Durango cyclist edges Eagle rider in battle of former Fort Lewis College teammates at Bighorn Gravel

Sam Brown and Henry Nelson know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Nelson can climb. Brown can descend. Nelson is from Kansas and lives in Durango. Brown — born and raised in Eagle County — knows the Bighorn Gravel course like the back of his hand. On Wednesday, the former Fort Lewis College teammates — staying together at Brown’s house for the weekend — went for a little pre-ride outside Eagle.

On Saturday, they duked it out for the Ram’s Horn Escape title in Gypsum.

“We worked together for a little while,” said Nelson, who wound up with the win, making amends for a failed first trip to the event back in 2023.

“I think I was almost DFL — I was just way out of shape and I just got destroyed,” the 24-year-old said of that race, somewhat incorrectly recalling his not-too-shabby 28th-place overall finish.

“It feels great to come back and have a clean run at it,” Nelson continued. “I like the climbing and elevation, so I wanted to come back for sure.”

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Nelson stopped the clock outside the Gypsum Town Hall in 4 hours, 54 minutes and 47 seconds. Brown — who was fourth overall the previous two years — took silver, coming home a little more than 16 minutes later.

“I’m happy with second, but I wanted to win,” a somewhat bittersweet Brown said. “Henry was stronger today. I can’t say I’m not a little bummed. I felt good in general — maybe not my best — but I felt good enough.”

A police escort led the 76-person men’s field, along with 15 female starters, out of Gypsum at 7 a.m. for the long loop, which climbed about 10,000 feet. Brown normally doesn’t check the start lists before races, but he knew Nelson would be a good guy to key off of. A different trio, however, pushed the initial climb up Spring Creek Road.

Brown said he felt confident in his ability to reel them back over the early singletrack portions of the course. Plus, the 26-year-old knew the entire group would likely come together on Brush Creek Road.

“A lot of time in the mornings — especially when it’s windy like this (and) when it’s still cold up there — we’ll have a headwind going up Brush Creek,” he said, demonstrating just a tidbit of his vast, intimate knowledge of local bike routes. “So, it’s good to have a group.”

“It was a little more chill through the first part than I thought it would be,” Nelson added. “I think people were just worried about the big climb.”

Once the leaders turned onto the gravel of East Brush Creek Road, Nelson surged. Brown responded to the move, got on Nelson’s wheel and helped initiate the first real gap. A couple chasers rallied once, but the Fort Lewis alumni’s persistent pace-pushing along the 5% gradient eventual splintered the peloton apart for good. Just prior to the Hat Creek aid station at mile 31, Nelson stomped on the pedals again.

“There’s a couple steep switchbacks. He went and I just couldn’t close it,” Brown admitted. Not giving up, the local rider ripped the descent from the 11,100-foot high point down to the top of Crooked Creek Pass. At the bottom of Powerline, he trailed by only a few minutes. With a couple extended downhill sections still to navigate over the final 35 miles, Nelson wasn’t celebrating yet.

“Sam goes fast on the downhill,” Nelson said. “So that was definitely part of (pushing the uphill) is I wanted to have some time on him before he hit the downhill. And he knows everything really well.”

Fortunately for Nelson, he’d done enough to savor his stroll across the grassy finish line, where he was met with a celebratory champagne shower from race director Jake Wells. After finishing sixth at the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in May and posting a DNF at Unbound Gravel in June, the Lauf cyclist was happy to finally put together a complete race from start to finish.

“I’ve had a couple instances this year where I haven’t been able to have a clean go,” he said. “And today, legs were good, bike worked great and it was just a good day.”

Florida cyclist Coulton Hartrich (5:17:31) rounded out the podium as Aspen’s Matt Fox (5:23:19) took fourth. Meanwhile, Edwards rider Nate Maddox (5:25:01) held off Vail’s Josiah Middaugh (5:25:08) for fifth and sixth, respectively. Even though a home win continues to allude him, Brown took several positives from his performance.

“Where Henry and I went off the front, that’s usually a place where I kind of lose some touch with the leaders,” he said. “So going with him there was good. I know Hat Creek is long for me. It gets to a point for me where I’m tired and it’s hard. So having him go there was just like, ‘OK, it kind of makes sense.'”

Brown, who is now well-positioned to win the combined Bighorn Gravel and Bighorn Road title if he returns to Gypsum in September, said even if he could go back to the proverbial drawing board, there weren’t too many adjustments he’d make from Saturday’s effort.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “It can just come down to the day.”