{"id":32921,"date":"2023-07-11T21:30:38","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T03:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/blevins-captures-first-elite-xco-national-title\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:04:18","slug":"blevins-captures-first-elite-xco-national-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/blevins-captures-first-elite-xco-national-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Blevins captures first elite XCO national title"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Christopher
Christopher Blevins<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durangoan Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) captured his first elite men\u2019s cross-country Olympic national title on Saturday. The next day, he defended his national short-track cross-country title, finishing just ahead of fellow Durango cyclist Riley Amos in both races.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much depth in the U23 field coming up, led by Riley (Amos), and not that many pros so I came in with a target on my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to high temperatures and lots of humidity, slippery roots and lots of rocks also made the cross-country course tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was quite challenging,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cYou have to be a good bike handler to do good here \u2026 I think it was the best course we\u2019ve had in a number of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the first lap of the cross-country Olympic race on Saturday, Amos got a front flat. Blevins said they changed it \u201cremarkably quick\u201d in about 20 seconds, but it was enough time for him to create a gap. Blevins said he rode the second lap a little more conservative because he knew Amos would be charging to catch him, then brought his pace back up for the third and fourth laps.<\/p>\n

He said the course had a couple of longer, steep climbs and a 3-5 minute single-track descent. \u201cIt was super challenging,\u201d he said. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t afford to make any mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he reached the finish line, Blevins was all by himself and ended up winning the title by 27 seconds in 1:10:46.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing back in the U.S. is always nice, but hearing Americans cheering on the side of the course was special,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cIt was a relief, but I\u2019m excited to wear the stars-and-stripes in the world cup next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The short-track race was delayed on Sunday, so Blevins waited it out in a mini van, playing a mini golf game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were five minutes away from canceling everything, but USA Cycling pulled it off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The conditions weren\u2019t ideal, but they made the race exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a chaotic, super muddy course, which always makes things interesting,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cThe ground was so saturated that it felt like I was riding with a double flat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amos again made him work hard for the title. \u201cRiley had a good tactic,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cHe put his head down and tried to wear me down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Near the end, however, Blevins took the lead with a strong climb and held on to beat Amos to the finish line by two seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came down to the last climb and I was able to out-kick him,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cRiley is super strong. I know we\u2019ll have plenty of battles in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The win means Blevins will get to spend another year racing short-track in the stars-and-stripes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice; the (stars-and-stripes) jersey is probably the most distinguishable of any of them,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cI\u2019m the only elite American (male) racing world cups in Europe \u2026 hopefully I can be near the front so everyone can see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blevins said he\u2019s currently spending some time at Lake Tahoe and will then spend a week in Durango before heading back to Europe. He\u2019ll race in the world championships in Scotland in early August before resuming the world cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m regrouping now, then I\u2019ll be on the road for two months,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t too happy with my results in the first world cups. I really want to show myself what I\u2019m capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blevins also won a world short-track title in 2021 and said he\u2019d love to get it back.<\/p>\n

Beard captures U23 title<\/div>\n

Lots of other Durango cyclists also did well at the national competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carson Beard of Team Durango Segment 28, meanwhile, captured the U23 men\u2019s short-track title in a race dominated by Durango bikers on Sunday. Toby Hassett (WE Development) finished on the podium in fourth while Ivan Sippy (Team Durango Segment 28) finished sixth and Dane Grey (Team Durango Segment 28) finished seventh.<\/p>\n

Savilia Blunk<\/a> (Ford Rockrider Racing) won the elite women\u2019s race by 21 seconds, which also included the U23 field. Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek Factory Racing) finished as the runner-up while Michaela Thompson (Team Durango Segment 28) grabbed the fifth podium spot. Bailey Cioppa (Bear National Team) finished sixth while Lauren Aggeler (Trinity Racing) placed 15th.<\/p>\n

Riley Huston of Team Durango Segment 28 finished 16th in the women\u2019s 15-16 short-track championships.<\/p>\n

In the men\u2019s 17-18 short-track championships, Kai Lokey finished 27th, Liam Bezek finished 37th, Emmett McManus placed 43rd and Max Johnson crossed 49th.<\/p>\n

Quintin DeLuca (Avout) also competed in the junior men\u2019s 15-16 cross-country championship. He qualified for the finals with a 32nd-place finish in the prelims and ended up finishing 72nd in the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so cool to see Durango competing at mountain bike nationals every year, especially the younger kids,\u201d Blevins said. \u201cEven though it was on the east coast, Durango was still probably the strongest town. I love seeing the Devo and Segment 28 jerseys.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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