Christopher Blevins’ breakout season hasn’t been slowed down by anything, except that pesky chain at the world championships.
The 18-year-old from Durango left no doubt he is one of the top junior cyclists – whether on a mountain or road bike – Friday at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Nové Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic.
Competing in the 18-and-under category, Blevins rode in the top group all day and looked as though he would cross in third place before his chain dropped off the drivetrain, forcing him to fix the mechanical problem. That cost Blevins 30 seconds of previous time only minutes from the finish line on the last of four laps.
He was passed, and rode in for fourth place in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 47 seconds. He was only 15 seconds behind third-place Tobias Halland Johannessen of Norway and 1:15 behind champion Thomas Bonnet of France. Switzerland’s Vital Albin took second 36 seconds behind Bonnet.
“Gave it everything I had (Friday) in the World Championship,” Blevins posted on his Facebook page. “From the second the gun went off I left my heart on the course and kept my mind on the people who believe in me most.”
Blevins, who won a UCI Junior Series Cross Country race in Albstadt, Germany, in May after claiming the Peace Race in the Czech Republic on a road bike weeks earlier, rode in the lead group all day. It was a large improvement from his 2015 world championship race in which his chain broke on his first kick of the pedals.
“I rode most of the race battling for second with another rider before dropping to third on the last lap,” Blevins said. “On the very last climb of the course I dropped my chain and spent a costly half of a minute putting it back on.”
A week after his win in Germany, Blevins returned to Durango to graduate from high school and race in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. In that race, he was in a sprint to the finish line and made contact with eventual winner Payson McElveen and crashed hard right before the finish line. His gritty performance came complete with battle scars on his face and a fifth-place finish.
Two weeks before the world championships, Blevins won the Missoula Junior UCI World Series XC race in Montana to take a firm grip of the UCI World No. 1 ranking.
Though Blevins rode well enough Friday to get on the podium, he quickly regained his bright outlook.
“At this moment, it’s easy to be heartbroken that I missed out on a medal,” he said. “But I know that come (Saturday) I will be proud of the effort and happy with the result.”
Blevins was the only rider from the United States in the field of 99 competitors.
Howard Grotts, who will compete in the elite men’s race on the same course Sunday, took to Twitter to congratulate Blevins, and support for the young rider sponsored by Whole Athlete came from across the country.
Next up for Blevins is the national championships in California in two weeks.
“I know that my love for this sport comes from it’s unforgiving nature and pure passion,” he said. “It really is an incredible feeling to leave it all out there while wearing USA on your chest.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
