Coming Full Circle
Photos by: Snowy Mountain Photography
I’m not going to lie, when I agreed to go to the Redlands Bicycle Classic to direct the Gateway Devo Cycling team, I felt slightly heartbroken knowing I wasn’t going to be the one pinning on a race number on my jersey. I started racing seriously when I was 16 so you can imagine that the feelings of adrenaline, strength, pain and my love for the sport and my teammates all came rushing to the surface. As I grew up chasing after my cycling dream my first 2 coaches, Hector Ivan Palacio and Javier Montoya were very influential. They taught me the most in cycling and connected me to the right opportunities to continue to develop my passion which ultimately has played a part in me being a director at the 2019 Redlands Classic.
I’m super grateful that while I raced I always took the time to notice and create an in-tune awareness for what was happening around me. This grown ability to read into different moves and to have a sense for how another rider is feeling or going to react in a race is not an easy task. Sharing this intuition previously with teammates and now as a director is very important to me and I believe very important for any competitive racer. My transition from racing to directing for the first time was what I expected for the most part. I have always looked up to my directors and staff for what they do, and would always try to make there job easier. Gateway Devo Cycling 2019 squad did just that for me and put in a lot of work. I personally developed a “work horse” attitude from my parents, I grew up watching them work so much and complete the jobs they had in hand. Regardless, they still had the time to be happy and this made an impact on me. Growing up in Colombia also opened my eyes to a lot of different things and helped me to realize that with help everything is much easier. I know when I help someone that this will come back to me in someway or another, and that makes it all worth it. Passing on my Colombian culture is something I am very proud of.
What makes me the happiest is that we achieved all the goals we set at the beginning of the week. The commitment of the riders and the intentional good environment we tried to set for the week paid off. Obviously there are always some setbacks, but we were all able to overcome these problems and concentrate on everything that was within our reach.
I left Redlands Bicycle Classic super happy with some of the best Redland's results the team has had in its history! #SoProud of the guys for putting in the work necessary and for the synergy of such a good mix of riders and friends. I was also stoked to receive some positive feedback and tips to help me in my journey on continuing to improve so I can have more chances in the role as director.
Thanks to Gateway Devo Cycling for believing in me and thanks to all their sponsors, family’s and friends that help all of us enjoy #livinglifeontwowheels!
-Dennis
