DURANGO, Colo. (BRAIN) — Famed mountain bikers Ned Overend and Todd Wells are getting behind a "dirt fondo" in their home town of Durango, Colo., that will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, which were held in Durango in 1990 and won by Overend.
The first Durango Dirt Fondo is being produced by the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic organization. It will be held this Sept. 12 and be limited to 500 participants.
There will be 30- and 50-mile course options. The 50-mile cloverleaf-shaped course will wind around the town, using four different trail systems and taking in parts of the courses of major events held in Durango, including the 2001 World Cup, NORBA Nationals, the Iron Horse cross-country race and the Single Speed World Championships. The final stretch will pass through the Overend Mountain Park and the start and finish will be at the Durango Discovery Museum located on the bank of the Animas River. The fondo does not include the 1990 Worlds course, which was at the Purgatory ski resort (now Durango Mountain Resort) a few miles from town.
A 25th Anniversary MTB Worlds party will take place later in the evening.
A portion of the event proceeds will benefit Overend's and Wells' favorite causes, includingTrails 2000, a local organization that builds and maintains trails and has been largely responsible for the growth of the trail systems; and the Mercy Health Foundation, which supports Durango's Mercy Regional Medical Center.
Registration opens March 23 at ToddandNedFondo.com. The 50-mile long course will cap out at 350 riders; the 30-mile course caps out at 150 riders. Each registration package ($150 and $125, respectively) includes a swag bag, a finisher's trophy, post-race feed party and microbrews, and an invitation to the 25th Anniversary of the MTB Worlds party.
