Durango mountain biker competes in Tokyo: ‘Love what you do, win or lose’

Blevins stated his Olympic dreams got began way before however, he mentioned his dad and mom basically moved to Durango when he was a toddler, just for the mountain biking.

“The point that they go to Durango for the biking really planted the seed on what my daily life was going to be in a lot of techniques,” he said.

Blevins began riding at just 5 decades aged and went on to earn 8 nationwide championships right before he graduated from high college.

He was named a discretionary decide for Crew Usa back again in 2019, and he explained he was assured he’d make the ultimate slash soon after positioning 2nd at the Globe Cup two several years in a row, but he however was not well prepared for that mobile phone contact.

“I didn’t be expecting to really get emotional, to truly feel considerably, but when I listened to the formal you’re going to the Olympics, there is naturally a wave of emotion, truthfully just gratitude that all the tough operate paid off and that I can proceed the system of what I love, and proceed to set the work in to this significant purpose,” Blevins mentioned.

Of program, he had to connect with mother and father right absent right after listening to the affirmation.

“They were being driving jointly and got like 30 seconds of screams and individuals borderline cries,” he explained.

Blevins is not the first particular person from Durango to journey all the way to the Olympics. In reality, the town has sent a mountain biker to each and every summer time games because 2000 — some athletes extra than once.

“Expanding up in a compact town, you usually never have many Olympic idols you can sort of glance up to and observe a path you know in their footsteps, and that’s what it was in Durango, which is just a testomony to how particular the group is all-around bikes,” Blevins stated.

Blevins stated he hopes his journey conjures up youth the same way he was influenced, and his just one piece of assistance for any person with major goals — love what you do, get or get rid of.

“I in no way did not want to be a bike owner, and I consider the philosophy I grew up with was like a lifelong appreciation for what the bike can be past the race tape definitely. So possessing that harmony I believe was truly critical, and like riding the bike, riding my bike is anything I enjoy to do, and racing is a part of that,” he mentioned.