Oh, the places you'll go

It’s hard to think about spring while winter has barely started, but the Four Corners’ other favorite springtime two-wheeled competition is just around the dusty singletrack corner. The 12th annual 12 Hours of Mesa Verde, the famed 12-hour endurance race at Phil’s World, takes off, Le Man’s style, Sat., May 13.

With divisions for solo, duo and team, the race can be taken as seriously or casually as one wants. But just to keep anyone from getting too agro (this is a fundraiser, after all), every year, race organizers choose a theme and costumes are encouraged. With this year’s theme of Dr. Seuss, it’s sure to inspire more than a few Cats in Hats and Foxes in Socks.

But if, in typical Durango fashion, you wait to sign up till the last minute, you will likely be lonelier than a yellow-bellied sneetch as registration fills up fast. To get a hop on all the other pops, early bird registration for teams opens Fri., Jan. 12, at 6 a.m. Duo and solo registration starts at 6:30 a.m. and 7, respectively.

And if you get Grinched, not to worry. Second wave registration opens Fri., Feb. 9. For info or to register, go to www.12hoursofmesaverde.com.