Christopher Blevins

Elite Men's National Team Member, Paris 2024 & Tokyo 2020 Olympian

www.stilspoke.com

D.O.B	March 14, 1998
Hometown	Durango, Colorado

School	California Polytechnic State University
Residence	San Luis Obispo, California

Pro Teams

Specialized Factory Racing

Meet the Athlete

When Christopher was five his dad placed him in a BMX gate, quite literally because he couldn't clip in or out of his pedals by himself. Throughout his elementary and middle school years he flew all over the nation with his dad for BMX nationals. He was national age group champion on 8 occasions, and raced until he was 16. At 12 years old, he started racing mountain and road alongside BMX, which is only natural for a kid growing up in Durango to do. He spent many afternoons and summer mornings riding trails with Durango DEVO. In his riding crew were riders like Howard Grotts and Sepp Kuss. While the DEVO focus was on fun, they all got pretty good, almost accidentally. He won XC nationals in his age group each year from 13 to 19, and road nationals when he was 16. He went to Europe the first time when he was 15, and returned each of the next four years to race road and mountain with USA Cycling. The biggest win of his junior road race career was Course de la Paix, a four day stage race in Czech Republic that is considered to be a Grand Tour for junior racers. This win helped him land a spot on Axel Merckx's development team, Hagens Berman Axeon. For the first two seasons of his U23 career, he raced for Axeon on the road bike, and Specialized Racing on the mountain bike. In 2018, he won U23 cyclocross nationals, a stage of the Tour of the Gila, and later in the year was 2nd at the Cross-Country World Championship. In 2019, he decided to focus on mountain biking with an eye on the Tokyo Olympics. He hopes the rest of his career is one of adventure and connecting with people through the sport he loves. The biggest win of his future career would be in helping kids discover the bike for all it can be.

What is something you would tell your younger self if you could go back in time?

None of the races you do define who you are. Instead of results, focus on the feeling of riding perfect single track with your friends. Keep your eyes open to every new and familiar experience. Learn to love the process, and be the best you can be for yourself.

What are your pre-race rituals?

I have pancakes and coffee three hours before the start. Then I go back to the hotel room or team trailer and meditate. An hour and a half before the start I typically start getting ready. I always have my headphones on, but shift what I listen to based on my mood and emotions. Most of the time it's Kendrick Lamar, JID, Mos Def, or Mick Jenkins. But other times it's Bon Iver, Hippo Campus, or Dylan Owen. Every once in a while it's just white noise, but the headphones are a signal to others that I'm focusing on myself and getting ready to go to battle. After pinning my number on my jersey, I put on AMP PR Lotion, then just spin around for 20 minutes to clear my head. I come back an hour before the start and hop on the rollers to do my warm up routine. We hit the call up boxes 15 minutes before the start, and I focus on my breath and feel the calm before the storm.

Learn More About What are your pre-race rituals?

What is one of the most pivotal experiences you've had that helped get you to where you are today?

The cumulative experience of my 2019 season was a pivotal point in my career and life. There was nothing dramatic that happened or changed, no real notable dip in my performance or training routine, but early in the season I felt a sort of numbness and indifference start to take hold. I felt like I was going through the motions and filling a role I wasn't sure I wanted to play, and I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to race at this level anymore. But these feelings became a catalyst for growth. I started to reorient my purpose in this sport. I've developed more perspective about what matters, and I've grown to recognize the opportunity beneath every high and low I go through. I'm by no means finished with the process of learning about myself. But I now know I'm not willing to compromise any bit of the joy I have in riding my bike, or in living life for that matter.

Learn More About What is one of the most pivotal experiences you've had that helped get you to where you are today?

Points of Interest