Although this will be Christopher Blevins’ second Olympic experience in mountain biking, it will be quite a different experience for the 26-year-old Durangoan.
The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games actually took place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, athletes had to be tested for COVID-19 regularly, had to quarantine and competed in front of no fans.
Blevins was only 23 then and had only been focused on mountain biking for two years. He was the only American in the men’s cross-country field and finished 14th, just under three minutes behind gold medal winner Thomas Pidcock.
Now Blevins, 26, has much more experience, has learned a lot since Tokyo, is back representing the United States and is ready for more.
“It’s the honor of any athlete’s career and life in a lot of ways,” Blevins said. “Just to be a part of the Olympic community and it's a celebration of sport in general. The mountain bike race is a little bit closer than it was in Tokyo. There's no pandemic to deal with. So I'll be able to see some other sports and have my family there, which is really exciting. The magnitude of it is definitely special.”
Blevins feels good about his current form and is excited. He and the rest of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup athletes had a busy June and July with three races in four weeks. Blevins knew those races were important but had his eye on the Olympics the entire time.
It also helps that Blevins got off to a great start in the World Cup. He took the first men’s elite cross-country win of the season in Mairipora, Brazil, in April and was on the podium in men’s elite short track in the second and third rounds of the season. Blevins is in eighth place in the men’s elite World Cup standings.
Blevins now has his full focus on the Olympics and the Elancourt Hill venue which is about 25 miles southwest of Paris. Blevins thinks the man-made 4.4-kilometer course should benefit his riding style.
“Olympic courses are always a little different from some of the staples of the mountain bike circuit that are maybe more natural and in places that are natural mountain bike towns and not dealing with an urban area,” Blevins said. “They did a good job. There is a good amount of climbing and some good man-made features. In general, Olympic courses are faster, less technical and have a different dynamic to them.”
Olympic mountain bike races are different from World Cup races because there are fewer competitors in the Olympic races. This makes the depth of talent in the field less than what Blevins and the other Olympians are used to. Especially since the top countries only bring two riders compared to bringing three at past Olympics.
But the top riders will still be there. Including Blevins’ close friend and fellow Durango native Riley Amos, who will compete in his first Olympics. Blevins didn’t have a teammate in Tokyo and is excited to represent the United States with Amos. They’ve been talking about this opportunity for a long time.
Blevins and Amos continue a tradition of Durango mountain bikers representing the United States in the Olympics.
Before Blevins competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Travis Brown competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Todd Wells competed in the Athens Olympics in 2004, in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the London Olympics in 2012. Howard Grotts competed in the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“It's something I'm super proud of,” Blevins said about representing Durango. “It's obviously what makes Durango special. With Riley and I both growing up here and Savilia (Blunk) coming from Fort Lewis it's just incredible. I'm really hoping to be a bridge to the younger kids too. I know there'll be plenty of other Durango kids coming up behind Riley and I just like how I was looking up to Todd and Howard growing up.”
The men’s cross-country mountain bike race will be on July 29. No Durango or American male rider has medaled in mountain biking. Blevins hopes to change that.
“The Olympics are all about medals,” Blevins said. “So you give it your all for that. It's obviously an incredibly difficult task, but you have to just go for it. Everybody lining up is thinking about a medal.”
After the race, Blevins, Amos and Durango resident and fellow mountain biking Olympian Savilia Blunk won’t be sticking around too long. But Blevins will be staying in the Olympic Village after the race and hopes to catch some Olympic basketball. Then he’ll head home with hopefully an Olympic medal around his neck.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
