The story goes that the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic was the result of a bet between two brothers. Well, that’s kind of true.

The reality is that it was also a way to attract commerce, and in its 43rd year, local businesses continued to enjoy the financial shot in the arm.

No doubt, tourist season would begin in earnest on Memorial Day weekend – bike race or not. But locals couldn’t help but notice the visitors that the extravaganza brought to Southwest Colorado.

“The Iron Horse is such a great community event,” said Jack Llewellyn, executive director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce. “It’s locals putting on a cycling event that’s embraced.”

With hundreds of visitors roaming the streets as the weekend approached – Llewellyn advised retailers to do things that capture the attention of passers-by.

“Take advantage of that walk-in traffic,” he said.

Peter Marshall, general manager of the DoubleTree Hotel on Camino del Rio, said it’s hard to know who visits Durango for the race and how much the race boosts occupancy. But he knows it’s significant.

And they were here for fun.

Downtown, city workers put out flower barrels Wednesday, and Friday was “Clean Day,” when local businesses spiff up downtown in preparation for tourist season.

“A good chunk (of participants) are from out of the area,” said Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District. “It’s a great way to start off the tourist season.”

Iron Horse organizers estimated that 70 percent of participants came from outside the immediate area.

Silverton, too, usually gets a quick economic boost from a couple thousand finishers on bikes and the support teams and family members there to greet them.

Not as many people stay in Silverton overnight as in Durango, said Amy Dickinson, director of the Silverton Chamber of Commerce. But the restaurants stay busy for several hours Saturday.

This year, the race and Citizens Tour was shortened from its usual 47 miles to Silverton to 27 miles to Durango Mountain Resort when snow started falling on mountain passes Friday night.

Frost said safety always is paramount for the Iron Horse, one of the oldest cycling events in the country. With threatening weather, making the decision was difficult, but “it was the right decision,” he said.

Certainly a blow to Silverton’s local business economy as riders usually finish in town and gorge on local goods, plenty of participants were disappointed, as well, but many were just out for a good, long ride with family and friends.

How it began

Yes, there was the sibling rivalry between Tom Mayer the cyclist and brother Jim Mayer the train brakeman. Tom surprised Jim by beating him from Durango to Silverton. But how the organized event got going is really another story:

The race began in 1972 as part of what was then Narrow Gauge Days, recalled Ed Zink, who helped run the original race as a 25-year-old owner of The Outdoorsman, which in the 1990s became Mountain Bike Specialists. Narrow Gauge Days was similar to Snowdown in that it was a community celebration where different entities sponsored events.

Tom Mayer had pestered Zink for a while about organizing a ride to Silverton. Mayer came into The Outdoorsman to push the idea, and Zink thought he was nuts.

“It did not click with me that this was even remotely possible. It just seemed so over the top,” Zink said. “I was glad when he left so I could go back to work.”

Mayer probably didn’t picture it as a large organized event attracting hundreds, now thousands, of participants. And Zink obviously wasn’t so inclined to take it on. The Outdoorsman’s top-of-the-line bike at the time was a 10-speed Schwinn World Traveler that went for about $150, Zink said.

“High-performance bike riders we weren’t, and our customer base wasn’t,” Zink said.

The Durango chamber director at the time was C.R. Ellsworth, a “get-it-done” guy who was gung-ho about promoting Narrow Gauge Days as a kickoff to the summer season. At the time, the train didn’t begin trips to Silverton until Memorial Day weekend.

Narrow Gauge Days featured various events over the years, including a parade and musical attractions. One year country singer Tammy Wynette was the feature entertainment. Zink considered Tom Mayer’s bike ride idea.

“I said, ‘OK, why don’t we try this,’” Zink said. “The town was really trying to create a signature event within the concept of Narrow Gauge Days.”

The general attitude of Durangoans at the time was that bikes were for riding to school and to town and for delivering papers. When Zink and others began organizing the first Iron Horse, they were so fearful about going downhill that they set the official finish for the top of Coal Bank Pass. Several riders continued to Silverton after the official finish.

Tom Mayer was responsible for organizing the Great Iron Horse Bicycle Race and Rally – a Sunday race to Coal Bank and other weekend rides with picnics – according to a story in the May 21, 1972, Durango Herald. A post-race story noted that a small dinner was held for the 36 entrants, and Ed Zink handed out awards.

Many events came and went during Narrow Gauge Days.

Said Zink, “The Iron Horse is the one that stuck.”

johnp@durangoherald.com