Fort Lewis College was a prominent presence at the 44th annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23, 24, and 25. It made for a festive weekend of riders riding and spectators cheering in and around the already cycling-crazy town of Durango. The FLC campus also hosted the Morehart Murphy Subaru Circuit Race and the Mountain Bike Specialists Cross Country Race.
The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is Durango's signature cycling event and one of the most popular citizen's bicycle races in the country -- an annual three-day cycling festival featuring more than 3,000 riders racing a steam train over the San Juan Mountains to the mining town of Silverton.
FLC Cycling made a strong showing in the Men’s Pro/Open division of the Coca-Cola Road Race to Silverton, with present team members Ryan Standish taking 2nd and Max Thilen finishing 5th. Cycling alumnus Ben Sonntag (Economics, '10) also took 4th. In cross country mountain biking, alumni Todd Wells finished 1st and Ben Sonntag 2nd. Alumnus and FLC Cycling mountain bike coach Nick Gould (Student Constructed Major, '02) also took 5th.
This year's Road Scholars Team, comprised of Fort Lewis College alumni, faculty, staff, students, and supporters sporting their own team jerseys for McDonald's Citizens Tour to Silverton, also raised more than $4,500 for the Fort Lewis College Foundation's Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Scholarship Fund, benefiting FLC's Finish in Four! program.
Former Fort Lewis College cyclist Savilia Blunk captured a pair of national titles at the USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National Championship.
Durango artist Maddie Sanders (Communication Design, '21) contributed to a collaborative art and science exhibit that will make the Colorado State Capitol home for the next five months. Sanders worked with CU Boulder scientists Nicole Brooks and Diane McKnight to create "Durango: Mining the Mineral Belt." Their work explores the relationship between acid mine and acid rock drainage in the Colorado Mineral Belt and the effect it has on natural waterways.
FLC cyclist Michaela Thompson won her gravel race debut alongside teammates Sarah Sturm (Art, ‘12) and Ellen Campbell (Biology, '20).
For more meaningful relationships and fuller lives, Charlie Rogers (Exercise Physiology, '22) is helping Durangoans create community through play and movement.
Installation artist Chris Erickson (Art, '94) is leading the city of Aspen's first-ever public art installation. The project is a temporary street mural, and community members are invited to help paint it from start to finish.
The Center for Indigenous Health held a graduation ceremony for seven Indigenous scholars receiving advanced degrees from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, including FLC alumna Natalie Joe (Cellular & Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, '16), who spoke to Native News Online about her achievement.