Christopher Blevins - the World Champion & Olympian on Mindfulness + the Transformative Power of Community & Bikes
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Christopher Blevins is a mindfulness practitioner who builds community and a more inclusive and healthy world through bikes. He’s one of the best professional mountain bikers America has ever produced and one of the best in the world. He has won the Cape Epic and taken gold in the mountain bike world championships in the short track and cross-country mixed relay disciplines. He has also won UCI World Cups in the short track and cross country disciplines. Outside of bike racing, Christopher has a wide range of interests. He started his own production company, produces and performs music and is an active member in a sangha, a Buddhist community.
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Andrew Vontz 0:00
I know that you've done some work in the past with teaching kids in juvenile hall creative writing, poetry. Can you talk a bit about how you got involved in that? And, like, what is it brought to you?
Christopher Blevins 0:18
Yeah, well, you know, it was really just a couple, couple quarters at Cal Poly. I was a sociology minor. And it made me have to take another couple years that are not yours couple quarters at Cal Poly, I probably could have finished a whole year earlier. But I was a business major. And sociology was, yeah, probably what I preferred in some ways, but I had this professor who did a lot of work with incarcerated people had a class that worked entirely in the prison. And I never took that class, but I was able to volunteer at the juvenile hall. And, yeah, you know, it was a creative writing program, they had like ping pong, they have basketball, which I was about, and I never actually did. And a few other things. So creative writing was really kind of the way in, but what we did was just play cards, most of the time, I had a couple of fun things, I got this big scrapbook that we could do blackout poetry with. And some of the kids got into it. A lot of them just, you know, they just wanted someone to talk to someone to connect with. And it was really more for me to kind of escape the Cal Poly bubble. You know, super privileged existence I had there and then meet these kids who were just kids, and, you know, are in his juvenile hall. Some of them in kind of a more, you know, serious security situation. And yeah, you know, the creative writing, I wanted to be able to give kids a way to, you know, discover themselves through writing. And maybe we did that a little more through playing cards, when they beat me through their games, and we're excited about it. But yeah, I mean, it was just a cool way to meet, you know, these kids from different backgrounds and understand their worlds a bit. And I think they benefited from having college kids who were just a few years older, just sitting across from them, like giving, listening to him paying attention. And, you know, maybe they didn't have much of that in their life. So it's hard because you, you'd go in and meet some kids and start to know them a little bit. And then a month later, they'd be gone. And sometimes they'd come back. Do you never wanted to see him again in there? But yeah, I really. Yeah, you know, hope I can do that again in the future. Because it was just a short period of time at Cal Poly. But there's one.
Andrew Vontz 3:15
Yeah, one of the one of the things that I do is I'm an advisor to an organization called a second new foundation, and I've had its founder Hector Guadalupe, on this podcast, and for anybody listening who hasn't listened to that episode. It's one of my favorites. Hector is an amazing guy. And so is his organization. And Hector did 10 years in federal penitentiary for drug trafficking. And while he was inside, he got really into health and wellness. And a second new foundation helps people coming home, start their own careers and businesses and health and wellness. And now he's expanded that into helping people coming home, start careers and trades like electrical, plumbing, real estate. So I'm just curious, from your experience with with what you did there, did that bring any new perspectives to you about your own life or about people who ended up in these situations? Were basically the children that are during jail?
Christopher Blevins 4:15
Yeah, I mean, definitely makes you appreciate, you know, support systems that that I've had. And that also relates to like bike racing. I mean, I grew up in Durango, with Olympians as my neighbors and had an amazing youth development team and program and just talking about that a little bit like, I think a lot about youth development, in the context of biking and it's not just to how you can be the fastest but how the bike can help you. You know, navigate the world and learn about yourself. There's tons of examples of friends I have who grew up in the same program during a Devo and then are now coaching In your, you know, bike packing trip leaders or videographers on the bike. So it's just another tool to take you where, you know, there's some viable good life and forgot kids in Durango. That's what that's what it is. So I guess, realizing that support systems, culture community creates, you know, the conditions for someone like me to really fall into the bike and take it all the way up to the Olympics or wherever, like I'm really passionate about, do because it's a world, I mean, trying to create that for other kids. So I work with this nonprofit silver stallion on the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo reservation is the biggest in the US. It's beautiful, they've got a lot of mountain bike trails, and people who been riding for years and shred, and solar stallions, kind of at the forefront of trying to build a cycling ecosystem, you know, through and by DNA people. And, yeah, it's just an example of like, if these kids can have good mentors, and, you know, see what a bike can take them, then they're gonna go as far as they want to with it. So that work in Yeah, in a way that working with juvenile hall just made me realize that a lot of this is simple. It's like, giving kids the support network and ecosystem of like, extends to everything. It's like functional, practical, you know, health and wellness support, but then also mentorship and kind of the emotional support. So it is, yeah, just, you know, I realize how lucky I am to have had that. And if I can help others, particularly to the bike, I'll be I'll be happy. And
Andrew Vontz 6:56
with those, those two examples, you just gave both of silver stallions and of juvenile hall and I guess of, of your experience as a young person, and I was lucky to have similar experiences where for me whether it was like punk rock, hardcore, bikes, skateboarding, when you're a kid, if you if you have a thing, that catalyzes a group of people around you to like, go do the thing, and it's a positive thing. It can be a pretty amazing experience. So bringing that to more people is awesome. And that thing, being the bike in particular, I think, is really amazing. And at the same time, this is something I've thought about a lot, we're actually talking about it on a group ride here last week in a group ride, where I live is like, typically like three to five people, that would be a big group ride. But our local high school does have a high school Mountain Bike Program, a lot of kids do it. And we never have kids out road riding like I never see any in the area. None of them ever come out and do the group ride. And I was I was asking some of the other people on the ride. Like what was up with that? And they're like, well, bikes cost a lot of money. They can't get a second bike. Yeah. And you know, that's a big issue in the sport of cycling. And, like, I love Nika, and I've, I've been out in the bay area in particular, where I see a group of Nika riders, I'm like, Whoa, they've all got like, $15,000 bikes. This is why, you know, so I mean, it is a it's an interesting situation. And I don't know if you have any thoughts on that, specifically, like, how can we bring more young people into a really incredible, awesome sport, builds community connects you to the environment connects you to your your body, your mind? And it's man, it's just really expensive, right? Yeah,
Christopher Blevins 8:46
for sure. I mean, I think like, you know, I don't want to be naive to the reality that like, bikes are expensive. And if you're going to, if you're trying to create, like, yeah, if you're trying to race in, it's like, if you're a racecar driver, like it's always going to be expensive and the highest end bikes are always going to be expensive. And that will be just as natural barrier, which I don't really know how you can fix that at that level. Of course, giving kids who are talented bikes for free and the support and coaching like that goes a long way. But you kind of always running against the reality that bikes are expensive. At the at the Yeah, at the nicest aspects level, but there are so many different ways you can ride a bike and where the bike can be a tool. Anything from an organization like World Bicycle Relief, who gives, you know, durable bikes to people in rural Africa, and they've been doing that for years and bikes can be a mode of transportation that can change someone's life, then it can also be you know, it's eco tourism industry that makes the town Like Moab or downieville, for instance, like, brings a lot of jobs and just overall community there. So I think realizing that the, when you talk about a life on two wheels through the bike, like it looks a lot different than it can look a lot different than just a kid trying to make the Olympic team. You know, there's a lot more to it, and there should be conversations and, you know, ideas around all of it. But then also realizing it, but bike is just a tool, and it's a darn good one. You know, there's a lot of research about the social and, you know, physical benefits of riding your bike. outride does a lot of that my sister was the research manager at a ride for a couple years and yeah, did a lot of that research. But again, it is just a tool. And it. Yeah, definitely, yeah, it can it has to adapt to somewhere like, you know, middle of Los Angeles versus the Navajo Nation. But I do believe in it. I've seen its efficacy, not just only from my self, but through communities. And I think people just have to be creative and thinking of ideas. Yeah,
Andrew Vontz 11:16
definitely. I think Los Angeles actually, I think is a great example of how a cycling community I mean, LA, of course, has had an incredible competitive road cycling mountain bike racing community forever. And in the early 2000s, as fixed gear riding became more popular. There were organizations that I was lucky to be around like the bicycle kitchen, which had an earned Bike Program. Hundreds and hundreds of kids came through that program. There were things like midnight riders, and eventually the Wolfpack hustle. I don't know if you're familiar with that group. But that, you know, they had a lot of checkpoint races. And I think a lot of kids who got into sport that way by probably riding a bike they earned or a relatively affordable fixed gear bike over the years, like, you know, those are some of the people who became criterium, racers are doing some of the pretty incredible things that are happening in LA, which has a really thriving cycling culture. And then thanks to YouTube and social media, I think those types of rides have spread all over the world now, which has been really beautiful to see. But I am curious, I was thinking about this, specifically as it relates to you. So you're born in 1998? Correct? Yep. Yeah, okay. And norba racing really peaked like early to mid 90s. Net over in Durango resident, first UCI cross country World Champion, and then you were the first UCI Short Track World Champion. So and now American mountain biking is back in this situation. Very recently, Americans are at like the very, very top of the sport. Of course, we had cake Courtney's World Championship, but it seems like, you know, you Haley baton, this, this cluster of American writers are now you know, like, at the top of the sport again. So Americans are like back at the top of the sport that really started here in America, which is interesting to see. Do you think that it's just this generation and cohort of writers that you're a part of? Or do you think this trend is going to continue? Will this be a long term trend?
Christopher Blevins 13:30
Yeah, I sure hope it's a long term trend.
Andrew Vontz 13:33
I mean, I do too.
Christopher Blevins 13:37
For sure, I think all the all the building blocks are there. There needs to be more to make it sustainable. But you've got this base of ridership with Nika you've got tons of kids riding racing bikes in high school, and you have people you can point to who are competing at international stage, taking it to the Europeans, you know, and I think it is still a very European dominated sport. We only have one World Cup in the US it's expensive, it's really difficult to get over there you have to be on the right team. And there's a lot of steps in the development path line from Nike to competing at World Cups. And I think that those steps could be a little bit closer together and stable. You know, there needs to be a better just more teams more races. So that a kid racing and night goes super talented can say oh, I can I can I can do this and I see how so but it has to continue and I think in a lot of ways because there are those kids better super fast. And you see it every year on both the men and women side. And I'm just really excited about the future and I I care a lot about bringing Back to the US in some ways, you know, not just geographically, but making the mountain bike racing. Yeah, kind of part of the mountain bike riding culture in the US, because there's tons of people who ride mountain bikes, but racing is this kind of different thing that people don't think about. And I think that that can that gap can become a little bit less drastic. So, yeah, I've got tons of, you know, time for the conversation of that. But I'm excited to see where where it goes. And I'm the only US meal in the elite World Cups this year. You know, there's maybe one or two others that some of them, but in general, I'm the only one racing. And I hope that that changes, the hope that you know, there's a lot obviously, some really talented you 20 threes, that will come up to Leeds and then hopefully more will follow in their steps.
Andrew Vontz 15:56
Where do you think that talent is going? Is it going into gravel, or if it's a writer of your ability, because it seems based based on your performance, and what we've seen from you have, like you very well could be like another Durango native sepco, it's like you could probably be making several million dollars a year is, you know, a climber for a world tour team. And probably winning stages at the tour is what I would guess you have the capacity to do if you'd wanted to continue on the road. So do you think writers who have your level of believability are generally choosing to take that path or go into gravel? And that's why we don't see more Americans at the World Cup?
Christopher Blevins 16:36
Yeah, I think it's a bit of everything. There's a lot of really talented riders who just go to college and stop racing, you know, because they don't see the viability of it, you know, they don't have routine support. And they don't, yeah, they can't financially have it make sense. And there isn't that, like, robust of a collegiate cycling, you know, system throughout the US, there are few schools that are really good. But they're, they're smaller schools, you know, in small towns, like Durango. And if it was like running, there was NCAA sanction, like maybe you'd see kids just naturally continue with it. So yeah, for sure, there's like that cliff, that a lot of kids just stopped racing. And they could go further, if they had the support. And then the road is a little bit more predictable, you know, the teams, there's a structure to it, it is in Europe 100%, there's no domestic road racing, where you can have a career anymore, really. But someone like SAP grenson is from Durango were really talented. Set, you know, has it has his own unique background, going to school and kind of finding the road later. But when you do find it, and you you are in those teams, you kind of have predictable salary and structure around it. So that makes sense for a lot of kids. And the gravel is interesting. It's obviously new. It's becoming bigger. There's a lot of ways now to be a pro in the US racing your bike. In the biggest one is by doing lifetime and stuff like that. But I don't really see that as a way yet for the Nike kid to just jump to immediately it's more for the mid 20s Pro who doesn't have the support at a world copper. And it's kind of finding it in the US and in competing and being successful. So I just want to see there be more opportunities to be a bike racer period, you know, and I think we need those. And then kids will naturally go towards the style of racing they like
Andrew Vontz 18:51
when it comes to the actual style of racing, that is Axio mountain bike. Is there anything in the developmental path here domestically in the United States that actually prepares people for that style of racing, because it just seems quite different than what you might find domestically at a mountain bike race, of course, in terms of the level of competition, but also the courses themselves, like their purpose built courses they like, you know, in the United States, it's historically really been oriented around ski resorts and, you know, high altitude mountain biking, and it's not like that in a World Cup level. Right? For
Christopher Blevins 19:30
sure. I mean, you can't go from Annika to a World Cup course. You don't want kids to do that. So there needs to be that. And a lot of these kids are like sent sending it but racing on a course is totally different than how good you are just descending when you're when you're fresh. You know, like the Europeans the Swiss kids are at these Swiss cups on skills courses that are like around the venue, you know, at age seven It's crazy. So we just need more races with good courses. And that's hard because you, you need the people to raise them. And a lot of that is the amateurs who can make it, you know, affordable for the promoters. And a lot of amateurs want to do races, like Leadville or unbound that are kind of experience, you know, this ride, you would never do otherwise, not go racing some park somewhere. So that's a challenge. But it is important for there to be that step up from Annika, it's one step removed from the World Cup. The US cups have done that well. in Fayetteville especially is a great course that is more technical. But there's more work to be done. And I think more people to step up and kind of fill those roles and provide those races. But yeah, right now, I mean, it is you got to go to Europe to race and get that shock to your system, you know, and be like, Oh, my God, this is not Nike.
Andrew Vontz 21:01
What types of efforts? Does it actually require to do a World Cup Axio? Like we see it on TV, but when you look at your power file after a race, what is it? Like? What are the duration of experts? And if you were to put it in, like a five zone model, like, you know, where are you in during the race?
Christopher Blevins 21:18
You're basically so sure thresholds 400 Watts,
Andrew Vontz 21:25
years, five years, maybe?
Christopher Blevins 21:29
They're, you know, the normalized power is about 400 watts for an hour and a half? Well, yeah, can you spend, you spend like 2025 minutes above 480, whatever. So really intense above, like 500. So when you're on the pedals, you're, you're basically full do to sprint. And then you recovered on a 15 second, descent, that super technical, and have to go again, so it is really on off. You don't spend that much time even though the normalized is threshold, you don't spend barely any time writing at threshold, you're either way above it, or coasting down to descent.
Andrew Vontz 22:13
I heard you talk on the pink bike podcast about how you have a stiff straight leg descending style, which I hadn't thought about this before. But it's the idea is similar to rock climbing by locking out you're not using any muscular strength while you're going down the hill. So you can recover.
Christopher Blevins 22:29
Yeah, exactly. That's a good, that's a good comparison. Actually. Yeah, it doesn't, doesn't like look that dynamic or fast. But try to be as like loose and relaxed as possible on these rock garden sense. And, yeah, I've found that the best, the best way, the best descenders are the ones who recover the best.
Andrew Vontz 22:50
And that recovery aspect is not something people think about much particularly on training that the recovery part of your interval and training for that might actually be as important as the effort that you're doing. Is that something that you're consciously training when you're out preparing for competition?
Christopher Blevins 23:08
Yeah, for sure. And a lot of the efforts are, you know, 30, fifteens, or minute on minute off, so you kind of just have that in there. And obviously, the better your aerobic system is, the quicker you'll recover. So you do a lot of zone two rides to build that as just the same as roadies would. But yeah, it's your ability to generate lactate. And then clear it as quickly as you can.
Andrew Vontz 23:37
Yeah, and I know that you had a skull fracture that you when you were young that made you deaf and your left ear, how has that impacted your development as a writer and as a musician?
Christopher Blevins 23:52
Yeah, I typically typically use both sides of the headphones, but I don't have it in right now. But it's I think, because it travels through my school to my right ear sound. But I was lucky I fractured my school, it'd be menstruation, I was 10. And it easily could have I'm not really sure how this would have happened, but I know that it was it's your inner ear so it could have impacted my balance. And that would have been an issue obviously, with racing your bike but I adjusted really quickly. And it's pretty normal to me, I don't have any issues. The only time I really noticed it isn't when I'm on the right of people on the road bike or something and you know, it's windy and I just have to swap sides with them. So in races on the road, I'd struggle if I was on the right side of the peloton. Maybe I had a radio in my ear. I couldn't hear anything out, you know. So, yeah, but when you're 10 something like that happens. You it was harder my parents, you know, but for me it was like, When can I write again?
Andrew Vontz 25:01
What was the actual wreck? What happened?
Christopher Blevins 25:03
It was a BMX race. You know, kids crash all the time and BMX, and I just happened to I was wearing a full face helmet, you know, but smacked my head on top of a lip, you know, just quite hard.
Andrew Vontz 25:19
You Yeah, you can't just rub dirt on that one and have it magically get fixed, right?
Christopher Blevins 25:24
Yeah, yeah.
Andrew Vontz 25:26
Yeah. So we're entering the Olympic year. Do you feel more pressure right now in this moment? Not from this interview. But yeah.
Christopher Blevins 25:38
No, well, you know, I mean, you're a lot, maybe more focused on in the Olympic year and kind of simplifies things for you. The pressures really like you just have this opportunity that you may never get in your life again. If at the best, it's every four years. So for sure, everybody in it's really cool. You know, we're all like, given all of our attention to July 29, July 28, whatever it is, so. Yeah, not pressure, but opportunity, which sometimes can feel the same.
Andrew Vontz 26:19
And, you know, you have this video series that's out right now. And there was something in in the voiceover that jumped out at me, you said, we're supposed to do hard things to see how we can grow from the challenge. What hard things have you run into, in this Olympic year, as you're moving towards trying to be at your best for the Olympics, like what's been challenging for you.
Christopher Blevins 26:40
I mean, every day, you know, training is, is a hard thing, obviously. Like today, I've got some pretty gnarly intervals. And I know, I'll go to that place where I, where I will have to work through it and kind of answer the call. But then the sacrifice of being away from home for five months in, you know, committing fully that has its difficulty. So accepting that committing to it, the best I can, is really the name of the game. And first you have to accept, like all parts of it, you know, that I'm going to be in Europe, racing once you my girlfriend for three months, or whatever. And I'm going to be, yeah, training as hard as I can. And there's going to be ups and downs. And that's just part of it. So you got to accept it, because there's no way out of it. And then, you know, the commitment part is, here, I am gonna give it my all, you know.
Andrew Vontz 27:41
And when you're on the road, traveling that much, you know, I've started this sleep company, the better lab and we help people develop mindful science based practices to sleep better, and then to maintain them over time. There's a lot of research around something known as the First Night Effect, which is when you spend the first night in a new location, your brain has a heightened degree of vigilance in it, it just biologically makes it more difficult for you to sleep for somebody like you who's in new locations all the time, and you have to perform at your absolute highest level. How are you overcoming that to be as rested as possible? So you can perform?
Christopher Blevins 28:18
Yeah, well practice. And I do it a lot. I travel with my pillow, just a little hack, you know. So you got the same pillow that you have at home? And then yeah, I think it's making home wherever you are. So like, wherever there's European hotel room is. And that's where the mindfulness comes in. Like, you can just sit and just ground yourself there. It's gonna make things a little more comfortable. So yeah, really that approach and giving myself enough time to deal with jetlag, and deal with adjusting, and realizing that we're not really biologically meant to fly across the world, you know, and all of a sudden be somewhere new. Every week. Like that's, that's a new thing for humans. So there are going to be some challenges and different emotions or whatever, as you're just dealing with jetlag so I've kind of learned to accept that part too.
Andrew Vontz 29:22
Yeah, and mindfulness. Of course, it's it's conscious awareness that can lead to insight and presence and for you, is that something that's always been part of who you are as a person, or have you done anything to proactively cultivate mindfulness?
Christopher Blevins 29:37
Yeah, well, you know, looking back, like I've kind of always had the inclination, looking at some of my lyrics when I was like in high school, and it was all about trying to, you know, it's all about mindfulness. In the past four or five years, I've met a meditation teacher, and it's definitely become a big Part of my life and, you know, the meditation itself is crucial is, you know, is a tool. And there's a lot to it, you know, much more than I can say here. But it's really an orientation for life in general, and doesn't matter if you're on a cushion, or on a bike. It's that post meditation practice of being here that we're all trying to do. I mean, I think everybody's searching for it, even if they don't know they are. So yeah, it's, it's a, it's a huge part of my life, it really is my life, you know, in a lot of ways. And different, you know, conceptual understandings of it are important and learning about it. And in reading and studying meditation and, you know, Buddha's views, but the core of it is the experience you get on the bike sometimes where you just stop thinking, and you're just yeah, like you reached out talked about earlier in that flow state in trying to continue that, throughout everything. Obviously, it's challenge detail. It's the challenge, but I think it's an important one to go on.
Andrew Vontz 31:18
For You is mindfulness. Does it involve like a formal sitting or walking meditation practice that you do daily?
Christopher Blevins 31:26
Yeah, yeah. I do have a price set for 20 minutes a day. Sometimes more, I really, this offseason want to do a longer retreat, and I've done a number of retreats at this place in California. So yeah, you know, I think it's really important to have some consistency with it in. There's different aspects to it. I mean, the grounding, box breathing, really settling and then obviously, different kinds of meditation. The baseline of just dramas are pastina. But sometimes we like before a race, it's, you know, how can I get myself locked in and ready to embrace whatever comes, whether it's like the best day possible, or hitting a pole in the start, like I did last race. You know, like, you got to you got to let yourself be pliable, in a way to whatever it comes externally. So yeah, that's been a huge part of my preparation for bike racing. And for life.
Andrew Vontz 32:34
I want to come back to hitting the poll in a second. For you. Are you also a part a mean, you mentioned you've gone to some retreats? Are you also in you're on the road a lot, but when you're at home, or when you're abroad? Do you ever join any? Are you part of a sangha? Or any kind of mindfulness community anywhere?
Christopher Blevins 32:56
Yeah. My teacher, you know, is, in some ways, he's like a sports psychologist would explain what would call him that for people who maybe wouldn't otherwise understand what kind of a meditation teacher is, but yeah, it's a small community. And in K us and in Tibetan, Buddhist, really, the heart of it really the, you know, the core of what Buddhism is, which isn't, you know, a cultural religious thing, but it's a orientation towards reality. And obviously, you're well aware and practice or practition yourself. But yeah, you know, and then the more practical applications of mindfulness, what we call sports performance, can be a part of it. But the real heart of it extends beyond that.
Andrew Vontz 33:52
I'm not that deeply familiar with the Tibetan tradition, I practice in the Plum Village tradition, tick, not Han. So that's what my Sangha is oriented around. And I finally found a sangha where I live the true heart Sangha, which is absolutely amazing. I was looking for one for a long time during the pandemic, and then reached out to a bunch of people eventually, this one happens to me like less than a mile from my house. I rode my bike there last Sunday, which, which was awesome. Something that's been really surprising to me, is the practice of Dharma sharing that happens at the end of our Sangha every week, where we we sit silently, and people can share about their practice or what's going on in their life. And in you just you just listen, you know, with conscious awareness. And it's really, I didn't really know anything about Dharma sharing before going to Sangha, and it's kind of blown me away how impactful for me it has been, just to be there and be present and and to listen deeply. I don't know is that a part of your tradition? Yeah,
Christopher Blevins 35:00
I mean, no, that's, that's it right? The making something that's kind of formalized around it. It's funny just how a little bit of that goes goes such a long way, right, like creating the environment for you just be there with other people listen to them without preconceived idea that it's so helpful to just have that. And I want more of that. Yeah, community, and intentional work practice, so to speak. But yeah, there's aspects of that with, with what I'm doing with meditation, and there's a little Sangha there. But I definitely love taking out Han and have read a lot of his books and would love to visit sometime. That's
Andrew Vontz 35:50
yeah, if you're ever in the mid coast, you should pull up at our Sangha. It's, it's interesting, as I've gone to Sangha, you know, I've been doing this podcast now for six years, and I've been interviewing people as a journalist and other capacities for more than 25 years at this point, something I realized in the past few months, is that I believe that my my podcast is actually Dharma sharing. And what I'm here to do is to listen to amazing guests like you, and like to hear your stories that hopefully benefit everyone who's listening. I've never really, I don't know, I've never really thought about it that way before. And now it's kind of all snapped into focus for me.
Christopher Blevins 36:27
Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm sure you've had experiences where you just realize like, the Dharma is about your life here now. Right? Wherever you are in, there's so much we can bring into like, I have to remind myself about that, with this European cycling world, like, this is it this is where you, you know, share what the Dharma is, which is nothing but the truth of you know, who we are. Right. And living in that. So. I love the Yeah, the aspect of that. And obviously, so much of our world is very scattered, and we don't get time to just chat with people. So in an intentional way. So that's what Scalia is cool about a podcast for sure.
Andrew Vontz 37:18
To go back to hitting the poll during that race. So that's just that's a great example. You know, as tech not Han says, no mud, no Lotus. See, you hit a pole. You know, your objective is to win the race. You've run into a pole. Now what Where does your mind go in that moment?
Christopher Blevins 37:37
Yeah, I kind of had a kind of like, chuckled. You know, I was like, well, here I am in the World Cup leader's jersey, like on top of the world, you know, ready to give it my all. And I know, you know, I've I knew that there was no, nothing's guaranteed, right? Like, just because I had one the weekend before. Yeah, the form is there, the fitness is there, but anything can happen. So I wasn't surprised, really. But I did kind of laugh to myself, I was like, of course, this happens now. It's a really quick adjustment, you know, probably a quicker one than it took me to adjust my bars. But then it was just same approach to it's just like, a different, you know, way to go about it. Like I had to pass it on to people and adjust the result, but like the expectation of a result. But yeah, there's the same process, just step by step, corner by corner, climb by climb and try to put together the best rates I could. And that's what's cool about that kind of insider orientation is, whatever the external situation, the insider orientation doesn't really change.
Andrew Vontz 38:56
When you have a race weekend, at what point do you start to become nervous? or feeling anxiety?
Christopher Blevins 39:03
Yeah, I mean, a couple of days before you just feel in a way like the blinders go on. You're, you're focused and that the race nerves are going to be a part of it, as long as I'm a racer, and any, you know, young rider, like I tell him that, like, you're never not going to be nervous, and that's a good thing. But your relationship to the nerves will probably change and hopefully, you'll see them as like you're welcome them in a way they're good thing. But yeah, really depends how I'm feeling and everything but a couple of days before I start to get a little bit more refined, energy wise, I guess, towards the goal.
Andrew Vontz 39:47
Does it become much more intense as you get closer to the race or at this point? Can you just keep it at a kind of modulated level?
Christopher Blevins 39:55
Yeah, I mean, I'm, I think a pretty relaxed person. Um, at the same time, like I can, I can have a lot of intensity, do it all, but be relaxed at the same time. So yeah. Again, the downtime that we have, we spend so much time, sometimes five hours before the race day, where you're just there sitting there, you know, with your legs up. And it's hard to not let yourself be distracted or leaped to something else, scroll on your phone or whatever, and just kind of sit with the nerves. And that's, that's a challenge. Like, I definitely fall into that sometimes. But there's a lot of uniqueness to each race, and depends on really how I'm feeling and how I kind of respond to it. But in general, it's kind of a balance of being relaxed and intense.
Andrew Vontz 40:55
How do you process a race? What are like the 20 minutes immediately following a race like for you? And is it the same if you've won? Or if you've run into a pole, or does it vary?
Christopher Blevins 41:08
Yeah, I mean, it's a really, like, obvious, you know, feedback. What happened, what your result is? So, for sure, like the whole inner process, you know, some, it's important, but the reality is, we're there to win. And you're going to be disappointed if you didn't have a good race, result wise, but so it takes a little while to like, balance those two and let yourself realize that, yeah, if it was a bad result, but you gave it everything, you can still be proud of it. Sometimes that takes weeks, right. But in the immediate aftermath, you can't really trust your mind when you're just exhausted, in a lot of ways trust your thoughts, because you're going to, they're not going to be fully rational sometimes. But I do like the feeling of contentment when you're Yeah, at the end of a race, and you did everything you could.
Andrew Vontz 42:07
How did it feel when you won the Short Track World Championship relative to other victories that you've had? Yeah,
Christopher Blevins 42:14
any of those really big ones didn't feel fully, you know, real took a while to process and at the same time, though, like you've crossed the finish line, you won, you got this fancy jersey with stripes on it. But nothing's really changed, right? You still got to go back and eat dinner and go to sleep that night, and probably train the next day, or race the next day. So and the same thing goes when it's a bad race, like nothing really changed your projection of how you did or other people's projections are always going to be changing. But you know, the result, whether it's a good one or a bad one doesn't really change how you are right after it.
Andrew Vontz 42:58
Part of mindfulness, of course, is just to try to be here now and not to time travel into the past or projected into the future. Yet, I would love for you to do that right now. So when you look ahead, you know, whether it's as a musician, someone with a production company, as a professional cyclists, what are the achievements that you really, really deeply care about? And would like to make happen in your life?
Christopher Blevins 43:24
Yeah, well, I definitely want to win some more bike races, you know, if I can get a medal at the Olympics, that's obviously career defining. And just continue. I'm at a point 26 Now where I'm entering like the peak my career and be going as fast as I'll ever go. So I want to see what that is, and be the best I can be. And I know that that if I am doing that, then I can win any race I line up for. But I really, overall, you know, endeavors to share the gift of the sport that I've been that been so lucky to be in for 20 years. And just connect with people. Go ride with kids like make it super fun and ground level. But then also just think of ways to bring it at a more systemic systemic level. And the bike the bike is just a tool I have at my disposal. So like when I was talking about the nonprofit and the Navajo Nation, work like that, there's so much you can do through the bike to connect with people and I know I'll continue to do that once I'm retired. But I also don't know yet what I'll doing what I'll be doing. I don't want to know. And I don't know when I'm going to retire right now. It's just this year that I'm thinking about.
Andrew Vontz 44:51
You mentioned your your meditation teacher and it sounds like that person is an important mentor that's played up A big role in the trajectory of who you are and where you're going. Who are other people who played a big role in shaping who you are really open your eyes? To unlock? Who you fully are.
Christopher Blevins 45:14
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, my teacher, Patrick, Patrick Sweeney, in bet him 2019. And yeah, he's just, you know, amazing with his, how much he gives to my journey of trying to be the best I can be. But it's a racer, but you know, really just as a human, and there's just an undivided, you know, sense of care and interest in that endeavor from him. But there's tons of coaches I've had, since I was five years old, from, you know, BMX coach, Jason Rogers, who was probably a 20 year old at the time was like, throw cones in me on the corners to simulate like, people dive bombing you and was just this guy, great, you know, fun coach to be around. And during go Devo with Chad Cheney, who was really like a you Chad is, you know, been talked about, when people asked about during a go SAP and others been. Chad is really, like, always tethered to the love of riding your bike, like he doesn't really care about intervals are numbers. But he cares about that new trail that someone just built that secret trail that he built. And he's always going to kind of steer kids towards the love of riding your bike. So that was huge for me as a kid. And then my dad has been my right hand, man since I was five years old, and, you know, trains and races like a pro himself, and has, has been just endlessly involved in my career and the success of it in my mom as well, my sister who used to race and is now in med school, crushing it. So yeah, I've had tons of support. And I could I could talk about that for another hour. But for sure, it's just an amazing network of people.
Andrew Vontz 47:22
Do you feel like winning an Olympic gold medal would be the ultimate Apex for across country? mountain biker?
Christopher Blevins 47:30
Yeah, I mean, it is the the result. You know, we don't have a Tour de France. The Olympics is the Olympics. So? Yes.
Andrew Vontz 47:39
What do you think about the course? How does it suit you?
Christopher Blevins 47:42
I think it's a really good course from you haven't written it yet. But I will, in a month or so. And I've heard it's a really good one for me.
Andrew Vontz 47:50
Will you win an Olympic gold medal?
Christopher Blevins 47:53
We shall see, shall we? I mean, I definitely know I can. So obviously, there's 1000. Well, it's 1000 ways you can go. There are probably 10 People who can win an Olympic medal, and only three of them only one gold. So when you've got the likes of Nino and Tom Pidcock, and others to go against, you know, it's a it's a hard battle to win. But I'll definitely yeah, I'll be there for what
Andrew Vontz 48:27
do you think of Pidcock and Vanderpol? I mean, you mentioned cigar, and I am really curious to see what happens if he ends up I don't know if if he still has the possibility of getting an Olympic slot. But what is it like having these galacticos in the mix?
Christopher Blevins 48:41
Yeah, I mean, I think Tom is one of the most talented bike racers ever. And he's just a damn good racer. He just knows how to how to win. So he's always hard to beat. And that's, you know, in whatever discipline. Nino is the goat. He's the Michael Jordan of our sport. I look up to him so much. It's I mean, Vanderpol Vanderpool or more can you say? So yeah, it's really interesting. The the cross develop cross discipline riders, and I've been like that myself. And even though I've chosen not to do too much World Tour racing. The definitely I think people are realizing like, if you're a good bike racer, it doesn't matter what kind of like your own. And you have to be someone like there's only there's only two people like Tom and Vanderpool, who are who they are. And it's really cool to be in the sport at the same time as them. But, you know, we all work as hard as we can, and we all have a chance to win.
Andrew Vontz 49:51
Well, whatever happens at the Olympics, I wish you presidents to the experience.
Christopher Blevins 49:56
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that. It's really it right? You only get that moment once
Andrew Vontz 50:02
awesome well Christopher thanks for being here and thanks for this awesome conversation I really appreciate it yeah
Christopher Blevins 50:08
thank you great to chat and hope to visit the Plum Village Sangha at some point awesome