Students win when the FLC Road Scholars Team races the Iron Horse train

Up to 100 alumni, staff, faculty, and friends of Fort Lewis College will combine their love of cycling with helping students, when the Fort Lewis College Road Scholars Team races the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train from Durango to Silverton in the 2015 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, on Saturday, May 23.

The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic brings more than 2,500 riders to Durango every May to race the steam train over the San Juan Mountains to the mining town of Silverton. Since 2011, FLC has sponsored a squad of amateur riders representing the College in the race. The Team is open to any supporter the College, and registration for the 2015 IHBC is now underway on a first-come first-served basis.

A portion of the Road Scholars Team members' IHBC registration fees -- boosted by a contribution from the IHBC -- goes to the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Scholarship Fund, which aids students committed to completing their college degree on schedule.

Sporting specially designed commemorative jerseys, this year's Road Scholars Team starts at College Avenue and Camino del Rio. After the race, Team riders will be feted at a celebration party. There's also a Facebook group for Team members, where event updates are posted, training information can be shared, and training rides organized. Check it out at www.facebook.com/groups/FLCRoadScholars.

The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Scholarship Fund supports the Finish in Four! Program, an agreement first-time freshmen can make with the College that guarantees students access to the classes needed to graduate in four years in exchange for deadline commitments. Participating students work with advisors to develop academic plans that identify critical course sequencing to assure a timely graduation, saving students the time and costs of longer undergraduate careers.

Thanks to the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Scholarship Fund, students in the program are also eligible for a $500-per-semester scholarship, starting with the second semester, and worth $3,500 over their college careers.

There are two Road Scholars options this year:

• McDonald’s Citizen Tour: 50 miles from Durango to Silverton.
• Quarter Horse Tour: 25 miles from Durango to Durango Mountain Resort.

Find out more about the Finish in Four! program.