By Tom Horrocks

DURANGO - Stephen Roberts has turned a few pedal strokes over the past five years, and now it's starting to pay off. Roberts (Moots), who spent five seasons in the Expert ranks and jumped up to Semi-Pro last month, won the Semi-Pro division at the 26th Annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic on a rain-buffed 30-mile course.

Roberts started the race with his usual mellow pace as Cactus Cup and Big Bear winner Doug Campbell (Schwinn Homegrown), and Sean Crotty (Schwinn/Grand West Outfitters) set the early pace. "We were together for a half a lap, then Stephen found his speed and left the rest of us standing there," admitted Crotty, who posted an impressive second-place finish.

Road Race Cancelled

Mountain Cross Results

Cross Country Results

Road Criterium Results

"When we hit the bottom of Chapman (Hill), I decided to make a move there," Roberts said of his decisive jump. Indeed, Roberts took advantage of the long gradual climbs to put some distance on the rest of the field for his first Semi-Pro win with a time of 2:32:41. Crotty finished 2:09 back as roadie Danny Pate (Trek/Nutra Fig) was third at 3:49.

Heavy weekend rains that forced cancellation of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Road Race on Saturday gave way to sunny skies and warm temperatures for Monday's Specialized Cross Country race. Combined with hundreds of riders and dry winds, the rain-soak clay turned to hardpack on the 11-mile course, leaving most of the pros to grind it up in the big chainring.

"The descents were extremely fast," added Crotty. "The climb on the back side was deceptively hard every time around, especially the third time. But on the whole, the course was really enjoyable and fast."

In the pro women's race, Ruthie Matthes (PowerBar/Moots) put the screws to the field and rolled to a seven-minute victory over second-place finisher Ann Trombley (Charmar/Klein). Matthes jumped to the early lead as Tammy Jacques (Schwinn) and Trombley gave the initial chase. However, Jacques pulled out on the second lap due to fatigue, leaving Trombley to chase the National Champion.

But as the race wore on and the course got increasingly drier and faster, Matthes continued to throttle the field - posting a winning time of 2:28:47. Trombley held on for second at 7:48 back, as Rene Marshman grabbed third at 8:42.

In the pro men's race, Daryl Price (Trek/Volkswagon), who last won the Iron Horse race in 1992, patiently rode to a four-and-half-minute victory. "I feel like I have my form back from 1992," said Price, who has struggled on the bike the past few years. "Now I'm just really excited to be racing well again."

Rishi Grewal (Klein), the three-time defending Iron Horse Champion and winner of Saturday's Mountain Cross, jumped to his usual early lead with Jimi Killen (Diamondback) in tow, but Grewal couldn't match the big-ring pace set by Price. Meanwhile, Killen fell victim to mechanical problems as Bryan Miller (Moots) joined Grewal in the chase. Price continued to increase his lead while Grewal overtook Miller for second place midway through the second of three laps.

"Daryl was unbeatable today," Miller said. "But I'm psyched I rode really well." Price posted a winning time of 2:17:37, as Grewal rode in 4:29 back, followed by Miller at 5:15.

The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic also hosted more than 300 Collegiate cyclists for their National Championships. Other events included trials, a USCF criterium and kids races.