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As I've reflected on my childhood and athletic journey, I've realized something about myself. I think I've always been an endurance athlete without truly knowing it. Growing up, I was constantly playing sports. If someone invited me to join a game or try something new, I was in. In high school, I lettered in football, wrestling, and track and field. I played strong safety on the football team, placed fourth in the West Virginia state wrestling tournament at 152 pounds, and be

Long MTB Weekend at Central City/Black Hawk

I've been thinking a lot about youth sports lately. Not because I dislike them. Quite the opposite. Sports taught me lessons about teamwork, hard work, grit, resilience, and friendship that I still carry today. But somewhere along the way, youth sports seem to have become something entirely different than what many of us experienced growing up. Travel sports have become the family vacation. Think about it. A generation ago, many families spent their weekends and summers campi

“The Hundo MTB race was a success.” Sometimes that’s all that needs to be said. All four of us finished. Nobody got really hurt. We shared a great weekend in the mountains. In endurance sports, that’s a win. The weekend started the way all good mountain bike races should: camping with friends. We set up camp the night before, watched the U.S. Men’s National Team handle Paraguay, and enjoyed the luxury of Brad’s buddy lending us a Starlink. It felt like a strange blend of back

Saturday marked my final training ride before The Hundo in Bailey, Colorado. Tyler joined me for a big day on the mountain bikes as we linked together many of Golden’s classic trail systems. While I was using the ride as one last test before race day, Tyler was simply along for the adventure, which made for good company and plenty of conversation throughout the miles. Our plan was simple: ride over 30 miles, stack some climbing, and enjoy a full day on the trails without doin

The guys I’m racing the Hundo with in a couple of weeks wanted one last big training ride. We were looking for something with comparable elevation gain and enough miles to make it a true mountain bike sufferfest. We settled on a route starting in Virginia Canyon above Idaho Springs. This was my first visit to the new Argo Mine Mountain Bike Park, and I was impressed from the start. The climb winds up the mountainside alongside the new gondola, weaving beneath wooden platforms