Single Speed World’s invade Durango

The Single Speed World Championships were in town and while I didn’t have enough time to cover all the events I would have liked, I was able to piece together a video of the main race Saturday. Local Travis Brown was way out front but fell, opening the door to Ross Schnell, who threw his leg over a home-built single speed for the first time the previous day. Schnell, from Grand Junction went on to win it with a plastic guard supporting his mending broken hand. Heather Irmiger hadn’t pushed the pedals on a single speed for over half a decade, but while drinking “way too much wine” on a motorcycle trip, her sponsor Gary Fisher gave her a new fixed gear ride, so off she went for the win. While she did not accept any beverage from the many people along the course offering beer and jello shots to riders, Irmiger said she woke up with enough of a hangover that she didn’t feel like she was cheating. Part race, mostly party, the SSWC was fun for at least a couple thousand in Durango. Bringing smiles to many faces on the final ascent to the finish line were four Fort Lewis students, part of the group Waiting on Trial, that played some solid bluegrass overlooking Horse Gulch. For more of the shenanigans, check out the race blog.

Also, while I wish I could have had this done earlier, below is a map of all registered entrants. You can grab the center bar to slide the name tab over for a better look. Sort by name, city or state and zoom in for more detailed locations. Also go around the globe to see who came from as far away as Spain, Norway and the Philippines.

video and post by Josh Stephenson