Pro Cyclists Rally for Elementary Students

Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School students are riding high, thanks to a visit from two local cycling stars. You're watching the Local News Network, brought to you by FASTSIGNS Durango and Durango Gelato Coffee and Tea. I'm Connor Shreve. Professional mountain bike racers, Todd Wells and Riley Amos, recently visited Durango School District 9-R's smallest school, where students greeted the pair with awestruck smiles.

Not many places in the world you can be superstars riding your bike. So I think it's so cool we got to interact a bit with the local community, with the kids, hopefully inspired them to chase their dreams, maybe on a bike or doing something else, but yeah, super special part of our community, and super happy to get to talk to our kids.

Both riders shared their Olympic experiences with the kids. Wells appreciated their enthusiasm.

Oh, it's awesome. I have a 10-year-old kid, so I'm pretty familiar with the elementary school, just those ages, and it's awesome. They're all happy, excited, and it's just, if they take anything away from this, it's great.

Topics ranged from bike parts to Olympic medals and training. Amos is fresh off the best Olympic cross country mountain bike finish of any American, and says he drew from personal experience to help inspire the students.

A lot of these kids don't get to do so many different things in and outside of school, and a bike is something you can always do and get to your friend's house out here, build a jump in the yard and just gives kids an outlet and an avenue for their energy, and that's what happened to me, and it got to take me some pretty cool places. So hope to get to share that with them too.

FLMES is about 15 miles southwest of Durango, and headliners often bypass the school. That inspired multiple national champion and Olympian, Wells. He drew parallels between sports and the skills outlined in the district's portrait of a graduate vision.

Inspiring them to do whatever passion it is they have and they see, maybe they like something that there's not a lot of opportunity or everyone tells them it's not possible for them to see someone, interact with someone in their community that had a love for something and was able to take it to the highest level, I feel like that resonates with kids of all ages.

Organizers hope the event builds support for a community bike track nearby. Many of Durango's top professional racers started on the BMX circuit, and Wells along with Amos are excited for that possibility.

We got a lot of really cool bike infrastructure in town from our trails, like you said, Mesa Park, just a lot of in-town stuff, and to give these kids out here a taste, so that would be super cool. I could only dream of having something like a pump track to go play at recess would just be unreal, so.

Wells and Amos hope the event helps students gear up for greatness as they both prepare for successful seasons of their own. You can learn more about this and other stories at durangolocal.news. Thanks for watching this edition of The Local News Network. I'm Connor Shreve.