It’s About Much More Than Biking
If you ask 10 people in Durango, Colorado what Durango Devo(Opens in a new window) is, you’ll probably get 10 different responses. In general, folks will probably tell you that it’s a youth mountain biking organization. Some people may emphasize the organization’s racing success and famous alumni (Tour de France star Sepp Kuss, Olympians like Howard Grotts, Riley Amos, and Chris Blevins, and upcoming rippers like Bailey Cioppa and Ivan Sippy). Others might mention Devo’s youngest riders, the ultra-cute Push Bikers and Preschoolers that are a feature on Durango-area trails. Still others might talk about community events Devo throws.
I stepped into my role as Devo’s Executive Director nearly two years ago. In that time, I’ve been continually amazed by the fact that “Durango Devo” means very different things to different folks in our community. In getting to know the organization more fully, I’ve come to understand that Devo’s amorphous identity is simply the logical result of a simple fact: Devo wears a lot of hats in Durango.
Devo is a youth development organization. Our mission is to “build lifelong cyclists, one ride at a time.” For 20 years, we’ve achieved this mission by running team-based, fun-focused cycling programs for Durango’s young shredders. Currently, we ride with nearly 1,000 athletes each year. These individuals will leave their Devo program with bike skills, of course, but also with confidence in their own independence, an appreciation for the beautiful world that surrounds our town, and an understanding of how to be a good teammate and friend.
Devo is a community cycling organization. We host events and programs that bring people together – kids, of course, but also parents, young adults, retirees, and anyone else who loves exploring on two-wheels.
Devo is an event organizer. We host big, public parties for people in Durango – our community’s 4th of July luncheon, our annual Bike Swap that marks the unofficial start of bike season, and many more.
Devo is a community outreach program. We support programs and deliver work that reaches the most vulnerable in our community, and give kids who often feel left behind the chance to have some fun, and to be a part of something.
One could argue that Devo wears too many hats. That our scope is too broad to make sense, let alone make a real impact in any one area. Heck, I’ve felt that way myself when things are at their busiest and most hectic!
Upon reflection, I’d argue the reality is just the opposite: Devo is able to make an incredible, positive impact in Durango because the organization is so broad and wears so many hats.
As a multifaceted organization supporting so many different elements of Durango-life, Devo is uniquely positioned to lift up young people from all corners of our community, in all kinds of ways. Here’s an example:
In early May, Devo hosted a ride with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado. The ride was a part of our ongoing partnership with that organization, designed to share the joy of cycling with young people who might not otherwise find Devo and our programs. On that ride, our coaches were struck by the enthusiasm and stoke-for-cycling that one rider (we’ll call him George), showed throughout. Like any middle school boy, he was particularly eager to seek out jumps he could hit.
Two weeks later, on the weekend of Devo’s annual Bike Swap, Aleah, who is a Devo alumni herself and now the school nurse at a local middle school, got in touch with us. She had noticed that one of her at-risk students was no longer biking to school. His bike had been stolen from outside his family’s home.
We invited Aleah to bring that student over to the Swap a day early to look for a bike. When they arrived, we were greeted by a joyful “hey Devo people!” – the student Aleah was looking out for was none other than George himself. After a few test rides on a number of ill-fitting bikes, George found a mountain bike he loved. A generous Devo donor who was volunteering at Swap-seupt stepped in to cover the cost of getting him all kitted out (with a new helmet too, of course!).
Fast forward to this fall: our team knew we needed to reconnect with George, and feed his budding excitement about biking. With some careful outreach and support, and the help of our friends at Big Brothers Big Sisters, we were able to connect with George and his family and, eventually, get him enrolled in our afterschool U14 program. Now, George is riding this fall on that same bike he got at the Bike Swap, and with the support of a full program scholarship from the Devo Scholarship Fund.
Fast forward to this fall: our team knew we needed to reconnect with George, and feed his budding excitement about biking. With some careful outreach and support, and the help of our friends at Big Brothers Big Sisters, we were able to connect with George and his family and, eventually, get him enrolled in our afterschool U14 program. Now, George is riding this fall on that same bike he got at the Bike Swap, and with the support of a full program scholarship from the Devo Scholarship Fund.
Ultimately, George’s story reveals the core goal of what Devo does: we aim to connect with young people, no matter their level of cycling experience or their family’s resources, share the magic of cycling and outdoor recreation with them, and then support them as they dig deeper and grow more confident.
We achieve that goal through all kinds of pathways: collaborative partnerships with organizations that support underserved groups (like Big Brothers Big Sisters), community events (like our Bike Swap), and targeted support (like our $35,000+ per year Devo Scholarship Fund).
So, please consider supporting Durango Devo(Opens in a new window). You can trust that your dollars will go towards building an outdoor and cycling community that includes everyone, towards developing confident, caring, and brave young people, and towards welcoming young people into our outdoor recreation community who otherwise might not feel that this is the place for them. It’s about much more than biking.