{"id":46680,"date":"2021-05-21T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/iron-horse-bicycle-classic-sees-slow-registration\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:33:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:33:24","slug":"iron-horse-bicycle-classic-sees-slow-registration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/iron-horse-bicycle-classic-sees-slow-registration\/","title":{"rendered":"Iron Horse Bicycle Classic sees slow registration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Registration
Registration has been slow for the 2021 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. The slow pace has been blamed on the lingering effects of COVID-19, this year\u2019s truncated event and plans for a big bash next year, which will be the race\u2019s 50th anniversary. (Durango Herald file)<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durango\u2019s iconic kickoff to summer, the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, has seen slow registration for this year\u2019s Memorial Day weekend events \u2013 unusual for an event that has been known to fill its available slots within a day.<\/p>\n

But IHBC race director Gaige Sippy and economic leaders across town aren\u2019t worried the luster is coming off the shine of the event that helped put Durango on the outdoor recreation map.<\/p>\n

Instead, they attribute the slow pace of registration for this year\u2019s race between cyclists and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad\u2019s train to the truncated nature of this year\u2019s gathering and the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

As of Thursday, Sippy said 850 riders had registered for the available 1,000 spots for IHBC\u2019s two major events, the Citizens Tour to Silverton and the Road Race.<\/p>\n

Normally, the IHBC allows a total 2,500 riders to compete in the two major events, with the bulk of the riders participating in the Citizens Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, I think we\u2019ll be at the 1,000 number. Part of it is folks are still unsure about doing stuff,\u201d Sippy said. \u201cThey\u2019re unsure about travel plans, they\u2019re unsure about events getting canceled. So, I think that\u2019s partly why we\u2019re seeing so many people registering later than normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Registrations would have come in at a faster clip if the race were held in September rather than May, further from the outbreak of the pandemic, Sippy said.<\/p>\n

He also noted the Iron Horse will be the first major gathering in town in more than 14 months, since the beginning of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

In addition to the lingering hangover from the pandemic, Sippy said IHBC normally opens registration for the event in December, but this year registration didn\u2019t open until April 15.<\/p>\n

Also, the event is essentially a mini-me version of the annual classic.<\/p>\n

Gone this year are the kids race, the Cruiser Crit and the mountain bike race through Steamworks Brewing Co., though there will be a mountain bike race held away from downtown starting and finishing at Durango Mesa Park.<\/p>\n

Also missing this year will be the festival-related events with tent campuses in Silverton and Durango to host special events.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are big draws for people. It\u2019s not just the ride to Silverton,\u201d Sippy said. \u201cA lot of the fanfare that we have around the events brings people here. And since we had to scale all that back, we have a ton of people that asked to defer to 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

IHBC 2022 is likely a big reason for the slow registration this year.<\/p>\n

IHBC 2022 will be the 50th anniversary of the event that started when Tom Mayer, a cycling enthusiast, challenged his older brother, Jim, a brakeman on what was then the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, to a race to Silverton.<\/p>\n

In 2020, IHBC registrants were refunded 30% of their entry fee and offered a 20% discount for the $100 entry fee for either the 2021 or the 2022 race.<\/p>\n

With a big shebang planned for 2022, Sippy believes a lot of people who have the Iron Horse on their bucket list are holding off until then.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe offered folks from the canceled 2020 event priority registration for either 2021 or \u201922, and I think we\u2019re going to have big numbers for 2022. We\u2019ll be doing some special things for the 50th, and I think people are waiting for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Still, Sippy said it\u2019s too early to tell if the COVID-19 pandemic did any long-term damage to the Iron Horse.<\/p>\n

And it is too early to tell if people have gained a long-term germophobic fear of attending events with large crowds, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre people going to avoid large events? Do they want to eat out as much? We don\u2019t know the answers to those questions yet,\u201d Sippy said.<\/p>\n

\"A
A crowd cheers riders as they pedal through Steamworks Brewery in 2013 during the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rachel Brown, executive director of Visit Durango, said she believes people are still more reluctant to commit to events where there will be crowds, but they are still willing to travel on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy guess is that people will be much more reluctant to return to events and large gatherings of people before they return to independent travel,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just seems logical to me that people might be ready to start taking road trips or even flying again. But maybe they don\u2019t want to be a part of events with a crowd of a thousand people yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown also said the coronavirus has led people to register later for events because they want to wait to see if they end up getting canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the shorter booking window definitely applies here, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Brown is optimistic the IHBC will be back to a more normal footing in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy next year, I think those fears of event cancellations will have subsided,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s also a blessing in a way that this year didn\u2019t end up being the 50th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown is not worried the light demand for this year\u2019s Iron Horse indicates the summer tourism season in Durango will be underwhelming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our unique advantages will continue to work in our favor this year. Things will be getting back to normal, but it will be a transition year,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the fact that we have an abundance of outdoor activities and that we are kind of a remote destination, I think that will continue to work in our favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tourism research this year indicates people\u2019s top destinations for the summer will be beach towns and mountain towns, she said.<\/p>\n

Brown said the IHBC is a standout event for Durango and its branding power is a gift any town would love to have.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a historical aspect to it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt combines two of the cornerstone features of Durango, cycling and the train. Its economic impact alone is very important, but from a branding perspective, it really adds a lot to Durango.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sippy said the IHBC will endure two tough financial years \u2013 2020\u2019s canceled event and 2021\u2019s truncated event.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, we have planned well financially in past years for rough spots in the road, and we will get through it OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

The basic business model of the Iron Horse he said is to bring in enough money to cover the cost of putting on the show and providing seed money for initial investments in next year\u2019s events. Any money raised beyond that, usually between $25,000 to $75,000, is given to nonprofit groups.<\/p>\n

The biggest recipient of IHBC philanthropy in the past has been the Mercy Health Foundation. Sippy estimates Mercy Health Foundation has received about $450,000 in the past 12 years from IHBC giving.<\/p>\n

In addition, the IHBC regularly provides money to the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County, Durango Devo and the Fort Lewis College cycling program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve prepared those folks that usually get revenue from us that this may not be our year,\u201d Sippy said. \u201cBut the most important part of this year is to get the event up and running again, so we can get back to a place where we can help out again in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

parmijo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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