The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is rallying to submit a bid to bring the Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Bike World Championships back to Durango in 2030 for its 40th anniversary.
Former IHBC Director Gaige Sippy told Durango City Council last week a successful bid and event series will need the city’s help.
Durango hosted the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 1990 when mountain biking was still in its infancy, he said. It has hosted a range of events since, including the NORBA Nationals in 1987 and 2000, the USA Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in 1996 and 2022, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2001 and the Pro Challenge 2012 Road Race.
That’s not to mention the IHBC itself, which started in 1972 and is the second-longest running cycling event in United States history, he said.
Sippy said bringing the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships back home to Durango in 2030 would cement Durango’s status as an international cycling destination, attract thousands of spectators and hundreds of competitive-level athletes to the city, and stimulate Durango’s economy.
It would also require the collaboration of a number of organizations, including the city; Purgatory Resort Mountain Capital Partners; Fort Lewis College; La Plata County; and nonprofits, businesses and civic groups. IHBC would oversee a local organizing committee, he said.
Sippy said based on research and discussions with other municipalities that have held major cycling events, the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships held in Rock Hill, South Carolina, had a direct economic impact of $30 million and generated tax revenues of $2,591,467.
“In 2024, 40 million people watched the world championships this past summer,” he said.
He said teams of athletes – 800 cyclists from 55 nations, based on previous world championships – would likely arrive well ahead of the races to acclimate to Durango’s elevation, meaning they and their crews would be staying in local hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rentals.
He said he expects Durango to have 10,000 spectators.
In addition, the city would host two more events in the years leading up to the world championships: a national championship-level event in 2028 and the UCI World Cup in 2029, Sippy said.
“It would be a tremendous economic boon for our community,” he said.
And just as in 1990, he said, hosting the world championships would give local up-and-coming athletes a chance to shine on the international stage.
Sippy said IHBC needs two letters of support from two applicable organizations, one of which is the city. The city would also need to verify with the state the world championships are indeed being held in Durango to facilitate a visa program for international athletes. And IHBC would request grants and funding opportunities to put the event together.
City services like police and emergency management, special events equipment and staffing, permitting, transportation trash and recycling services, and venue space will also be valuable, he said.
Patty Zink and her late husband Ed Zink said they wrote Durango’s bid to host the original 1990 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
She said other cities competing for the bid included Lake Placid, New York, and Mammoth, California. Durango put in a bid, mostly to keep up appearances, she said. There was no way the Durango could keep up with the competing cities. But UCI accepted Durango’s bid and it was off to the races.
They had about nine months to organize everything, but thanks to partnerships and financial and time commitments from community members, they pulled it off, she said.
“Once we submitted the bid and they made the site visit … the competitive juices of the town kind of got going,” she said.
Banker Pete Turner sold banners to businesses that hung them up and down Main Avenue and Camino del Rio, she said. Local artist Mettje Swift made two large homemade banners, one of which, a starting or finish line banner, is kept in the back of Mountain Bike Specialists.
Over 300 credentialed members of the media came to Durango for the event, which was “crazy” attention for Durango at the time, she said.
Flashing forward, she said IHBC and Visit Durango have each donated $10,000 to pay the bid application fee of $20,000.
“This is a biking community, and it’s a total fit for us,” Visit Durango Interim Executive Director Barbara Bowman said. “And so we are happy to, you know, be the first to jump in and start the ball rolling, get this path moving for the bid, and we will look forward to working with them on securing this.”
Visit Durango Board Chairman Ken Stone said hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is on brand and is in line with the tourism office’s mission. He moved to Durango in 1993 and found the world championships were still reverberating through the community.
Sippy said IHBC will submit a letter of intent this December and submit its bid application in January. It will learn whether its bid has been accepted in June 2025.
Durango City Council will consider a staff recommendation to support bringing the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships back to Durango.
On Nov. 19, councilors appeared eager to consider the proposal.
“I am super excited about what you presented and what you are aiming to achieve, and I look forward to the resolution in two weeks,” said Councilor Olivier Bosmans. “I think it’s great. Let’s get us back on the map in bigger letters.”
Councilor Dave Woodruff said the proposal is a testament to the value Durango places on its cycling community and the hard work it would require over the next five years.
“Hopefully when the bid comes back that says we’re going to be hosting the championship, that we’re all ready to roll up our sleeves and do the work,” he said.
Councilor Melissa Youssef said knowing people like Sippy and his colleagues are behind the proposal makes the idea sound much more feasible to consider.
cburney@durangoherald.com
