Durango, Colorado, is a bit of a Valhalla for shredding mountain bikers. And for those who want to rub elbows with legends, there’s not much better event than the fourth annual Todd’s Durango Dirt Fondo. The ‘big ride’ will take place on September 15.
Durango may be the perfect cycling destination in September. The temps have cooled, the oaks, aspens, willows, and maples are turning. And you can immerse yourself in a town that was mountain biking’s incubator during its infancy.
Few know the history of mountain biking as well as Ed Zink, owner of Mountain Bike Specialists in Durango.
“In 1986 and 1987, Durango hosted the NORBA National Championships. Then in 1990, we hosted the UCI World Mountain Bike Championships,” Zink said. “This generated a media tsunami about mountain biking in Durango.”
These two competitive events helped catalyze this southern-Colorado town into a place many world-class cyclists call consider a home away from home. And perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than in the annual “Dirt Fondo” race.
Retired Cyclists Champion Durango
One of those world-class athletes is Todd Wells. Growing up in Kingston, N.Y., Wells aspired to be a professional BMX racer. By his own admission, however, he wasn’t very good at BMX and dropped out of the sport.
Mountain biking began to emerge while Wells was in high school, so he gave that a try. Three Olympics, 15 national championships, two collegiate national championships, and three Leadville 100 wins later, it became clear that Wells was on the right path.
He retired from professional cycling in 2017 to pursue life in the “real world.” However, his stoke for Durango remained intact. In 2015, he and fellow Durangatan Ned Overend created Todd & Ned’s Durango Dirt Fondo to commemorate the 1990 UCI World Championships — an event which Overend won.
A fondo is not usually associated with mountain biking; it’s more of a road thing with its roots in Italy. The phrase “gran fondo” roughly means “big ride.” While some people treat it as a race, others view it as a party. But it can be whichever you want it to be.
“The point of inspiration for the first Dirt Fondo was to commemorate the 1900 World Mountain Bike Championships,” Wells said. “However, I also wanted to create an event that demonstrated how awesome Durango’s trails and cycling community are.”
Todd’s Durango Dirt Fondo
Ride Strategy
Durango, Colorado: Close-Knit MTB Community
Todd’s Durango Dirt Fondo is less like a major event and more like a celebration. Of course, Durango is a town with more elite mountain bikers than most. Its athletes dominated the U.S. nationals and the 2018 U.S. World Championship Team roster.
