For two days more than 800 Spyder Ryders crawled through Durango on their three-wheeled motorcycles.
They were in town for the seventh annual Can-Am Spyder Rally, an event that is decidedly more conservative than the annual Labor Day Weekend motorcycle rally that features the distinct roar of Harley-Davidsons, lots of leather and more than a few risqué contests.
The Spyder, a Canadian built motorcycle, is designed for people looking for a gentle ride. Many Spyder Ryders are retirees.
When asked about how the Spyder rally compares with the annual Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, Chaz Rice, media relations manager for Can-Am, said the Spyder Ryders are a less wild crowd.
“Our owners are a pretty well-behaved group of people,” he said. “They just want to get out, enjoy the scenery and have a good time.”
Rally participants took part in guided rides to Silverton, Telluride and Mesa Verde, Rice said.
Durango welcomed the Can-Am Spyder Ryders in 2012 for the annual event, and the city has been very accommodating this year, Rice said.
“Everyone in Durango has welcomed us; it is a great town, we had no problem coming back this year,” he said.
Ryders gathered Thursday for dinner at the Sleeping Beauty Ranch, north of Durango, and ate lunch Friday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the Spyder home base. The rally wrapped up with a concert celebration at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Depot, Rice said.
Kathy Thayer, sales associate at Durango Harley-Davidson, said going from the Spyder rally to the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally was like going from quilting to the rapids.
The Spyder rally is relatively conservative compared with the Labor Day rally, Thayer said.
“There is definitely a difference in the crowd, but I’m enjoying it and having a great time,” said Dolores resident Robert Payne, who has been riding motorcycles for 50 years.
“The Spyder Ryders are just not as wild,” Thayer said.
People who do not have the physical strength to ride on two wheels may prefer the Spyder motorcycle, Thayer said.
The Spyder has opened the riding world to people who cannot ride two wheels, she said.
Disabled people can ride these bikes and so can older people, said Payne, whose next bike will be a Spyder.
Avid motorcyclists, Judy and Bruce Elkington switched from a two-wheeled machine to a Spyder in 2009.
“In my opinion, they are both the same; you are just out enjoying the fresh air,” Judy Elkington said.
Whether people ride on two, three or four wheels, there is a common desire to get out and enjoy nature, Rice said.
“At the end of the day, riding is riding,” Thayer said. “They are still getting their face in wind.”
tferraro@durangoherald.com
