“Picture the most technical section of your local trail. And then make it a mile long. And then make it 8 inches wide in a few spots. And then put a 40-foot cliff on the side of it. It’s all rideable - just don’t screw up.”

– An online post discussing the crux of this Saturday’s Singlespeed World Championships course

The local Lance

Durango may be going yellow next month. TheDurango Telegraph’s ace reporting team has unearthed news that Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner, is tentatively planning a visit to the land of 81301. If it happens, the Lance sighting will coincide with the local world premiere of “Race Across the Sky,” the documentary chronicling Armstrong’s recent victory at the Leadville 100.

The Aug. 15 Leadville 100 was a major showdown between Armstrong and Gunnison’s Dave Wiens, six-time winner of the grueling race. In 2008, Wiens held Armstrong off by nearly 2 minutes and seemed unbeatable in the high-altitude, endurance race. However, this year Armstrong rolled up to the starting line with the help of Durango uber-pedalers Travis Brown and Matt Shriver and put down the hammer. Not only did Lance dethrone Wiens, he knocked more than 15 minutes off the old record.

Luckily for those of us who missed it, a film crew was on hand to capture all of the suspense, intrigue and seffering. The documentary is nearly complete and has been christened “Race Across the Sky.” The film is tentatively set to premiere at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College in late October, and word has it that Lance, Wiens, Brown and Shriver will all be on hand as the silver screen flickers to life.

Stay tuned.

The final countdown

Lift-served, the 2009-10 season and après ski are just a short 75 days away. And Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort will once again kick off the ski season with a charitable bang. The resort is currently seeking non-profit organizations to be the beneficiary of the 17th annual Benefit Day set for Nov. 25.

Held the day before the resort’s official opening day, Benefit Day opens the season with 1950s-era pricing – $15 lift tickets. This year’s beneficiary will receive $10 from each ticket sold, and the remaining $5 will be donated to the Durango Winter Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing local youth and athletes to winter sports.

As Purgatory’s largest and most widely attended charity event, Benefit Day has raised more than $200,000 for local non-profits since its inception in 1992. Past beneficiaries include the United Way, the La Plata County Humane Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of La Plata County and the Durango Arts Center.

Applications for the lucky nonprofit are available now. They can be found at: www.durangomountainresort.com/assets or at DMR’s in-town office, 327 S. Camino del Rio. Completed applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. As for the rest of us, 75 days offers ample time to squirrel away $15.