Michael Carter and Karen Kingsley won the 34th annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race on Saturday, a Colorado monument with 5500 feet of climbing over its 47-mile course between Durango and Silverton.

The 42-year-old Carter (Colorado Velo) emerged triumphant from a three-man battle with Mitch Moreman and the apparently immortal Ned Overend, who were racing for the new Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory team.

As Carter assaulted the 10,660-foot Coal Bank Hill, Moreman and Overend struggled to hold the pace. Carter reached the summit first, shot down the wicked descent, climbed alone up 10,900-foot Molas Pass and roared down into Silverton and victory in two hours, 18 minutes and six seconds.

"This win has been a long time coming," said the Littleton, Colorado, resident, who started racing here in 1983.

The 25-year-old Moreman – who was 10 years old when he watched his Durango neighbor Overend win the world mountain bike championship at Purgatory in 1991 - edged his 48-year-old teammate for the runner-up spot.

"It's awesome to be here today," Moreman said. "It's always been a dream of mine to race bikes, and it is just so cool to be able to come in the finish near Ned."

Overend, who has raced the Iron Horse 24 times and won it more than once, said he knew he was in for a rough ride when Carter punched it on Coal Bank.

"I just didn't have it today while going up Coal Bank," Overend said. "I knew I was in trouble."

Still, Overend clearly enjoyed himself.

"I really enjoy racing bikes and it's such a great sport," Overend said. "It's just part of my lifestyle. But it is such a serious commitment to get in shape for this thing each year."

Women sprint into Silverton

In the women’s race, Kingsley, Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna) and Ann Trombley (Excel Sports), reached the summit of Molas Pass together, but Vanlandingham was first to the south end of Silverton.

Then Kingsley - who was trailing by 150 yards at the bottom of the winding descent - put the hammer down and beat Vanlandingham in an exciting sprint, crossing in 2:40:30. Trombley crossed third, 23 seconds later.

"I knew she (Kingsley) was closing on me at the finish," said Vanlandingham, a pro mountain biker who planned to race in Monday’s cross-country. "She's so strong."

The 30-year-old Kingsley, from Ophir, Colorado, once raced with Geneviève Jeanson’s now-defunct RONA squad, but now spends her days building furniture.

"I'm a climber," Kingsley said. "I used to race for RONA, but now I don't train much. I just do a lot of backcountry skiing in the winter, and that is such a good workout. I just race for the fun of it now."

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
Durango-Silverton, CO. May 28
Men
1. Michael Carter, Colorado Velo, 2:18:06.8
2. Mitch Moreman, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 2:18:25.0
3. Ned Overend, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 2:18:25.6
4. Cody Peterson, 3D Racing-SRAM, 2:18:52.6
5. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, 2:18:53.6

1. Karen Kingsley, 2:40:30.7
2. Shonny Vanlandingham, Luna, 2:40:31.0
3. Ann Trombley, Excel Sports, 2:40:53
4. Jennifer Smith, Tokyo Joe’s-Golite, 2:42:25.2
5. Mara Abbott, Whitman College, 2:43:35.3

Complete race results can be found at www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.