got up to those guys again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gage Hecht, a 16-year-old Parker cyclist, shocked the field by taking third place, outsprinting Taylor to the finish line.<\/p>\n
Taylor took fourth place.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a sprint with me and the 16-year-old after Ned and Troy Wells got away. Gage Hecht, the young guy, got me at the finish,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
Taylor said it was a bit of a bummer to return as the defending champion and not be able to race all the way to Silverton, but he agreed with the race organizers\u2019 decision to shorten the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you see that weather they had (Friday), it makes you wonder about racing at all. The organizers made the right call, because those downhills could\u2019ve been pretty dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, the race turned into more having fun than really wanting to win the race. I knew guys would be (all-in) from the start, and that made it seem like a fun time rather than a real race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd and Troy Wells both will compete in the Iron Horse\u2019s Fort Lewis College Mountain Bike Race at 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Troy Wells hopes to finish first to secure a King of the Mountain title.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully (Sunday) I have good legs again and I can make it happen out there,\u201d said Troy Wells, who said the big part of his mountain bike race season is coming up in June and July. \u201cWe have a big block coming up in June and July with national championships and about eight mountain bike races in 10 weeks. This is a good way to start going into it, get some confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overend, who last won an IHBC title in 2011 after winning his first title in 1983, has placed second more times than he can count. He fully plans on continuing his quest for title No. 6 next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing close motivates me. If I start getting dropped, maybe I will ride a different classification,\u201d Overend said. \u201cBeing in front, mixing it up, that\u2019s exciting; it is motivating.\u201d<\/p>\n