It wasn’t Gaige Sippy’s typical Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, at least not in recent years.
“I rode with my family to Purgatory,” Sippy said of the 2014 IHBC. “Had a nice ride.”
Up until last year, Sippy had enjoyed a nice ride as the IHBC’s tournament director for seven years, and the IHBC had enjoyed a mostly smooth ride with Sippy at the helm over that time.
Sippy has been associated with the Iron Horse “in one way or another” since 1989. An avid cyclist and Durangoan, the event is a part of who he is. So it wasn’t an easy decision to leave as director in 2013.
And, after the 2014 event was modified almost beyond recognition, thanks mostly to a weather-related decision the day before the event, it was an easy decision to return, he said. And with Sippy back, expect the IHBC to get back to its successful recipe of the previous seven years.
“By and large, 2013 was a good recipe. It was working pretty well – the menu of events,” Sippy said. “And we have a good core group (of workers and volunteers).”
Last year, when a snowstorm hit the area the day before the IHBC, Jeff Frost, Sippy’s re placement as director, had the task of deciding what to do. In addition to severely modifying most of the Sunday and Monday events, it was decided on Friday that the marquee Saturday rides – the road race and citizen tour ride – would basically be cut in half, running from Durango to Purgatory Resort instead of the usual Durango-to-Silverton route.
“Organizers took a lot of heat for making the wrong decision too early (last year),” said Sippy, adding that the norm, at least during his tenure, would be to wait until 6 a.m. Saturday to make that decision. That’s what he did in 2008 – the only year in the event’s history that the entire IHBC was canceled. The next year also was dicey, with a snowstorm the Wednesday before the race, Sippy said. But as is often the case in southwestern Colorado in late spring, the weather quickly turned – for the better – and the IHBC went off without a hitch.
But because of what happened last year, Sippy and the IHBC hired a meteorologist – Joel Gratz of www.opensnow.com – to help give Sippy and companyinformation.
“Last year it (the weather) was real bad Friday and they made the decision (to modify the events) and woke up Saturday and it was sunny outside,” Sippy said. “There’s no crystal ball with the weather. But a meteorologist can give us a window of opportunity so we can make the most educated decision possible.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, opensnow.com was forecasting 1 to 2 inches of snow for Purgatory and Silverton on Friday night, and up to an inch at Purg and 1 to 2 inches at Silverton on Saturday night, but no snow for either during the day Saturday – both the road race and citizen tour ride should be wrapped up by mid-afternoon Saturday.
“Saturday isn’t looking great, but the model for Saturday morning is trending the right way,” Sippy said. “It doesn’t mean it won’t make a 180-degree turn. By and large we’ll do the safe thing. It maybe won’t be the most popular thing. But we do not make this decision in a vacuum. We’ll consult with everyone.
“I breathe a big sigh of relief when the last cyclist rolls into Silverton. And the biggest part for me is Monday night, when I know all the riders are in.”
Yes, although he worries – like a concerned parent – returning to the challenges and pressures of running likely the biggest event of the year in and around Durango was a no-brainer for Sippy.
“I’ve taken part in the Iron Horse in one way or another since ‘89. I’m an avid cyclist and I left the event in a tenuous spot,” he said. “I felt I was probably the best person to help get it back to the model that worked in the past.”
“I didn’t set out this way. I had a job with the Wells Group as a sales manager. I was ready to transition my career a bit. But I could see the state of affairs of the event, and this is an important event. It’s tough for anyone to walk in and take over if they don’t have a background for this. That’s a lot of pressure. It (the 2015 IHBC) won’t be perfect – it never is – but we’ll do our best.”
Sippy takes a lot of pride in having built up the IHBC by adding various events and opportunities to the mix through the years, and this year will be no different. New for 2015 are the Grassburger Group Ride on Sunday morning, along with the Iron Horse Memorial Train on Saturday morning. And several events that were altered last year will return as they were prior to 2014, including the mountain bike race through Steamworks Brewery (although there will be no King and Queen of the Mountain, Sippy said), and the omnium.
The Memorial Train will embrace two symbols of the Iron Horse – the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the celebration of Memorial Day. More than 80 representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project, the Adaptive Sports Association and local veterans and their families will be aboard the train as it makes its annual trek from Durango to Silverton with the riders.
“It’s another example of enhancements for the weekend – to reach out to a contingent we don’t usually deal with and play up Memorial Day weekend,” Sippy said of the train.
That, more than anything, means that even in cases of inclement weather, the Iron Horse will be run Memorial Day weekend or not at all.
“Every time we start down that path (talking about possibly moving back the IHBC) we’re reminded that it was started for a reason on Memorial Day (weekend),” Sippy said. “It kicks off the season by bringing people to town. Once we get to June, (hotel) bookings will go way up. But without the Iron Horse, Memorial Day weekend would be quiet. Our identity is built around Memorial Day. We need a three-day weekend. We’re sticking with what we know and will keep going with it. ... Hopefully for another 40 years.”