If you want to be a part of Durango history without breaking any bones, the folks at Single Speed World Championships HQ want to talk to you.

As the Sept. 16-20 Durango incarnation of the event nears, organizers are putting out the call for a few, brave souls to offer up anything from bongos to back yards.

“We need about 70 volunteers to pull it off,” said SSWC09 honch Chad Cheeney. (Who, if you’re looking for someone to blame, is the one responsible for bringing the one-geared, two-wheeled spectacle that is the SSWC to Durango.)

This year’s SSWC is the biggest one yet, Cheeney said, with almost triple the registrants of last year’s held in Napa Valley. As of this week, 950 riders had registered, 875 of them from outside Durango. Some way outside. “We’ve got riders coming from as far away as Taiwan, Great Britain, New Zealand and Italy,” said Cheeney.

As a result, organizers are pulling out all the stops, but they still need help, mostly in the form of host lodging and course volunteers, aka “party marshals.”

Cheeney said it is SSWC tradition for riders to camp near the venue. However, with in-town camping options at a minimum, he is looking to local residents to help keep the spirit alive. “We’re trying to promote no-driving, so we’re looking for people in town willing to rent out a spare bedroom, couch, land or back yard,” he said. “And they can make a little money in the process, too.”

He said volunteers are also needed to help with the weekend’s events, which will include a pancake breakfast, group rides, a pre-race film festival and party, as well as the big day’s competition.

“We’re looking for ‘party marshals,’” he said, “basically, people to stand out on the course and play music, hand out cookies, sneak beers to people, whatever.”

And while Cheeney is tight-lipped about the exact course, he did confirm one rumor. It will be in Horse Gulch, and yes, it will be tough. “But not super-enduro tough,” he added, saying the entire course is about 20 miles and should take riders “between 2½ to 3 hours” to complete. The main procession (never referred to as an actual “race”) will take off from the Durango Cyclery on Sat., Sept. 19, follow Main Avenue to College Drive, where it will hang a right onto 8th Avenue and up the front hill to Fort Lewis College. “As soon as it hits the big dip at 7th Street, it’ll be game on,” said Cheeney.

However, Saturday’s ride won’t be the final word on who will be tatted/branded (literally) the 2009 Singlespeed World Champion. Cheeney is also tight-lipped about the deciding contest, but here’s a hint: think Byrds and bees. And if that still isn’t enough, he encourages people to find out for themselves by attending the post-race festivities at Ska Brewing on the night of Sept. 19. “We’re going for it,” he said. “We’re providing uniforms, afros and everything.”

 To sponsor a single speeder
- Hosts should e-mail housing orgnanizer Raequel Repath at raequel@durango.net
-To volunteer, contact Bill Pile at wepile@frontier.net
-For more on the SSWC09, visit http://sswc09.wordpress.com/

– Missy Votel