Benjamin Sonntag moved to Durango to attend Fort Lewis College and compete for the Skyhawks' cycling program. He would go on to spend 15 years calling Durango home while he competed as a professional mountain biker. Sonntag was killed Wednesday while riding his bike in southwest La Plata County.
Ben Sonntag a professional cyclist at his Durango home in 2016. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, a professional cyclist rides in the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, right, a professional cyclist makes his way up Coal Bank Pass during the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race on the way to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, left, rides next to fellow professional cyclist Ned Overend as they ride in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, right, shares a laugh with fellow professional cyclist Howard Grotts as they ride in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, right, shares a laugh with fellow professional cyclist Howard Grotts as they ride in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, in the Cliff jersey, rides in the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, a professional cyclist rides in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, a professional cyclist rides in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, left, a professional cyclist finishes the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race in Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, left, a professional cyclist makes his way up Coal Bank Pass during the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, left, talks with fellow professional cyclist Howard Grotts after finishing the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Payson McElveen, left beats out Ben Sonntag for second place in the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Morehart Murphy Subaru MTB Race on Sunday in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, a professional cyclist gets ready for the start of 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, a professional cyclist gets takes off at the start of 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, hangs out with with fellow professional cyclists Howard Grotts, left, and Payson McElveen after finishing the 2018 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic mountain bike race in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, right, a professional cyclist makes his way up Coal Bank Pass during the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race on the way to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, near left, a professional cyclist gets ready for the start of the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, near left, a professional cyclist rides in the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race on the way to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, left, a professional cyclist stands on the podium after finishing the 2017 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race in Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag and his former wife Carmen Small at their Durango home in 2016. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, a professional cyclist gets ready for the start of the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag, center, a professional cyclist rides in the 2019 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race on the way to Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag a professional cyclist at his Durango home in 2016. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Ben Sonntag tastes an espresso at Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, during a barista training session at the companies Bodo Park location on Thursday. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file
Bejamin Sonntag was remembered as a kind soul with an infectious passion for life. Always smiling and encouraging others, Sonntag was one of the top mountain bike athletes in the world after his days as a world-class winter triathlete and Nordic skier. Originally from Germany, Sonntag spent roughly 15 years in Durango in a community that was proud to have him. He was killed Wednesday while riding his bicycle when he was a hit by a driver in a truck on a remote county road in southwest La Plata County. Photo courtesy of Bill Schieken
Bejamin Sonntag repeatedly overcame injuries to regain his status as one of the best mountain bikers in the United States. Photo courtesy of Bill Schieken
A fierce competitor, Benjamin Sonntag was never out of a race. He famously would pick off riders late in races to work his way up a podium. Photo courtesy of Bill Schieken
