Mountain Biking

MTB Racing on Foot at the Durham Durango
September 15, 2002 Durham Forest
by Andres Llanos

(I've touched on Andres' inspiring display of resolve in my Durham Durango story. However, it's best to get the juice from "the man" himself. Below is his email -- TheLoneRider)

Hello! My name is Andres Llanos the guy who broke his chain at the Durham Forest race!

I was very excited to read the note you published in your website! Also I really appreciate the recognition you gave me because such thing not only makes me feel very proud of my effort but in addition it might encourage many of your readers to never quit and never give up!

Just to comment on the actual race, here is a mini-version of the event from my perspective.

Taking that it was my first-ever mountain bike race, everything was going pretty well until the 16th or 18th km (30km total) when my chain snapped... (it had happened the day before at Hardwood Hills too). Anyway, I was pretty pissed off about it... but instead of throwing my bike to the ditch, I picked it up and started running with it all the way to the finish line. At the end I managed to be in 16th place in my category (between 18-29 years)out of 21 riders!

The great thing however, was the response I got from most the other riders (including yourself!) while I was pushing my bike. They gave me a ton of encouragement so I kept it going and going. One guy even said to me while going up hill, "Hey man... slow it down...you're making me look bad".

Finally, I am definitely ready to embrace this sport head on! I can see that mountain biking is a passion for you and I hope one day I have a good chat with you and learn a few pointers on how to be a great mountain dude like yourself! (blush - TheLoneRider)

-- Andres Llanos

Comments?

Reader Comments:

Jeff Shikaze (November 25, 2002)
Andres! That is awesome! I've seen all too many riders quit with less severe damages. Two tips from my limited experience.

• Always carry :
1. a multitool (including a chain tool - you can get really light ones)
2. spare tube and small pump
• Always replace a broken chain with a new one. If a chain breaks, there is usually another weak link. I really like SRAM. If you use them you can carry a spare quick link which makes trailside repairs really fast.

Andres Llanos (October 1, 2002)
Thank you very much once again for bringing my story to so many people. It's awesome! Your webpage and your devotion as a mountain biker has also inspired me to continue the pursuit of my own personal passion and dreams.
Keep it up! And be sure I will help promote mountain biking as a sport wherever possible.