Durango locals are fond of saying that those who live in Durango choose to live here for an unmatched quality of life.
Many famous faces, including several famous athletes, Olympians, artists, writers, and actors, have called Durango home.
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Bob Roll, world-class road bike competitor, raced in the Tour de France and was a commentator for the Tour in 2001.
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Dolph Kuss, finished second in the World Master Cross Country Ski Championships held in Finland in 1988. He won the downhill event in the National Masters Alpine Championships in1991.
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Elke Brutsaert, world-class mountain biker. Elke has competed in the World Mountain Bike Championships every year since 1994. Her disciplines are the downhill and dual slalom.
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Greg Herbold, world-class mountain biker, won the 1990 World Championship in the downhill. He designed the downhill course for the Durango World Cup in 2001.
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Harry Carey, Jr., veteran western movie actor who starred in over 70 westerns including “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “Red River”
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Jackson Clark, expert in Navajo weaving. The Jackson family began trading with the Navajos in approximately 1933.
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Jack Dempsey, boxer who became the Heavy Weight Champion in 1919, won one of his first fights in a 10-round boxing match at the Central Hotel.
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Jack Turner, U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team and Olympic commentator.
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Louis L’Amour, western author who wrote his Sackett Series at the Historic Strater Hotel in downtown Durango.
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Mick Reber, an internationally recognized and collected artist.
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Missy Giove, world-class mountain biker. Missy has competed in numerous world and national mountain bike events in the downhill and dual slalom.
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Myles Rockwell, world-class mountain biker. Myles has participated in the World Mountain Bike Championships since 1992.
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Ned Overend, world-class mountain biking athlete, holder of numerous mountain biking titles including the 1990 World Championship in cross-country
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Steve Carlton, former professional baseball player
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Ray Parker, former writer for Bob Hope.
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Robert Winslow, internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer.
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Ross Anderson, “The Fastest Skier in All of American History”, was clocked at over 154 mph in a speed-skiing competition.
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Ruthie Matthes, world-class mountain biker and year 2000 Olympian. Ruthie has competed in numerous national and world championship events in mountain biking competitions.
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Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005, lives, ranches and designs jewelry in Ignacio, Colorado just outside of Durango.
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Steve Carlton, former professional baseball player
Durango, Colorado, has historically been home to several famous cyclists and champion mountain bikers over the years. Due to the abundance of incredible mountain bike trails, marquis cycling events and mountain bike races, bike amenities, and bike groups in Durango, a vibrant community of cycling and mountain biking enthusiasts has grown here. Many of the biking community’s most notable names have chosen the Durango area as their home.
Numerous mechanics, coaches, promoters, designers and builders support any successful development program.
