New MTB Race Brings Stage Racing Back to Durango

A new mountain bike race aims to steer big time racing back to the Four Corners. You're watching the Local News Network brought to you by Kroegers Ace Hardware and Tafoya Barrett and Associates. I'm Connor Shreve. Durango Derby, a single day, four-stage, cross-country mountain bike race set for September 23rd in Durango represents a different way of thinking about mountain bike racing.

Basically we just really wanted to bring some big time mountain bike racing back to Durango since we haven't had a lot of racing in the last handful of years. And also there's been sort of like a decline in mountain bike racing in North America in general. So we wanted to bring like a fun new format.

With a recent decline in mountain bike races across the United States, race organizer, Dylan Stucki, believes the Durango Derby's new stage race format will bring excitement for big time racing back.

Basically, you'll start up at Durango Mesa, do stage 1 in Horse Gulch, and then transfer across town on an untimed transfer route. Then do stage 2 at Test Tracks or over in Mountain Park. And then stage 3 will be on Animas Mountain. And stage 4 will conclude at Horse Gulch as well. You'll finish sort of in the Grandview area and then back to Durango Mesa Park.

Racing will cover 36 miles of single track, requiring nearly 7,000 feet of climbing. But Stucki is committed to catering to riders of all levels, offering two and four-person relay team categories for those looking for a more laid-back race day.

The pros serve a purpose and we want to have that racing element to it. But we also recognize the fact that it's it's just fun to have everybody participate in the event.

Well, organizers are committed to cultivating a festive atmosphere, Stucki knows attracting top tier talent goes a long way for the perception of the first year race.

Oh, we've got namely Payson Mcelveen and Sarah Sturm are sort of our main two athletes that are backing the derby right now. But we've got a lot of connections with a lot of pro riders, so we want to try to bring more athletes into the fold. And we're hoping to secure some sponsorship money and like really bring some big prize purse to the table to kind of get all those guys here.

You can register to race on the Durango Derby website. Stucki will spend the summer months working to lure more pros to the event with the hopes that it can prove Durango once again deserves a place in big time mountain bike racing.

Durango has tons of World Cup talent that's out there racing right now as we speak. And so hopefully, bringing some racing and some events back to town, like the derby that bring participants and pro racers back to town ultimately will lead to more bigger events like World Cup events or some big time racing like that as well.

Learn more about this story and others online at durangolocal.news. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I'm Connor Shreve.