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by Matt Skinner with Ed
Zink
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| A rider on one of the
many high-alpine trails near Durango./Photo by
Ben Eng. |
When asked if they know of Durango, folks
often have one response: “Don’t they have
great mountain biking?” The answer: yes.
Durango is called a “mountain bike mecca” for
good reason: great riding, a supportive community,
a strong racing history, top-level athletes and a large
trail advocacy group are just a few. And Durango has
the history, zealotry and miles of singletrack to live
up to the title.
The 1990 World Championships at Durango Mountain Resort
have long been recognized as the birth of competitive
mountain biking, and this year’s event is the
sixth time that the National Championship Series has
been held here.
Ed Zink, voted “Best Promoter” by Mountain
Bike magazine in 2002, was instrumental in promoting
the 1990 championships and is once again at the helm
of this year’s NORBA Finals. Zink has been involved
with nearly every major cycling event in Durango and
puts on – and rides in – the Iron Horse
Classic each spring. He says he is looking forward
to yet another successful event.
“
Durango is excited to host a great NORBA finals on
the heels of the 2001 World Cup and last year’s
NORBA National series event,” said Zink. “We
are pleased to continue our tradition.”
Many would argue that Durango’s passion for mountain
biking is unrivaled in the West. Banners from the 1990
World Championships hang next to the latest World Cup
and NORBA incarnations in local bars and restaurants.
The crowds at the DMR downhill course were voted the “No.
1 Fans” by a Mountain Bike poll in 2002. The
obsession is reaffirmed on a daily basis out of 90
percent of the front doors in town, a mere three minutes
to any one of a multitude of trailheads.
The base of any good cycling community is the riding.
Durango is uniquely situated between high desert and
towering peaks, providing year-round options. A hundred
years ago, cattle barons and miners built trails all
over this landscape in search of gold or grassy meadows.
Today, Trails 2000 has transformed this historic trail
network into hundreds of miles of recreational trails.
Telegraph, Dry Fork, Test Track, Log Chutes and Hermosa
Creek are just a few of the legendary trails mountain
bikers come from all over to ride.
Dubbed “the coolest American dirt destination” by
Mountain Bike in 2002, Durango does have it all and
there’s no better place to be on a mountain bike
than in our corner of Colorado.
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