STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — An estimated 4,000 people lined “Main Street,” otherwise known as Lincoln Avenue, for Steamboat Springs’ annual Fourth of July parade Saturday morning.
But this being Ski Town USA, the parade was preceded by a crowd-pleasing skate-ski race involving Olympians and Olympic hopefuls in nordic combined — including two men who figure to be medal favorites at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
As spectators cheered and waved American flags, world champion Billy Demong of Vermontville, N.Y., edged the U.S. Ski Team’s other reigning world champion, Steamboat native Todd Lodwick.
“That’s awesome,” Demong said. “Having this sort of event with this sort of crowd on the Fourth of July shows this town really does foster the nordic combined team.”
The nordic combined team scheduled one of its summer training camps here to coincide with the holiday. A ski jump competition Friday on Howelsen Hill’s 70-meter plastic jump determined the handicapped start order for Saturday’s sprint race. Lodwick had the fastest time but started with a handicap of 21 seconds after finishing fifth in the jump event.
Lodwick came out of retirement to win two gold medals at the world championships in February. Demong also claimed a gold medal as the U.S. swept all of the individual events at worlds.
Steamboat showed its appreciation Saturday.
“Unbelievable,” said Lodwick, who would don a red, white and blue necklace after the race. “To know we get the opportunity here as athletes to be in one of the greatest ski towns in the world, and have 4,000 people watch your sport on the Fourth of July, racing down Main Street — that doesn’t happen anywhere (else). That is cool.”
One skier wasn’t in such a good mood. Steamboat’s Taylor Fletcher had a ski pop off when it hit a crack in the pavement and he crashed hard, collecting bloody road rash marks on his stomach, right arm and right knee.
“Not fun at all,” Fletcher said.
After the parade — which included fire trucks with sirens wailing, an American Legion color guard composed of Vietnam vets on horseback and a stage coach utilizing an old Steamboat gondola car — the skiers put on another jumping competition at Howelsen Hill.
Barbecue smoke wafted through the jump arena as nordic combined athletes, young female jumpers and even “gelande” jumpers (using very old alpine gear) took turns on the 70-meter jump.
“To have people see a sport like this and showcase it on the Fourth of July,” Lodwick said, “that is something.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
