On Sept.16, local teen David Quigley participated in the Gravel Rush, a mountain biking race that starts in Nucla, goes out to Third Park, on to Uravan, back to Naturita, and then finishes in Nucla. In total the race consisted of 50 miles, though a 73-mile option also existed.
Quigley is a junior at Nucla High School and has been in the area since 2017. Throughout his time in the West End, he has found a love for riding bikes, though he is also an avid gymkhana competitor and competes in barrel racing, pole bending and other events on a horse.
When he first moved to Nucla, he would just ride a bike around town. About two years ago, he started trail riding a little bit more — “nothing special,” he said.
Quigley found out about the Gravel Rush from local resident Brock Benson, owner and operator of bike shop Paradox Cycle in Naturita. From time to time, Quigley would work with Benson on the bikes that the shop takes in for inventory, and he’s now an intern with Paradox Cycle.
Benson first mentioned the Gravel Rush to Quigley. At first, the teen was a little skeptical; he had never ridden in a bike race before, and he didn’t have a good bike for the event. Benson offered use of a bike to Quigley, if he wanted to compete.
After some thought, the high school junior decided to ride in the race, and he started to train for it. That meant riding around the town of Nucla. Some days he would go up the airport road and ride on cow trails he found up there.
As the big race approached, he said was feeling a bundle of emotions. Having never ridden in a race before, he didn’t know what to expect. When race day came, he said he was full of excitement.
For the majority of the Gravel Rush, Quigley said that he rode alone, but he met people along the way. The terrain was pretty rocky, and there were a lot of uphill portions.
“That was the hardest part of the race,” he said.
He added in an event like the Gravel Rush, there's a good chance that a bike might start having problems. Luckily, his bike ran smoothly without any issues.
The 50 miles took Quigley six hours, 24 minutes and 22 seconds to complete.
“It was great,” he said. “I felt really happy and accomplished.”
He said his family was very proud of him, and happy that he had participated.
Regarding bicycling, in general, he said “it's a lot of fun, there's a lot of exercise in it, hopefully it will get me ready for this year's track season.”
Going forward, Quigley will be looking out for more races or events like the Gravel Rush to participate in.
Race organizer Tim Tait said he was proud of the teen’s accomplishment.
“David is a talented athlete and a respectable young man,” he said over the weekend.
Tait added if other youth in the West End are interested in taking on the challenge next year, they can contact him at westendgravelrush@gmail.com or talk directly with Benson at Paradox Cycle.
“The Gravel Rush would be happy to offer spots to local youth that are interested in tackling this challenge, and Brock would be the support line on equipment and gear,” he said.
