The idea was simple: take the gobs and gobs of young, talented kids flowing out of NICA and give them a pathway to higher levels of racing. But that takes coaching, logistics, sponsors, and money.
The coaching came from Eric Frazier, Chris Mileski, John Rines, Jay Thomas, and myself. The wrenching came from Brian Gainer. The fits came from James Caudright. We had a board that consisted of Josh Clark, Karen Melton, Kellie Gavin, and Deanna Kakouris. Without these people, XC Devo didn't happen.
What also made it happen: Sponsors. We had a lot of people rooting for us, and laying down in-kind or big cash. Extreme Electrical. Lou Fusz Subaru. Roots MTB. Ignite Fit Studio. Fitness in the Fast Lane. Yomo. Westwood Catering. Equilibrium Mental Health. Neurodivergent Designs. Hincapie Sports Wear. Carbs Fuel.
And we can't finish this post without the driving force behind it all: The Beautiful Mrs. K. Yes, Deanna is the hurricane at the front of (and behind) the scenes, of this whole endeavor. A special shout out to Nathan Goff, the man behind Extreme Electrical, for being game for whatever and whenever to get the team off the ground and produce the ICC Challenge, a race the Midwest mountain bike community has wholeheartedly embraced.
A big thanks to all. A big shout out to the athletes who put their hearts and hard work into this first season.
