The Dirt

Alright, seeing as this is my first post, I suppose it would be beneficial to get the background info down. My name is Alex Pavon, I am 20 years old, from Flagstaff, Arizona, and I love being outside--particularly if I am riding a bicycle.

Like any kid, I learned to ride a bike as soon as I was competent at walking; however, for a good chunk of time, biking was simply a mode of transportation. I grew up ski racing, living in Aspen, Colorado during the winters and racing for AVSC. During the off-season we would train, sometimes we would ride bikes, but never anything too difficult or long. In fact, it wasn't until the summer of 2012 that I really began my biking career.

My love affair with biking came about in an interesting way. In February of 2011 I was racing a downhill at US Nationals, I crashed and ended up tearing my ACL, MCL, LCL, lateral and medial meniscus, my biceps femoris (hamstring), and fracturing my femur in my left leg. After two surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, I started riding bikes to help get my strength back. Now mind you, I was riding a 1997 Specialized Rockhopper up and down the urban trail behind my house--it wasn't until I got myself lost on a forest service road, stumbled upon some awesome single track and ended up 25 miles from my house, that I realized what I was missing. That was the moment I decided that biking was going to become more a part of my life.

I raced to more seasons with AVSC, through April 2013, before I decided to retire from ski racing and fully commit to biking. I no longer ride that sweet Specialized Rockhopper, rather I ride a Santa Cruz Solo C. Six mile rides are no longer the norm, rather they are usually 20 miles or more. I started racing enduro (and some XC for fun) in the summer of 2013, competing in the Big Mountain Enduro Series. I had two 3rd place finishes, one win, and ended up second overall in the season standings. Now, After a solid winter and spring of riding and working on all kinds of skills and techniques, I am feeling more comfortable and confident than ever. I rode well at the two PCA Winter Enduro races I went to, finishing not far behind one of the faster chicks I know.With the first official race of season next weekend (Enduro Cup in Moab), I'm getting really excited. I'll be racing pro this season and if I can ride to my full ability I think I will do well. Of course, it will be learning season and I hope to grow my skill set and improve my riding.

I will try my best to keep this blog up-to-date, otherwise the links in the side bar to my results will always be updated, and my adventures are usually on instagram!