Hundreds of riders turned out for the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally parade on Sunday morning.
The event in downtown Durango celebrated the final day of the rally as families gathered to watch motorcyclists from around the country show off their hogs.
Around 11 a.m., bikers barreled down Main Avenue led by police escort from College Drive to 12th Street. Some wielded American flags while riding in circles and some even did tricks. Others gathered outside downtown shops and bars to catch up with friends or talk about their bikes.
Some bikes even sported “For Sale” signs as riders used the parade to showcase motorcycles for sale.
Sheika Gramshammer and Dan Holtkamp of Vail were hanging out around their bikes as fellow riders sped past. This was their first year participating in the rally, but not their first time in Durango.
Gramshammer went to Fort Lewis College in the 1990s and loves visiting Durango when she can.
“It’s just great to see all the people around here,” she said.
Both were excited to attend the hill climb event at Purgatory Resort later in the day and said some of their favorite events included the flat track races and the Ives Brothers Wall of Death.
“It’s great that they have that Wall of Death and then the daredevil show. And now they’re gonna do the hill climb,” Gramshammer said. “There’s something to do for everybody.”
Both were happy most of the events took place in Durango because it gave the rally more variety. Gramshammer likes the rally because the motorcycle community is able to support the local businesses of Durango.
She hopes the rally continues because of the economic benefits it can provide, using her personal experiences from the Beartooth Motorcycle Rally in Red Lodge, Montana, as an example.
“It brought people in and helped the economy,” she said. “And it is great for us as motorcycle people to be in communities like these.”
The two said they did not do much riding up U.S. Highway 550 but enjoyed seeing the town and spending time with the people they rode with from Vail.
“This weekend we’ve pretty much been staying around town. On the way home, we’re going up 550,” Holtkamp said.
They said the drive into Durango is beautiful coming in from Vail and some of their friends took the opportunity to explore more than they did.
An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 motorcyclists were expected to be in town for the rally.
Durango Police Department Sgt. Padraic Ingle was on patrol Sunday during the parade and said despite the influx of traffic, there had not been any serious accidents.
“Really, within the city, we’ve been pretty lucky that everything has been safe,” he said.
Ingle said the parade was great and the amount of police activity has been similar to last year.
Trevor Bird, Four Corners Motorcycle Rally organizer and owner of the Durango Harley-Davidson dealership, was amazed at the turnout for all events.
He estimated the number of rally participants had doubled from last year.
“The new management team we’ve put together are just best in class. Amazing people that, like, I don’t even have the words,” Bird said.
The team organized 50 events spread across six venues in four days.
Bird said so many people attended the hill climb at Purgatory that the resort ran out of parking.
“We felt an incredible amount of support from the community at large,” he said. “And the whole vibe was just amazing. I couldn’t be happier. I mean, I just really couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out.”
The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally team is already excited for next year, Bird said. On Monday, the management team will meet to discuss the celebration of next year’s 30th anniversary, which Bird said is going to be huge.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
