After 2020’s COVID cancellation, Durango’s Iron Horse race climbs back

DURANGO – Memorial Day weekend’s siren call in southwest Colorado blows from the whistle of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad’s Engine #481.

The nostalgic sound beckons bicyclists from all over the world to Durango. So what’s the connection between a train, Durango and international cyclists?

 In 1971, two brothers, Tom and Jim Mayer, bet each other a Baby Ruth candy bar over who would get from Durango to Silverton first: the sibling on the steam train that runs between the two towns or the one on a bicycle. 

Jim, a brakeman on the fabled Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, seemed to have a clear advantage since Tom and his bicycle would have to ride about 50 miles up two 10,000-foot mountain passes on a route more than 5 miles longer than the train’s. And Jim’s train only had to make gentle motorized climbs while part of Tom’s ride would include 30% grades.

So who won the chocolate prize? Would you be reading this now if the train predictably won?

Tom Mayer had so much fun winning this magnificent mountain duel that he thought he could gin up some enthusiasm for friends to make the ride if he turned it into a proper bicycle race -- now known as the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. 

He found a persuasive partner for this mission in Ed Zink, a lifetime local rancher and Durango mountain bike enthusiast. 

Zink helped convince a lot of people – including the Colorado State Patrol – that having a bunch of cyclists race along a big, winding stretch of often-treacherous U.S. 550 was an acceptable plan. And, the road was open to traffic during the race back then. 

Years later, while accepting Durango’s Citizen of the Year Award, Zink would say, “All I’ve done is have crazy ideas. Ideas like people who have perfectly good cars ride their bikes to Silverton.”

Many riders this weekend have Ed Zink on their minds. He passed away in 2019 and this, the 49th pedaling of the iconic Iron Horse event, will be the first race ever without Ed. 

"One thing about Ed Zink that stands out in my mind was his dedication to the next generation of cyclists," said Scott DW Smith, a longtime Durango local and photographer. 

"Ed was a visionary about developing the strength of our community through promoting lifelong cycling enthusiasts. He always made sure the Iron Horse included kids’ events – even for the youngest possible.  So this year, Riley Amos, a 19-year-old Durango local, won and expressed that it’s been a lifelong dream. That’s testament to Ed’s vision. 

Smith added that the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic "is Durango's ‘Field of Dreams.’ Ed built it and they came. Thank you, Ed!”

Those of you math people out there will no doubt wonder why 2021 isn’t the 50th anniversary of a race that was launched in 1971. Well, last year was the first time in 48 years that the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic was cancelled. Due to COVID, of course. 

But it was back this year, rising from the pandemic ashes like so many of us are trying to do. 

A few traditions were ruled out this year. For example, there was no customary racing of bikes through Durango's Steamworks Brewing Company packed with spectators. Nor were there the usual 2,500 bicyclists answering the train’s challenge. Registration was limited to 1,000 for COVID safety’s sake. 

In 2022, fate and pandemic permitting, the 50th anniversary of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic will bring back a 2,500-strong field. And Steamworks Brewing will, with any luck, host a peloton of cyclists who will race to win the Iron Horse in its Golden Anniversary year.

Cyclists! Raise your mugs and tip your helmets to the late Ed Zink and his mountain of dreams. 

Carol L. Fleisher is Rocky Mountain PBS’s Producer-in-Residence at Fort Lewis College in Durango.