For the Love of the Sport: Business Alumnus Christopher Blevins Overcame Serious Injuries to Compete in the Olympics

A fractured skull. Two broken wrists. A pair of broken elbows.

These are some of the injuries that Christopher Blevins has suffered for the love of his sport. Yet, despite lingering impacts – such as being deaf in his left ear from the skull fracture – the Orfalea College of Business alumnus continues to compete in cross-country mountain biking, representing the United States in both the Paris and Tokyo Olympics.

“Thankfully, it didn’t impact my balance because it fractured through the inner part of my ear,” said Blevins (Entrepreneurship, ’21). “But I’ve gotten really good at walking on the left of people.”

Blevins finished in 13th out of 36 in Paris this summer and is part of a movement of U.S. cyclists making gains in the Olympics.

In cross-country mountain biking, the riders race against each other by completing many laps of rocky and hilly terrain. Then, whoever crosses the finish line first after completing all the laps wins the gold.

“It’s the places you go and the different environments you can ride in that make it special,” Blevins said. “You can ride a mountain bike pretty much anywhere.”

Christoper Blevins, competing during the Olympics. Mountain bikers ride over a variety of rugged and rocky terrain, which can be dangerous. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Blevins)

Early Years

Born in Durango, Colorado, at five years old, Blevins started competing in BMX races with his dad. The two started traveling around the nation for the BMX circuit and continued to do that for about a decade.

“I was totally hooked from then on,” Blevins said.

At about 10 years old, he started mountain biking and road bike racing, winning eight national championships.

Blevins’s family was a big influence, especially since his sister, Kaylee, competed in cross-country mountain biking. Growing up in Durango also influenced him since cycling is popular, which is partially why his family moved there.

“Durango is a small town with 20,000 people or so, but we’ve had someone in the Olympics since 2000 just in mountain biking,” he said.

College Years

“For me, picking Cal Poly was largely for reasons outside of riding my bike,” Blevins said. “It’s a school I would want to attend even if I weren’t trying to attend the Olympics. I could take quarters off to travel from March into September for racing, and the weather in San Luis Obispo was a huge draw. One of my best friends [Anders Johnson] was my teammate and was my roommate for all five years. I think people expected me to stay in Colorado, but it was the best thing for my cycling career and life in general to go to Cal Poly.”

Blevins mountain biked many San Luis Obispo County places, such as Cuesta Grade, Irish Hills, and Montaña de Oro.

“There’s so much out there in San Luis Obispo,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of really cool places, but the trails are super scenic.”

While studying business at Cal Poly, future Olympian Christopher Blevins used to ride the various trails in San Luis Obispo County. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Blevins)

Even though he was away from home, he had a support system while at Cal Poly through his roommate, Johnson, who is pursuing the Los Angeles Olympics in track cycling.

“We were just doing the same things day in and day out, you know, training and coming back and studying,” Blevins said. “Anders played a significant role in helping me balance things.”

Faced with many concentration options at Cal Poly, he decided to pursue entrepreneurship.

“Well, essentially, being a pro athlete, you’re an entrepreneur, especially in an individual sport, like mountain biking,” Blevins said. “I use a lot of the skills I learned in my entrepreneurship degree, like the way of thinking and approaching problems and opportunities.”

One of the classes that stuck with Blevins was a social entrepreneur class, which was a mix of sociology and entrepreneurship. Additionally, he connected with his entrepreneurial finance professor, Thomas Katona, who is also a cyclist, even though he took the class online during COVID-19.

“Blevins has been very thoughtful about exploring and understanding those who follow professional athletes like him, what drives them, and how he can use his talents to provide value to the broader community and make an impact that extends beyond professional cycling,” Katona said. “That focus on value creation for others using both his talents as a cyclist and the skills he’s developed beyond riding come from thinking entrepreneurially. These characteristics are helping him get the most out of both his professional career and will help him leverage that career to continue creating value in different ways when he eventually retires from professional racing.”

Volunteer

“The approach that I’ve learned through entrepreneurship courses is how to think beyond the race, like the immediate things that I’m focusing on as a racer, and how to connect people,” Blevins said. “I’m interested in how the sport can help people and build community.”

While at Cal Poly, he learned about a volunteer opportunity at juvenile halls through a sociology class. Blevins volunteered with Restorative Partners, where he helped kids at the juvenile hall in San Luis Obispo. Another passion of Blevins is making music, so he used his interest to help teach kids how to play the guitar, read, and write, according to Mustang News.

“There are a lot of programs that I enjoy trying to support and learn from, like using the bike as a tool for social youth empowerment,” he said. “There’s a lot of applications of how the bike can build community, but the one I’m connected to is in the Navajo Nation called Silver Stallion.”

According to Bicycling website, Silver Stallion “is a nonprofit bike and coffee shop with a mission to empower and develop youth and young adults’ vocational skills in the bicycle repair and specialty coffee industries.”

Blevins enjoys learning from others, and their experiences have made him appreciative.

“The bike is a cool way to connect with people,” Blevins said.

Cal Poly alumnus Christopher Blevins is part of a trend of Americans faring better in Olympic mountain biking. This year, despite a flat tire, he improved on his performance in the Tokyo Olumpics. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Blevins)

Hobbies

While finishing college, Blevins founded a creative studio production company called Stilspoke.

“We are trying to tell deeper stories about the sport of cycling and other sports,” he said. “It’s been fun doing it with friends and has been more of a passion project.”

They have made booklets and videos for various companies and teams. Additionally, they have created video content for athletes and events.

“There’s a cool one coming out with Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit of outdoor athletes advocating for climate,” he said.

Tokyo Olympics

As a kid, Blevins enjoyed riding all kinds of bikes, but he narrowed his focus to mountain biking when he committed to trying to qualify for Tokyo.

“I think people expected me to stay in Colorado, but it was the best thing for my cycling career and life in general to go to Cal Poly.”

Christopher Blevins

Since the Olympics were pushed back a year, Blevins was allowed to graduate before competing.

Due to COVID-19, he had no family or friends there to cheer him on, but he would go on to have a different experience in Paris.

“I was just so excited to be an Olympian,” Blevins said.

Blevins qualified as the only American cross-country mountain biker for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and finished 14th overall.

Christopher Blevins, who began competing in mountain bike competitions as a child, is now a 2-time Olympian.

Paris Olympics

Blevins then qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics with fellow American Riley Amos, who is also from Durango.

Amos made history in the race, finishing seventh, the best finish for an American in this event. Todd Wells, who finished 10th in London 2012, previously had the best finish for an American. This is the first time the U.S. has featured two athletes in the event since the 2012 games.

“It kind of felt like college here; you’ve got the dining hall and people walking around,” he said. “You’re kind of wondering what sport they play. I met Simone Biles and went to the beach volleyball court under the Eiffel Tower.”

Blevins had a great start to the race and was positioned well halfway through, but then he had a flat tire, causing him to lose about a minute. Additionally, his shoulder got cut up from clipping a tree, leading to him crossing the finish line bleeding, according to VeloNews.

“It would have been exciting to see where I could have been without it, but it’s a part of the sport that unfortunately had to happen in the Olympics,” he said.

Great Britain’s Thomas Pidcock, the favored biker who won the event during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finished first after having an incredible comeback.

Hoping to crack the top 10, Blevins was slowed down by the issues, finishing 13th.

Unable to participate in the closing ceremony because of more racing to do, Blevins is looking to compete in the next summer Olympics.

“There’s so much that can happen between now and then, but I definitely would love to be back and race in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,” Blevins said.

Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurships helps not only students concentrating on entreprenurship but also students from all colleges who wish to launch a startup. Your support for the CIE helps provide students the skills, knowledge and connections needed to make a positive impact.

Give Now