Local cross racers take on nation

A big roster of Durango cyclists once again braved freezing temperatures on knobby tires in pursuit of stars and stripes. A large contingency of local riders took on the nation at last weekend’s Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City, Mo.

For many riders, cyclocross racing fills the fall and winter shoulder seasons as they negotiate precarious courses on skinny but knobby tires. Barriers and obstacles are also thrown into the mix, forcing riders out of the saddle and adding a running component to the two-wheeled discipline. Cross courses are often sadistically difficult, and crashes, cold and injury are all offshoots of cyclocross culture. Last weekend, riders from throughout the U.S. lined up for the nation’s biggest cyclocross race, and Durango and Fort Lewis College were well represented at the starting line.

Fort Lewis College sent a van full of racers to Kansas City in a bid to recapture the team collegiate cyclocross title from archrival Lees-McRae College. And though the team title stayed with the small school in Banner Elk, N.C., Fort Lewis continued to justify its spot at the top of the collegiate cycling ranks.

Fort Lewis and Lees-McRae were actually tied for the Division I team title at the end of racing on Dec. 14. However, a tie-breaker went to Lees-McRae by virtue of a first-place finish by Lees-McRae rider Carla Swart, in the women’s race. The highest placed Skyhawks in the women’s race were Teal Stetson Lee, in fourth, and Sarah Sturm, in eighth. On the men’s side, FLC placed two riders in the top 10, with Ben Sonntag in second and Rotem Ishai in sixth.

Fort Lewis earned the runner-up spot in last year’s Cross Nationals as well, but by a much wider margin. The fact that this year was decided by a tiebreaker shows the team’s improvement, according to coaches.

While the Skyhawks just missed stars and stripes, several Durangoans returned home with national titles. Local mountain bike legend Ned Overend was again on hand in Kansas City to defend his title. Ageless at 53, Overend took control and rode to first place in his division. Durango Wheel Clubber Martha Iverson took first for the Masters Women, 60-64. And Durango once again boasted the eldest national cyclocross champion with 75-year-old Walt Axthelm bringing home gold in the Masters Men 70+ division.

Bush opens Grand Canyon to mining

In its latest last-minute rollback, the Bush Administration is working to open the Grand Canyon to uranium mining. In early December, the administration announced a new rule that defies a Congressional emergency resolution and paves the way for extraction from the edge of the national park.

On June 25, Congress passed an emergency resolution that withdrew a million acres of federal lands adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park from uranium mining. The resolution was passed in response to an alarming increase in uranium claims in such close proximity to Grand Canyon National Park. However, Bush’s early December rule circumvents the order, by eliminating a provision that binds the Bureau of Land Management to such a Congressional order. Conservationists responded angrily to the last-minute change.

“It’s truly disgraceful that the Grand Canyon may fall victim to uranium contamination under the Bush administration’s midnight rule changes,” said Taylor McKinnon, of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The administration knows no bounds in accommodating harmful industry on America’s public lands.”

In the past five years, thousands of new uranium mining claims have been staked within a few miles of Grand Canyon National Park. In response, county officials, along with Arizona’s governor and representatives of the state Department of Game and Fish, American Indian tribes, downstream communities, and local, regional, and national conservation groups all have requested additional protection for the national treasure.

“We are deeply disappointed that the Bush administration places a higher priority on helping the mining industry than it does on protecting the Grand Canyon,” said Roger Clark, of the Grand Canyon Trust. “They are attempting to erase emergency provisions enacted in 1976 rather than comply with federal law. Their actions are contemptuous of Congress and an insult to the American people.”

In spite of the emergency resolution, the Bureau of Land Management has continued to authorize additional uranium

drilling and exploration within the million-acre area. In addition, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has effectively ignored the order. These acts of omission drew a lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust, and Sierra Club. However, Bush’s rule change would effectively neutralize the lawsuit as well as the Congressional order.

Lastly, the administration has allowed only 15 days for the public to comment on the proposal. That window closes Dec. 20.

Tour de Fat reaches million mark

A new Durango tradition celebrated an important milestone this fall. Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, passed the $1 million mark in money raised for nonprofit organizations. This year, the Tour de Fat’s 11 different stops raised more than $250,000, making the grand total more than $1 million for the nine-year span of the cycling circus. 

“The cycling celebration we’ve created has turned into a movement to get people to pedal more, drive less and help out our nonprofit friends,” said Chris Winn, Tour de Fat’s coordinator. “We are witnessing a nationwide paradigm shift, with people now looking at the bike as a transportation alternative in addition to everyone’s favorite form of recreation.”

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds go to local cycling organizations. In addition to raising money, Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. In Durango, 2,500 people attended the tour this year, and a total of $17,298 was raised for the San Juan Mountains Association. As added pluses, 88 percent of the festival’s waste was diverted from the landfill, and Durangoans pledged to ride 76,498 miles in the coming year.

Seasonal trail closures make return

Winter’s arrival brings seasonal trail closures back to the region. Several Bureau of Land Management lands adjacent to Durango have been closed to provide safe havens of critical winter range for deer and elk. As in past years, portions of Animas City Mountain and the Grandview Ridge area have been closed to the public. 

The Sale Barn and Big Canyon trailheads off U.S. Hwy 160 are closed to the public, though the Carbon Junction Trail remains open from its Highway 3 trailhead to Crites Connection. Crites is also open where it intersects with the Telegraph Trail leading into Horse Gulch. However, the South Rim Trail, Sidewinder and other trails on BLM lands are off limits.

As for Animas Mountain, a 1.5-mile trail loop on the lower portion of the mountain remains open to public use. This loop can be accessed at either the Birkett or 32nd Street trailheads. Signs are posted at the top of the loop indicating the extent of the closure area boundary.

When necessary, the seasonal closures remain in effect until March or April, depending on how soon the snow melts and when spring forage becomes available to the herds.

– Will Sands