Iron Horse Classic taps new head

The Iron Horse Bicycle Class will get a new organizer for next year's event. The 36th edition of the race will be held on Memorial Day weekend in Durango, Colorado. Longtime racer Gaige Sippy will take over for Kendra Holmes ho left her position to help run a family business.

The Iron Horse includes a road race and a citizen's ride during which riders try to beat the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on its 3.5 hour journey to Silverton. Over 2,000 participants join in annually. Many stay over for a criterium held as part of the event the next day. The popular weekend used to include a mountain bike race, too. Well-known racers like Ned Overend have made their mark on the Iron Horse in past years.

Sippy approached Iron Horse founder Ed Zink with a proposal for the race. "We want to reinforce the numbers in the road race on Saturday and the criterium on Sunday. We also are looking at ways to bring back a mountain bike component in late summer or early fall," Sippy told the Durango Herald. Sippy is looking at options for the mountain bike race to take the form of a 6, 12, or 24 hour event, but he is leaning toward a six-hour event due to logistics.