Cycling Oklahoma
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Cycling Oklahoma
Dempsey Cifuentes: Cycling and Family
What if cycling could transform your life and bring you closer to your roots? In this episode, we sit down with Dempsey Cifuentes, a fast and friendly cyclist whose journey from a small village in Guatemala to the competitive circuits of the USA is nothing short of inspiring. From receiving his first bike as a gift from his father to riding alongside his cousin Emerson, Dempsey's story is a testament to the power of family, hard work, and the unbreakable bonds that fuel his passion for the sport. Join us for a conversation that goes beyond the race track, unveiling the dedication and resilience that define Dempsey's path.
Start your ride with us as we explore Dempsey's personal and family journey, marked by their move to America and their collective love for cycling. Hear about the challenges and joys of adapting to a new life in the U.S. and the supportive community, including the Brick Squad, that has rallied around Dempsey. Through this heartfelt narrative, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the transformative power of cycling and the tight-knit community that supports one of its own. Whether you're a cycling enthusiast or simply love a good story of perseverance and passion, this episode is sure to inspire.
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What is up cycling Oklahoma?
Speaker 1:I'm super excited to have you back for another episode Again. It's another great one. This one was with Dempsey and I am not. Me and Dempsey have ridden together in group rides several times and but we've never chatted outside of saying hi, and you know small talk as we go. So this was a really cool episode for me to sit down and talk with someone who I don't know. I don't know the history, I don't know true racing results.
Speaker 1:I followed Dempsey from afar for a while because he's a super fast dude and just so incredibly nice and always smiling and happy, and so I always cheer for him and root for him and have always appreciated how incredibly fast and fit he is in such a short time, especially for being such a young man, and so I'm very excited to sit down and talk with him, and so this episode is really fun. I had a great time getting to know Dempsey. I mean, he really truly is an incredibly kind soul, just a very happy man who enjoys riding his bike more than anything like really outside of his family. I think that was the takeaway from this, his story. We don't get into all of his details of his upbringing and his childhood and his life and stuff like that. But I think you'll get some inspiration from his story of his family, of them coming to America, the hard work that they put in every single day, how much they love each other and support each other and enjoy each other's company, along with bike rides. So I think there's so much to this outside of man. Dempsey's a fast dude and he goes real fast in circles and he crushes souls on the bicycle. There's so much more to this episode that is much deeper than just a bicycle and I I really enjoyed his time. I really appreciated him being open about his uh, life's journey and story with his family, and so I really hope you enjoy this episode. I greatly enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Um, and I have a not a new respect for Dempsey cause I always respected him but a new understanding of him and, uh, what's driving him to be as fast as he can be and to achieve the, the levels that he's hoping to achieve, and it just makes me root for him so much more. So if you see Dempsey out on the course or out training or at Wheeler or any of the races, say hi, great guy, super smiley, and any of his family, if you go to the Wheeler crits or any other crits around Oklahoma. You're probably going to see the kits say that, say brick squad, that's, that's Dempsey's family Incredibly nice people Every one of them that I've ever talked to in small talk and saying hi to have always been in so happy, so nice and, uh, a really supportive group of people, and so support them. Um, the brick squad uh is a really fun group and I hope you go say hi to them at the at the races. His dad has his own company. I'm going to put the link for his Facebook page in our show notes. So, if you have any brickwork and we talk about what they do at the end of the episodes if you have any needs, hey, hit them up because, again, we like to support people that support our community. And if you have work and somebody in our community is doing that job, you should hit them up and you should seek out them. Let's support each other. Let's support each other's businesses, each other's goals on and off the bike, and I think that's a perfect transition into More Overhead Doors, who is our sponsor for this episode.
Speaker 1:More Overhead Door has stepped up for gosh about a year or so now, supporting the podcast and what cycling Oklahoma is doing and trying to do in the background and putting together some things, some great resources for our cycling community. And without more overhead doors, uh, support, sponsorship dollars, uh, to cycling Oklahoma, this stuff wouldn't be possible because I can't fund all of it by myself. So I greatly appreciate more overhead door. If you have any garage door needs, if you've had any storm damage from the spring, if you're building a new house, if you got some summer maintenance that needs to happen to your garage door, please hit them up. They actually have some really cool, exciting news coming in this fall and hopefully I can share that on the Instagram page really really soon that they are getting behind more cycling uh activities in our community and really supporting and putting their money where their mouth is and where their passion is in our cycling community. So let's support them. More overhead door Couldn't do it without them. Thank you guys so much. Um, it's more as in like the city, more um, go see them, look them up on on More Overhead Door. Their phone number is 799-9214. Great group of people, 799-9214. But again, be nice to each other, smile, wave, go play bikes, check out CyclingOklahomacom More and more things coming on there.
Speaker 1:This is a really long intro and I'm sorry, but I'm super excited about what we're doing on cyclingoklahomacom. It's going to be a great resource for gravel and mountain bike people, for women's cycling, for all the things. I'm really trying to pull a bunch of things together there. We have more coming. Our blog is up. We have two or three posts up there currently. More coming. There are guest riders who are taking care of the blog and going to be putting up their own spin on on things. So I'm really, really excited. Uh, for that. I can't thank Marty enough for uh chiming in and helping with our maintenance blog. Um, chris Drummond is doing the mountain bike blog. Tiffany and Rose are going to step up and do a women's blog. Um, I do believe I have someone setting up to do the bike packing blog. So we have more and more topics that are going to be on there. You can download gravel routes, find mountain bike trails, go on there. Believe me, it is version 1.0. It is very rough. More to come and it's going to get better.
Speaker 1:Cyclingoklahomacom. I do need sponsorship dollars to promote this and to get this where I want. I am looking to do this through government entities. So if you have a connection to a government entity, oklahoma tourism, a local community, anything that has to do with grants. Please reach out and let me know, because I'm trying to do this and help Oklahoma tourism bring people into our rural areas, bring people into our small towns, tell the history about our small towns, about our amazing routes across Oklahoma, have really cool things that I want to do with this and that we can do with this as a community.
Speaker 1:But I need your help. If you have ideas, if you have ways to help me do this, if you have topics or suggestions, I am all ears. Please let me know. Thank you so much for tuning in. Sorry this is so long and really really hope you enjoy this amazing episode with Dempsey. Go play bikes and go enjoy outside. All right, dempsey, this is going to be a good one, because I didn't look anything up about you, because I wanted this to be like I'm learning too. Okay, because normally I kind of know the gist of who I'm talking with you. I just know you basically from CU racing or group rides. I don't really know much about you, so I think this is going to be a good one for me to learn as well, and so if I miss something, make sure to bring it up.
Speaker 2:Okay, so if you have any good stories yeah, I hope I can I can tell you more about me, okay.
Speaker 1:Well, first off, let's start with just kind of tell us, I guess, your name, how old you are, and let's start with how you, how you got into riding bikes.
Speaker 2:Okay, my name is Dempsey Cifuentes. I am 21 years old. I started riding bikes when I was a little kid. I just did it for fun. At that point I wasn't taking it so serious how I am now. But I started riding my bike in Guatemala, where I grew up. It started where I lived in a really humble village. It was one of those towns where everybody knew each other and everybody knew what was happening.
Speaker 1:I grew up in one of those too.
Speaker 2:I lived with my grandma because my dad and mom left me at a very young age to come to the States. So I was living with my grandma at that point and my dad, he sent me a bike to Guatemala. It was I don't even know the brand of it, but it was a bike where I could use. So I started riding around, going to school and back with my friends and I just used it as a way to get around. And and then, when I was like nine years old, um, I decided to move to the states with my parents because I didn't know what my parents at that point I was just living with my grandma, which I called my mom because I didn't know who my parents were at that point, uh. So then, uh, I moved here and then my dad was uh, cycling at the moment, but he wasn't like racing or anything, he was just riding for fitness.
Speaker 2:And my uncles were too. They were just doing it for fun, to uh, to get some stress out. So then I, they would like invite me on every sunday. They will invite me, uh, I would uh, and they would go out early, like seven, six am, before the heat got uh like really bad, and that was the worst part I I wasn't a morning person like they would like have to drag me out of my bed every time, and I, at that point, I didn't like cycling. I was like man, this is what cycling is. I don't want to wake up early and go ride a bike yeah, especially at like nine or ten.
Speaker 2:That sucks yeah so I was like, uh, I would like tell my dad I don't want to go. And then he was like, let's go, this is going to be for an hour. Your uncles are going to go. And at this point it was like six of my uncles going and then my dad plus me, so we're like a little group and it was fun when I was out there, but trying to start was the worst part. When I was out there, but trying to start was the worst part People would have to drag me out of my bed literally. But yeah, that's how it started, riding with my uncles. Emerson was there too. He keeps riding with me all the time we ride together. And how old is Emerson? He's 29., 29, okay, yeah, and he's.
Speaker 1:And how old is Emerson?
Speaker 2:He's 29.
Speaker 1:29. Okay, yeah, okay, and he's your cousin, he's my uncle, he's your uncle, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's my uncle, but we ride together, we spend a lot of time together and a lot of people confuse us with brothers. So I just tell them we're brothers. Yeah, but yeah, that's how I started, and when I was 12, I believe I had my first crash.
Speaker 2:I was going down the river trail and you know where I think it's like crossing Council and there's like a little chicane in an uphill. So in that little chicane my dad was going fast and I was following his wheel but I had my head down and he like went through the right turn and then left turn and I had my head down and I just went straight.
Speaker 1:And at that point.
Speaker 2:there wasn't all that rocks that was there, it was just like straight dirt and like some bushes. So I landed on the bush and I had some road rash and I got pretty scared.
Speaker 1:So I was like dang cycling is dangerous. I don't want to do this anymore yeah.
Speaker 2:So then I stopped for a year. I I didn't touch my bike. My parents or my dad mostly would like uh tell me to go ride and I just I wouldn't like I got traumatized, uh-huh.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I just didn't ride my bike for a year until I believe it was like a little over a year, where Emerson told me like hey, let's go ride, it's just going to be me and you, we're going to go. Super chill, nothing crazy. And I went with him on a Sunday morning around I think it was like 9 or 8. We went, it was just me and him, and I believe it was my dad, I don't really remember.
Speaker 2:It was a while back and we went it was just nice and chill at the river trail. We went to Meridian and back. It was just nice and chill and I felt okay. I was like okay, this is fun-ish and I felt okay. Like I was like okay, like this is fun-ish. And then, since then, I just started riding with Emerson, nice and chill, and then I got into soccer when I was 13.
Speaker 1:So you didn't play any other sports up until that point.
Speaker 2:So I actually did. I had a a. So growing up I always played soccer with my, with my friends and I just like did cycling as a as a way to get fitness, yeah it's a way to get fitness, uh.
Speaker 2:But I always, um, had soccer in mind. I wanted to go, I wanted to see how, uh, how far I can take uh soccer, and maybe you know, every kid's dream become professional at soccer, right. So that was my dream. And then I had the passion for it and I just did cycling as a way to get fit. And once I had my crash, I just stopped cycling, uh, and I focused more on soccer, and, and then when I started back, or when I hit high school, I just did cycling for fun and for fitness. And once I hit, I think it was like sophomore year where COVID happened.
Speaker 1:That's when I started riding my bike more, uh, and then I guess I just grew in love with it like I was like this is, this is freedom, I guess so, even whenever you were like at that age so even let's go back, even like when you were like 12 riding were you like just naturally strong at it, like you could keep up with all the older, like all that your cousins and uncles and dad and them, like at a really early age. Or was it like you were like a typical 12 year old, like on, like struggling to keep up with the, with the older guys, or was it something that just like naturally, you were pretty gifted at?
Speaker 2:Uh, no, I was, I was getting my ass kicked, yeah, okay good yeah Every every group or every group ride we did with my family. I was the last one to get back to Lake Overholter.
Speaker 1:I love that they didn't take it easy on you.
Speaker 2:No, they wouldn't. So we would go to Meridian every Saturday or Sunday. We would go to Meridian and back. I remember that there's like a uh where it's crossing, uh, I think it's um, uh, reno, reno, and there's like a downhill and then, and then there's like a little uphill and then you go into like that straight away to uh, to 10th street. So, uh, every time they would attack there, like it was like whoever gets to 10th street? So, uh, every time they would attack there, like it was like whoever gets to 10th street is the winner at that okay, nice, so it was like a little hot zone but just for our family.
Speaker 2:That's awesome yeah, so they had that and, uh, every time I was the last one there every time until like um, and I guess I just got competitive.
Speaker 2:Uh, I was like I'm not going to let them beat me every time, I'll have to beat them eventually. And at this point it was like past my first crash, so I was just riding. At that point I think it was like 14, 13, around there. So I was riding with them every Sunday. 14, 13, around there. So I was riding with them every Sunday. And on the weekdays, after school and after soccer practice I would go ride around Overholster for like one or two laps, or sometimes I would go to Meridian and back and then every Sunday I would ride with my uncles and my dad and I would be the first one attacking them, trying to prove that I am getting stronger, and I would still get my ass kicked.
Speaker 1:So you were super competitive. You just didn't have the ability yet. Yeah, I didn't. At what age did you finally cross that where you were keeping up with them and beat them? Do you remember when you beat them for the first time?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, I don't remember what day or what time, but I remember this, um, so we were coming back from I think it's like i-35. Uh, we were coming back from there and, um, I attacked crossing. I think it was like rockwell so I I attacked, I was like I'm gonna, I'm gonna show them that I can, I can do it so then I I attacked and um, and I kept looking back, there was no one.
Speaker 2:There was no one coming. So I was like, okay, this is it. So I just kept pushing and my legs were hurting, everything was hurting, but I kept looking back and nobody was coming. So then I was like, oh, okay, this is it. I kept going, I got to like Reno, and then I looked back and then there was Joel and Joel, josue and Emerson behind me and I was like, oh no, they're going to catch me, I can't. So I just kept going hard, put my head down and kept going me and I was, oh no, they're gonna catch me, I can't. So I just kept going hard, put my head down and kept going. I got to the straightaway to uh, to get to um 10th street, and I kept looking back and they were like gaining on me. So I just like head down all the sprinted all the way to 10th street and I got there first and I was so happy I I felt like uh I uh, I might have been your biggest win ever, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was so like I was speechless at that point.
Speaker 1:I was like how old were you?
Speaker 2:I was like 13. I think so. I around there. I'm not sure, but I was young.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. So you, your family, is clearly super competitive, because we were talking about all your cousins and stuff before we started. So anybody that goes to Wheeler has seen the brick squad and all. I mean you guys have a big family, yeah, and it seems like everybody cycles. And now you have a whole new generation coming in because there's a bunch of little guys out there riding and stuff. So which is hilarious and awesome so is the whole family get together. Well, let me go back one step Now. I see your I guess it's your uncles with your cousins out at Overholster. Sometimes, like on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning, I think they're doing the same thing to them that they did to you. Yeah, basically.
Speaker 1:And these little guys, I mean they're like 10 maybe, and they're like on their road bikes like in the draft, and it's the cutest, coolest thing ever. And everybody's having a good time, but those little guys are like serious.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they are. They're serious about it especially the little little one.
Speaker 1:He is so competitive. It's awesome, it's so awesome to see and they have their kits on and they have the brick squad kits and everything which is so cool. So does pretty much everybody in the family, like all the guys cycle.
Speaker 2:Pretty much, yes, but they don't really take it as serious as my little cousins. So, like my little or the youngest brother, my youngest brother he goes with them, but he doesn't like cycling that much. And then I have my other younger child, my other younger brother. He is more into soccer. Okay, my other younger brother, um, he is more into soccer. Okay, he does, he, he was, or he's like me. Uh, how he's taking cycling, not just the way to get fit right, uh, but he's more into, uh, soccer okay, yeah, and your uncles and your dad.
Speaker 1:They ride this because some of them still race.
Speaker 2:I see him out at wheeler racing yeah, um, so uh, yeah, some of them race. My dad doesn't ride as much anymore, but he goes every now and then with my little brother or my cousin sometimes, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and I don't know which one of them it was, because there's two guys that I always get confused. I feel like they're about the same age, they look about the same and one of them me and him, and we've talked about it it afterwards but me and him had like a legit race on the river trail one day, like at first he was in front of me and I was trying to catch him and then I saw him turn and see that I was catching him, and then I noticed that I wasn't catching him anymore and I chased that full the entire river trailer all the way to overholster and finally, like it was like weeks later, I saw him at um wheeler and I was like, are you the one I was chasing the other day?
Speaker 2:he's like you weren't gonna catch me and I was like no, damn it, I tried so hard he's like, I know so it's so funny.
Speaker 1:But it's funny to see like and so cool to see how many of your family that are out there like just putting in the work and doing it which is and having a good time. It seems like you come to wheeler. You guys have a party every time. Yeah, there's always a group, there's always some coolers. Everybody's hanging out having fun, no matter who's racing, like the whole crew's there yeah, uh, I think that's uh.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think just riding a bike is just it's having fun that's not the way I see it. Um, I like I said when I started I didn't like it, but something changed and I I love it now. I like it's like freedom, like I said.
Speaker 1:Um and emerson. Is he the other one that's like really competitive, oh yeah emerson is the one that's always riding with me.
Speaker 2:We always race together at wheeler.
Speaker 1:We just go everywhere because what is, what's he category, what is? He, he's a cat one also okay, so you two are the cat ones. Yeah, in the group. Yeah, okay, much okay. Um, at what point did you decide like I'm gonna go all in on this and take it serious and I'm gonna like see what I can do with cycling?
Speaker 2:uh, so it was when covid hit okay it's because, uh, everything shut down, uh, all my and like, uh, my soccer games, everything just shut down, practice shut down, and the only thing I could do it's riding a bike, and I'm like one of those training horses that you have to, like, do something with that energy, otherwise you go crazy so I had to do something and I just started riding my bike more and, uh, and I just like the, the wind hitting your face, uh, like the more, the more you went, or the more you pushed on the pedals, the faster you would go.
Speaker 2:I just and I just like the, the feeling of the air hitting your face. You're just like all of it, yeah all of it.
Speaker 1:I wish people could have this on video because, like soon, soon as you start talking about it, like your face like lights up, like you instantly start smiling and you can just see like, oh, I just like love it.
Speaker 2:All of it. I don't know how to describe the feeling that I feel, but it's a nice feeling to have, like it's in you, yeah, yeah, yeah and so whenever you start.
Speaker 1:So you started. When did you start like race racing, like right after COVID? So? We're kind of nearing that same time frame.
Speaker 2:I think it was right. I started racing before COVID, I think it was like I think it was late 2018.
Speaker 1:Okay, so there's kind of like some local crits and kind of yeah, I started doing Wheeler.
Speaker 2:Okay, wheeler was my first ever race. Okay, and I did that for like a year.
Speaker 1:And I didn't travel a lot or anything, so you would have been like 15? Yeah, 15.
Speaker 2:I was 15 when I started doing Wheeler.
Speaker 1:Did you kind of have success when you started?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I won my first Cat 5 at Wheeler, nice, nice. Yeah, I got one of those those. You're one of those punk kids I got one of those yellow t-shirts saying I want Wheeler and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
Speaker 1:They need to bring that back. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:I got one of those, so I was just happy. I still have that hanged out in my room.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, that's cool. Yeah, so you were just once you like started, you were just like let's see what happens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like I'll see what happens and but at that point in 2018, I was still having a soccer practice. I was still doing soccer at that moment and then, when COVID happened, I just stopped with soccer and focused more on cycling. I started going to races more, started traveling. I started going to races, more started traveling and I think I got my CAT 3 upgrade in a year.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And then that's when COVID happened, and then all the races shut down.
Speaker 1:So I think it was like mid what, 19, 20?, 20. Yeah.
Speaker 2:First at 20, I guess, is when it hit yeah, that I was a cat three at that point once everything shut down and then I just started riding my bike more and, uh, I think it was like after covid uh, I decided just to like stop with soccer and even talk to my dad about it. I was like, uh, I'm done with soccer, I don't want to do soccer anymore. I'm, I feel, more a passion for cycling. And he was like, um, he understood for sure, but he was like I want you to like to finish, uh, call uh high school soccer and after senior year you can just quit soccer and you can just focus more on cycling. Okay, and then I finished junior year playing soccer, but I didn't have that passion anymore. I was just doing it to like fulfill my dad's dream or whatever right like what he said.
Speaker 2:I was just fulfilling him, um, but I was. I didn't have that passion anymore for it. I had that passion for cycling, so I would. I would travel around. Uh, every time after soccer practice or games or before a game, I would go ride my bike. Um, I was being more consistent with cycling.
Speaker 2:And then senior year came around. I tore my meniscus playing soccer. I think it was like 2021, like the end of 2021, when I tore my meniscus and I had a choice to get surgery right there and then, but then I wouldn't be able to play my whole senior year or, um, wait it out and play my senior year and then get a surgery at the in the summer, basically. But I had a risk, uh, that my meniscus would get worse. I decided to take the risk and, uh didn't get surgery until the summer. Uh, so I played my whole, my whole senior year of soccer. Uh, just to you know, get it out of my system and whatever. I still had pain on my knee, but I was just fighting it out and I was still racing at that time. I think I got my cat to upgrade at that point. Uh, yeah, and I had a. Uh, yeah, I just had a pain on my knee most of the time, but I just I went through it and, uh, I didn't get any big results that year, didn't?
Speaker 1:you. I feel like you were either at Wheeler or went to a race. It was either like your prom or graduation day. I feel like I was at Wheeler and they were like, yeah, he just graduated high school, like yesterday, or he's leaving here to go to graduation or prom, or something like that. Is that true? Am I remembering that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah, that is that's true. Remembering that, oh yeah, yeah. So yeah, that is that's true. Um, so, I was doing metro tech in, uh, metro tech in, basically like normal school metro tech is like I was doing metro tech for entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2:Okay, and um, metro tech, I did that for junior and senior year and they were graduating that day of wheeler, okay and um, I was like that's not my actual graduation. That was in my home, uh, my home school graduation. So I was like it's not that important. So I decided to go to wheeler and uh, and take uh my captain gown with me, just in case I won. Yeah, and I got that idea from um audrey drummmond. She, uh, she was the one that gave me that idea to go that's pretty good and take my captain gown with me.
Speaker 2:So I was all right I'll do it.
Speaker 1:That's pretty awesome. Did you win that night? Yeah?
Speaker 2:I believe. So I don't know if I have it, but I think I won. I'm not sure that's hilarious it was pretty funny.
Speaker 1:So after high school soccer was done, now it's full blast, cycling straight ahead, like let's make it happen. So at that point, were you on a team at that point, or were you still kind of solo? Like when did the shift change from like man, I'm just like a local cat dude guy trying to do this to like now we're trying to get to the next level guy trying to do this to like now we're trying to get to the next level.
Speaker 2:So I started with bike lab as a cat five, uh, and then I stayed with uh bike lab until I was uh cat three and then I was like uh, I don't know what really happened for me to move, I don't really remember, but oh, I think it was um evan bybee and uh chad, uh hodges. They were making or they were bringing back dna as a racing team. So then I was like uh, and they were still pretty.
Speaker 1:I mean, they were pretty fast, but back then they were faster so I was like then that I could learn a washed up has been. I mean they, I mean they aren't Dad mode.
Speaker 2:But they were pretty fast and I would always admire them Like on group rides.
Speaker 2:I was like man, they're pretty fast, like one day I would want to race with them, be in their team. And Evan reached out, I think at a group ride. He was like hey, we're bringing back DNA, do you want to join? And I told Emerson I was like hey, they're bringing back DNA, do you want to join? And he was like yeah. So then we went to chat and talked about it. He was like we would love for you to come and I was like we are a package deal.
Speaker 1:So where I go, Emerson has to come.
Speaker 2:So they were like, yeah, they were welcoming and yeah, they were pretty nice to us. I have nothing bad to say about them.
Speaker 1:They yeah so humble that's kind of where you really took, took off and went to the next level.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's that's pretty much. Uh, I learned a lot from uh rob evan chad and mostly uh paul.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, he, I know I'd love to see paul come out and race some dudes again. Yeah, it's so strong dude. Yeah, unless you're like those top, top guys, you nobody knows who he is. But I would love to see him come out to some races and like, throw down again someday yeah, I don't know if he ever will, but I would love to see it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, paul is pretty, pretty strong.
Speaker 1:He's an awesome dude. He can go forever.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, forever yeah, and not just like forever. He goes hard, forever yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a great follow on Strava. If, even if you don't know him, just to see the rides he puts in, you're like what that? What is this guy doing? Like, cause his rides are never like. It's funny when you see like his like he'll comment something like short ride or easy ride and it's still like 40 or 50 miles at like 21, 22 miles an hour and you're just like dude, that's not like a chill, easy, like recovery ride. Yeah, that's him though I'm like all right, put it in oh yeah, he for sure yeah.
Speaker 1:So when did you um? So after you're done now you're with dna um is that when you really started traveling around and doing some bigger events and getting some bigger results, or was it still kind of just doing the local stuff and kind of learning and trying to get your feet wet in the next levels?
Speaker 2:So I think when I was in DNA is when I tore my meniscus, so I only did like half a year with them. I was traveling around. I would go down like to Texas and do all those road races, crits that they have down there, but that's pretty much it. I would just go down to Texas and Oklahoma. That's it at the moment. And after Tulsa I had my knee surgery so I didn't finish the whole season with them, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you have any results at Tulsa that year?
Speaker 2:No, no, no. I think the only result I had in Tulsa was as a Cat 3. I think I won Friday night in a break.
Speaker 1:Oh. That's a good one to win. Yeah, as a Cat 3. That's a good one to win.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was pretty nice I still have the t-shirt just hanging there in my room too.
Speaker 1:That's a cool one. That's a good one. And then, after how long were you with DNA? Just that year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just that year. And then where did you go?
Speaker 1:Omnia, omnia. And they're out of where Tulsa. They're out of Tulsa. Yeah Okay, team right. Yeah okay. Um, and then who is are you?
Speaker 2:still with them. Yeah, uh, yeah, okay, and so who are some of the guys that are on that team? Uh, so last year at the, it was all chad um, chad cagle is.
Speaker 1:Is he the one that kind of runs that team? Yeah, pretty much uh are they all tulsa guys? Yeah, pretty much all of them, uh, uh does, lastly, or any of them, what they race with them?
Speaker 2:okay, yeah last, the last lease, uh-huh yeah, all of them.
Speaker 1:And uh, did drummond come over and race tulsa? This year he raced with somebody, or was that with sound pony sound pony okay gotcha. So is that like the big rival there, that sound pony and omnia? Is it omnia?
Speaker 2:um, I say omnia.
Speaker 1:I don't, I don't know how to pronounce okay so that's like the two big teams in tulsa right uh, I think it's cora cora. Yeah, I think I think gotcha yeah, and then because I've seen them before I've seen their stuff down here yeah, yeah and because they're not a new team but like newer compared to the old, to the, the dna's and the sound pony teams yeah, yeah, for sure um, so you've been racing with them different level oh yeah, for sure, very different level.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and so is this year your first year to go like to big events, or did you do that last year as well?
Speaker 2:I think I did more uh last year as well. Uh, we went, we were traveling around. To where? Uh we went to arizona, texas, st louis, um, chicago and wisconsin and you guys travel a lot. It was just mostly me and emerson. Yeah, uh, I think we were just trying to race as much as possible, trying to get that Cat 1 upgrade. And I was able to get my Cat 1 upgrade after Pace Spin. I won I think it was the driveway icebreaker there and after that I got my Cat 1 upgrade.
Speaker 1:Gotcha. Yeah. So at this point, what? What did you see the biggest difference in doing like I can't really say wheeler, but like kind of wheeler, like a fast localish race let's just say local, regional race compared to going to like one of these like true, like cathedral events that are like wisconsin or, you know, like st louis, these events that have been around forever. Like what is it? And you've raced tulsa tough. Clearly tulsa is like those events. What's the difference? Is it just a deeper field? Is it just better competition at the pointy end of the stick? Is that people handle their bikes better? Like what is it that's different between those events?
Speaker 2:uh, I think the speed, the horsepower uh-huh, uh.
Speaker 1:Is it because there's just more of them or the top guys are just that much faster?
Speaker 2:the top guys are just that much faster. Yeah, um yeah, they're just super strong and everybody is strong, so I feel like everybody could win and I think that's why the speed is so high Is it like that from the gun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you got into your first big race like that, what were you thinking?
Speaker 2:I don't belong here.
Speaker 1:I was like what am I doing? Did you survive?
Speaker 2:I survived, yeah, but I was just scared.
Speaker 1:I was like, oh God, scared of the speed, or scared of the being in the group going that fast and that aggressive, or what was it. Or just like a fitness scared uh, I was just fitness scared.
Speaker 2:I was nervous, um, I would see all these um strong guys on youtube and they're just ripping it and I'm like I'm riding with them.
Speaker 1:So like seeing some people you followed, yeah, and I'm like yeah, I'm like I'm riding with them.
Speaker 2:I, what am I doing?
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Did you feel better after that first race or two, like you belonged, or did you take a long time before you felt like you belonged?
Speaker 2:I think it's uh. I still haven't, uh, haven't. I don't think I belong yet.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I think I don't know, I just haven't been able to feel comfortable. I was recently up in Dairyland and I wasn't. I never felt comfortable. I feel like I was so cautious cautious of like crashes and uh, I think I think the first hour, the first day that I was there, I crashed, I broke my bike and that took like a mental toll. I I just couldn't get. I felt like every corner there will be a crash and I will like kind of hit, hit on my brakes a little and I just never felt comfortable.
Speaker 1:Is it just is there crashes like that all the time, or was it just happened? To be at that event was kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:I think it was just that event. I don't, I don't really know, but uh, the races that I've been, it was just Tulsa and um and um in there, like where I felt it was like really more aggressive?
Speaker 1:I think so. Okay, more risks. I don't know how'd you break your bike oh, uh.
Speaker 2:So you know, uh, ducon, the butcher box guy, uh-huh, so he went down. I don't know how he went down, but I was like I think it was like two guys behind him and uh, I just see his bike in front of in front of me and I braked so hard but I didn't have enough time to brake and uh, I hit my, um, my front wheel with his bike and I just went over the bars and I think when I landed I think I like landed or my bike landed on my wheel, and I think that caused it, or somebody else hit my bike.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ran over.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think when I got up it was like I think it was six guys laying there, so it was pretty bad.
Speaker 1:It happened so fast? Nobody. Yeah, did you break like the top tube or what'd you break?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was like the little triangle where you hold the rear wheel. It's that triangle where it connects to the seat post. It was that, then, my rear wheel was done.
Speaker 1:That was your fancy team bike. Yeah. Were you done for the week, or were you able to scrounge up another bike so?
Speaker 2:were you done for the week or were you able to scrounge up another bike? So you know it sucks, because before I left for Dairyland my dad was like take your spare bike, just in case, and I was like, no, just take my spare wheels.
Speaker 1:I don't think I need my spare bike. Dad knows best I learned that one.
Speaker 2:I learned that the hard way. So I was kind of disappointed on myself and mad because I didn't listen. And uh, I called my dad. I was like, hey, um, I crashed my bike, uh, I can't ride anymore, send him some pictures. And he, he was kind of um, he was kind of mad because he, basically he wasn't mad that I uh crashed or anything, he was mad that I didn't listen. And, yeah, he, he, uh, I think uh texted p, peter Yardos or, and then Peter was able to get my bike to Wisconsin on Sunday because he reached out first and say and said that, if I was okay, and I was like, yeah, I'm okay, okay, and I was like, yeah, I'm okay. And I think, because he told me that he was coming on Sunday and and I was like, oh, could you?
Speaker 1:I don't, I don't really know here was coming up to the race.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on Sunday gotcha and when I crashed was Friday okay so he told me I could use his bike that he had with chris carlson at that time, uh, to race saturday. And uh I was like, okay, I'll see, um, how it goes. But his bike is a 54 and uh, it didn't really fit me. I ride a 56 and it just it didn't fit me so I didn't in the. I didn't want to crash this bike I didn't want to own my bike so I that's.
Speaker 2:I was like, yeah, I'm not something tells me his bikes were nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, so I just like, I just didn't what's so wonderful about this story is anybody that knows peter but doesn't like know peter. You know peter from the outside. You're like that guy's so like such an ass, like he's so like rough around the edges and he's just so like stern. But I do. In this podcast I've had so many people tell me stories off the air about all these wonderful things that Peter has done for them or for somebody on their team or all this stuff, and so, legitimately. So many racers are like, yeah, if it wasn't for Peter Erdos? And so at some point I got to get Peter on here. Many racers are like, yeah, if it wasn't for peter erdos, and so at some point I gotta get peter on here. He doesn't know yet. I've never told him yet and I haven't mentioned it on here at some point. I want to sit down with peter and have him if he'll open up and tell how nice of a guy he is and all these great things, and not just keep his rough exterior of like be scared.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he is.
Speaker 1:He is a pretty nice guy I, so he's done a lot of things for a lot of a lot of people yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:But yeah uh uh. Evan bybee was able to get my spare bike in um in a bike of a bag, so peter could take it to uh wisconsin with him. So I'm really thankful for them too yeah, and I was able to race saturday or sunday. I didn't race saturday because I didn't have a bike or anything, but yeah, I was able to race sunday because of uh peter and uh evan that's awesome.
Speaker 1:My dad, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:So you're gonna listen to dad next time, yeah, yeah, when I, when I got back he was like I told you, I told you so he was waiting so much for you to walk in that door.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty much, I'm like that was such a proud moment for him. When you walked in, he's like I told you yeah, that's hilarious. Um, so did you? Did you get it replaced?
Speaker 2:uh, I don't know. They're still trying to figure it out. I dropped it off with seth and jake. Lastly, see uh, see if they could do something about it, if not?
Speaker 1:yeah, I'm gonna be racing, yeah, I'm gonna be racing yeah, I see my spare bike gotcha. So what? What other big races did you did st Louis this year.
Speaker 2:I tour of st Louis yeah.
Speaker 1:So that yeah, is that I did that.
Speaker 2:But I crashed on a pace band. I think it was a week before or two weeks before, I think. The week before I crashed really hard. So I was just there to see how I felt and help Emerson.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Because Emerson wanted to do well at that race and I was just recovering and St Louis is a TT and two crits. Okay, emerson is not really good at TTs and I was just not feeling great, so we decided to do the tt anyways. Um, but yeah, it wasn't. And does he race on your team as well? Yeah, yeah, we're a package deal got it.
Speaker 1:so it's always going to be that way, yeah, at least for a while. Yeah, yeah, okay. So, um, as far as crashes, I mean and that's why, like legitimately, I'm like back of the pack kind of guy, but that's why I don't want to do crits I've done like a five of or six of them in my life, super fun, extremely miserable and hard, super fun afterwards, but I never had a crash and I was like I'm not, like it's a matter of time, it's not. It's not. It's when.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1:Now that you've experienced a couple legit crashes at the top level at speed, do you just say it's part of it? And you do have a little bit of fear afterwards, but it goes away because you know you're going to crash and it's just part of it. Or is that fear of whenever you were a 12-year-old boy? Is it still in there?
Speaker 2:I think that 12-year-old boy is not there, no more, but there is still a little fear.
Speaker 1:Like I said at Dairyland, I was just really cautious and I was just at the back basically all the time Do you think that's what caused the crash, like because you were cautious and at the back and a little scared and a little timid, or do you think it's just like that was just being smart and safe?
Speaker 2:uh, when I crashed on friday. Oh no, when I crashed on friday. That was my first day there so I hadn't crashed, I didn't have anything and I was up there in the mix okay with everybody and uh you weren't timid at that?
Speaker 1:no, I wasn't Sunday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like going with everything on Friday and I tried to follow. I was kind of following Dusant. I was like this guy doesn't crash, he knows how to race and he has won races, so I'm like I'm going to follow him. So I was trying to follow him and he's the one that crashed. And then after that I was really cautious too and I was just hanging at the back. I didn't didn't want to crash my spare bike, right. So I was just cautious and I was just like every corner I like caught myself, um, breaking a little and I was like what am I doing? And so I just stayed at the back, uh. But um, on Wednesday of, uh, dairyland, I think it was like stage seven or eight, it's like a circuit, and I felt comfortable there, I felt good, I was in the break, but I just didn't have it to stay in the break, so you kind of worked it out while you were there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you race Tulsa this year?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did.
Speaker 1:How'd you feel there?
Speaker 2:I felt good, I crashed on Friday the first. I think it was like first five minutes.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, I think it was the second lap. The second lap, the first corner where Tender Wart went down. That's when I went down too Gotcha so. But I got back on. I scraped my knee pretty bad and I hurt it. I was slimping when I got off the bike but there, like the adrenaline was doing, I didn't feel anything. So I just got back on my bike and started pedaling and then I started moving up, but then I got caught behind the crash as well and then I just couldn't move back, uh, move up anymore, because at that point it was like, uh, at the end of the race it was like 15 laps to go and it was just so fast that I couldn't move up, uh, and then, like I think, five laps to go, I got caught behind another crash and, uh, I was chasing for like the last five laps, okay, and then, yeah, so you've gotten to experience the last, say, two years, the big races, yeah, and seeing what it's like.
Speaker 1:let's take a step back, uh, real quick, to your training. Um, whenever you've made this leap to, hey, I want to be a cat one and clearly this is something that you want to take to the next level. Um, what did you do different in your training, say 24 months ago, that you weren't doing before? Did you just start doing more structure? Did you hire a coach? Did you just start writing more? Did you change anything? Whenever you're like, okay, it's a different ball game being a three to a two and now it's a really a different ballgame from a two to a one, what did you do different to prepare for that, or did you just kind of keep doing what you were doing?
Speaker 2:So I started with a coach, brandon Jackson from Bike. Well, he was at Bike Lab. I don't know if he is yeah, I don't coached by Brandon Jackson. He would have me do more like VO2 workouts over and unders. All that Because I didn't have that time to put volume in because I was in soccer and I was in so many sports at that point, so I wanted to try everything.
Speaker 1:So I was doing.
Speaker 2:You should, yeah, so I was just doing VO2 workouts like one hour to an hour and 30. Those kind of workouts kind of of intense intensity like five days a week.
Speaker 1:Six days a week, what?
Speaker 2:were you doing?
Speaker 1:back then. This would have been when you were like 15 through yeah I would do like.
Speaker 2:So how he had me was we would be uh, monday would be a rest day, and then I would have tuesday, wednesday, friday, do intensity, okay, and then friday, take another rest, and then saturday, sunday, I would do like uh two to two to three hours, okay.
Speaker 1:So that's that was a typical week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was a typical week, uh, but then like uh, soccer would come, would come into play I had some soccer tournaments on the weekend and all that, so it would change around, but typically it would be like that. And then, after a Cat 3, I went to a Cat 2. I was still with Brandon Jackson and we were still doing the same thing, just a little bit more volume, and I felt like I hit a peak and I felt like I couldn't, uh, move forward and I was just there, I couldn't, I didn't feel like the form going up or down I just felt there.
Speaker 2:So then I I made that decision. I thought it was to move, uh, or to seek another coach, and uh, I found out that evan bybee was uh starting coaching, or was gonna start coaching and, um, I told my dad about it and we went to talk to uh, evan and chad, and then, yeah, uh, we made the decision to move to Evan as a coach and he's been coaching me since now so he's still coaching you.
Speaker 1:yeah, since now, man, you are in big company, because Mr John Perkins, I believe, is also getting coached by Evan?
Speaker 2:yeah, I believe so too, and so far I like it a staple of athletes over there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a really good coach and so far I like it. A staple of athletes over there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's a really good coach.
Speaker 1:So now, like you don't have to give away details, I understand that some of that stuff is better to be kept private, but, like, whenever you're in like because I saw you during when you're putting in your base miles during base season what are what would be like your biggest week during base season?
Speaker 2:Oh, base season, I think it was almost a thousand miles.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, how many hours is that for you?
Speaker 2:It was about 48 hours.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, yeah, that's miserable 48 hours.
Speaker 2:It was miserable the last, the last day, the last day. It was miserable, the last day, the last day.
Speaker 1:it was miserable, was that during Festive? Yeah, it was. It was cold because I rode a couple of those rides with you. There were parts of them.
Speaker 2:The thing that kept it interesting was the coffee, and I was always surrounded by a great group of guys, you and Paul and Rob.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Sarah.
Speaker 2:Heather Em emerson. It was always us six. Sometimes, uh, heather would um not go because of um work or um sarah, but it was mostly us six doing miles yeah, 48 hours. That's insane yeah, uh, the goal goal with me and Paul set a goal to do 50 hours. I wasn't able to do 50 hours because my I had I after my bike, I wasn't properly stretching or foam rolling, nothing. I would just get home, eat, sleep.
Speaker 1:That was it. Well, you were able to do that when you're 18, 20 years old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, welcome to reality yeah, so uh, my knees started hurting shocker, yeah I know my right knee or I think it was my oh, it was my left knee started hurting and I went to the doctor for it because it was hurting really bad and I and I couldn't um, I couldn't pedal, it would have hurt every time I pedal, so I got scared.
Speaker 1:I was like I tore something.
Speaker 2:I went to the doctor and he told me that I had tendinitis on my knee.
Speaker 1:Yeah, weird yeah.
Speaker 2:So after Festive Five I was really disappointed in myself because I couldn't. I didn't meet the goal that I wanted to, but at the same time I had people telling me that it was a lot for my age.
Speaker 1:It's insane for any age. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's an abnormal amount of hours and miles.
Speaker 1:You got to work into that, yeah. You got to have years into that, yeah yeah, I and some people just can't do it, like their bodies are just like.
Speaker 2:More is not better sometimes yeah, and I felt like, um, my knees started hurting because I wasn't properly doing things off the bike. Yep, I was in stretching. I wasn't foam rolling or anything, I was just sleeping, that's how you learn, though?
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 2:But for that it caused me to lose fitness. I think our first race was Cedar Hill with Omnia.
Speaker 1:And at this point.
Speaker 2:Omnia brought a new sponsor, the Perks Law Firm, and they brought a huge amount of um money, I guess, and they brought us bikes, equipment, everything and uh, I was kind of disappointed in myself because I wasn't able to perform uh at that race, but I was able to help out the team at cedar hill, but my knee was still hurting. Uh, I took him. So after best of five, I took a month off the bike.
Speaker 2:I couldn't pedal, I couldn't push more than, uh, 150 watts goodness yeah, I was, yeah, I was just done yeah I was disappointed and I was frustrated yeah um, but but you learned. I learned, I learned.
Speaker 1:Before Festive what would be like? What was like, typical foundation week? Is it like a 20-hour week, 25-hour week, Like what was normal? Outside of that craziness?
Speaker 2:It was like 15 to 20 hours.
Speaker 1:That's like a base that's when your base hours, yeah, base that's when your base hours, yeah. And so whenever you were in your build phase, um, you know, say in the springtime, what was like a normal week look like as far as hours and stuff uh, so it would. Now is like uh, 15 hours so it's kind of where you hang out at somewhere in that range yeah, and it depends.
Speaker 2:if I have races it will change a lot. I just try to stay around 13 to 15 hours.
Speaker 1:Okay, do you enjoy the crits the most, or would you like to venture into other things?
Speaker 2:Well, I personally don't like crits, I think.
Speaker 1:I. It's just what there is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do it because that's the only thing that there is, but I enjoy more road racing circuits. That's what I like. I feel like it's more safer and I feel more comfortable there. But crits, I just do them because that's the only thing that's here, yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you see since you like the road racing style things, you know what question's coming. Do you see gravel in your future?
Speaker 2:I do things. You know what question's coming. Do you see gravel in your future? Uh, I do uh, but I think um, my limit is the 100k so 60 miles?
Speaker 1:yeah, is it because you don't think you're built for the long distance, or you just don't enjoy the long distance?
Speaker 2:uh, I just uh. I believe that gravel is fun until it's not that that's a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:True, that's a hundred. That's why, when there's two options, I take the short one, because it's like a hundred and a 50 or something like that, or like an 80 and a 60. I'm like 60 is perfect, 50 is perfect, cause that's like right. When it stops, it starts things start hurting.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I'm done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like halfway through, and then you're like I got two more hours out here. This is like enough. This sucks, yeah, um, so, like the g3, I feel like that's perfect. Okay, I feel like that's, uh, the the perfect amount where I feel good and it's not hurting me too much but I think there's enough of those races around at that.
Speaker 1:I mean, clearly everything is going long for some reason. I don't understand it, like yeah, longer is not better. I don't. I don't understand why people like race promoters think like oh, they're doing a hundred, we should do one, 20. Oh, you're doing one 20. We should do one, 50. I don't understand it. Like it's weird to me.
Speaker 2:I mean there's people that do it, I mean man let them.
Speaker 1:But I don't have, I think, said for a 50 to 75 mile like all out super hard effort yeah, I think that I enjoyed that.
Speaker 2:But, uh, training wise, I really like, um, like gravel has grown into me. Uh, at the beginning I hated gravel, I didn't want to do gravel, but now it has grown, I'm seeing new places I I've.
Speaker 1:You can take the whole road you don't have to stay on one side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, uh, especially riding with paul heather and rob I've been riding, oh, I, I ride with them every now and then and we just ride chill. I see new places, see cows running around yeah, yeah, it's, it's fun. I like uh, I like uh riding gravel. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I'm racing only 60, 60 miles, 100k around there so do you think that's going to be a limiter for if you want to do like legit road racing? Because at your level yeah every road race is like 100 100 miles roughly. But is it more of a time thing Like cause you guys cover a hundred miles in like four hours, right?
Speaker 2:Or three and a half hours.
Speaker 1:And then gravel. It's not a whole lot different if it's like 70 miles, like right. So, is it a time thing or a mile thing that you finally like, that you don't enjoy at a certain point?
Speaker 2:I don't, I've. Gravel is cause. Gravel is more of a. If you get dropped from the main group, it's like a training ride. So in road racing it's like you. Unless you get dropped from the main field, then it's a training ride. But most of the time you're in the field and it doesn't feel like you're all by yourself. You're always around somebody. Yeah, group yeah.
Speaker 1:If you're within, anywhere out the front yeah, gotcha. So you, you just don't enjoy that like being stuck out there by yourself and like this sucks yeah or I just don't.
Speaker 2:I just don't like that. If you get dropped from the field, from the main field at gravel you, there's all your chances of winning it's done.
Speaker 1:There's no coming back. Exactly.
Speaker 2:In road racing there is a chance that you come back. If you chase with people, you can get back to the field and then you can.
Speaker 1:Do you ever see your? We talked about it before this, yeah.
Speaker 2:You are laughing before I can even get it out, do?
Speaker 1:you ever see yourself wanting to do anything else besides gravel any other off-road activities?
Speaker 2:uh, I don't, I don't, I don't know, I could, like I said, I could be open to it I mean chad's come to the dark side. Yeah, so I mean anything can happen yeah, uh, I wouldn't mind trying it, but maybe, taking it serious, like I have a road, probably not okay, I'll just do it like for fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, local like jump in on, like when rob jumps into something or chat jumps into something, like just the fun little local races, just to get out and try something new?
Speaker 2:yeah, I probably do like local stuff. I want to go out of my way and travel around to do a mountain bike and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:So, before we get into the yard sale, what's, what's the end goal? What's the dream scenario for dempsey?
Speaker 2:I would like to make it to europe right professionally, um, but I want like, realistically, I want to take it as much as far as I can with cycling and open up the doors to my little cousins my brothers that are coming behind me. But yeah, that's realistically. But my goal is to make it professionally. But like I said, realistically, I want to take it as far as I can and open up the doors for my little brother and my cousins.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, I could see a professional Brick Squad team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:That would be awesome. And Brick Squad, squad is that your dad's company? Yeah, that's my dad's company. The name of his company yeah, that is okay so you guys? What do you guys do?
Speaker 2:so let's give dad a plug for anybody that listens so it's mostly uh pavers landscaping um not landscaping uh pavers um retaining walls in uh mostly turf or synthetic grass.
Speaker 1:Okay, not building houses. No, not building houses.
Speaker 2:Just pavers retaining walls.
Speaker 1:You guys on Instagram have a website, anything like that, how do they get a hold of you guys?
Speaker 2:My dad's number. You can reach out to 405-922-1504. Okay, my dad's number.
Speaker 1:so, uh, you can reach out to four or five nine, two, two, fifteen oh four okay and yeah and or come to wheeler and yeah, or cheer you guys on.
Speaker 2:Uh, you can go yeah, or you can go to facebook and uh, uh, look up brick squad.
Speaker 1:Okay and you'll, you'll find it okay, they have a brick squad facebook page. Yes, for sure gotcha and you're out there with stuff on, so hit you up as well. So, cause you're in between riding and racing, you work with, with, with pops, yeah, with my dad, I'm manual labor. I love it. Yeah, put you to work, yeah.
Speaker 2:Before this I was uh uh uh taking down a brick wall. Oh, not before today. You're welcome to get you inside the AC. That worked, worked out that worked out well for you today?
Speaker 1:yeah, it was hot today. I was sweating so hot. Um well, do you have any any uh races? I know you said taking a little bit of a break. Do you have anything besides like g3 planned for the fall and late summer, or is it just kind of like time to rebuild and get ready for next season?
Speaker 2:current season uh, so right now I'm taking a mental break. I guess.
Speaker 1:I feel I'm glad you're doing that smart.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel over, I feel drained, so I'm going to take a break and then build for Heart and Hell, and then Gateway, and then that'll be it for Road. And then start with G3. And between that do Audacity yeah, for road, okay, and then start with G3.
Speaker 1:And between that do Audacity yeah.
Speaker 2:Nice, okay, you still got plenty of racing ahead. Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, these are going to be fun. Short questions, you don't have to give long answers. We just got a few of them, so I changed it up a little bit. But first question what's your favorite piece of equipment?
Speaker 2:Uh well, maybe my insulator water bottles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is killing me. Yeah, that's a good one. Okay, uh, what brand?
Speaker 2:Uh, what is it? Um, um, what is the uh brand that has the uh? A cable pack, a cable pack, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's whatable pack. Yeah, that's what it is. Um, okay, we haven't had that one yet. Um, what's, uh, what's the highest power number you've ever recorded?
Speaker 2:I think my power meter was off, but it was like. I think it was like 1500.
Speaker 1:You're right, it sounds low, sounds low. I don't think your power meters off.
Speaker 2:You could have 1500 um hardest workout you've ever done oh uh, it's gonna be one of those uh over and unders uh where you I think it's like 125 of your uh ftp and then on like a little bit under your ftp. Yeah, those are hard you don't like those.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hate those. What's your, what's the favorite ones that you have?
Speaker 2:My favorite ones is probably those 20-minute efforts. Oh yeah, so you like the long sustained efforts. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Dude gravel is calling you.
Speaker 2:That is made for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those 60-mile races are calling me, so you don't like the short punch hard. B02, all out.
Speaker 2:No, those kill me. I feel like I can't recover fast enough and it just hurts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't like those either. Those are stupid. What's something people think are cool but you think is overrated in cycling?
Speaker 2:I think using the vapor glasses, I think that's cool, you think it's's cool.
Speaker 1:You think it's cool, I think it's cool. Okay, uh, what do you? What is it that? Uh, you think is dumb.
Speaker 1:That people think is really cool uh, I don't really know, think about that one, because that's that always can, because I've asked this question a couple of times and it comes up with a good answer because people are like I don't understand why people do this. It's so stupid, they think it's so cool and I just don't. You don't have to call anybody out, I'm sure there's plenty of things Perkins does that he thinks is cool that you want to get them a hard time about.
Speaker 2:Wait, say that again.
Speaker 1:Something others think is really cool, that you think is like overrated, and it could be a tire, it could be an equipment piece, it could be an event, it could be actually, it could be gravel, for all. I mean, it could be whatever. Something everybody's like, oh, this is the best and this is the coolest, and you're like, no, no, it's really not that cool I don't know, I can't, I can't think of anything.
Speaker 1:If something comes okay, something comes up. Let me know um, what's the worst ride or race experience you've had? Uh, like where you've just completely bonked off the planet. Or like we've covered plenty of wrecks today. Or like, dude, I got like eight flats this ride. It was miserable, like one of those kinds of days.
Speaker 2:I got a couple of them, okay. So the first one I think it was a pace band. I crashed, um, I crashed, uh, I think it was one of the worst crashes I had. Um, I scraped my right side, my shoulders, all. I think that I scraped my right side, my shoulders, all. I don't even know if I needed stitches for that, but I didn't go and I don't think it's healed properly. Oh gosh, yeah. And then my knee I scratched up my knee and everything, but, yeah, paceband was one of them. And then this past market and market ride this Saturday, I felt like absolute dog water, like every hill we hit. I was suffering and I don't know, probably because all the races I've been doing. And the day before I didn't get proper sleep because we drove overnight to get back home.
Speaker 1:So I felt like that could have been it, but I'm not sure. But well, that's how I feel every time I do that, right?
Speaker 2:so yeah, I was like I was telling emerson on the way back, like we got back, uh, from that ride and we were just riding home, uh, we were coming down 36 and I was like, going 10 miles an hour, I just couldn't every pedal stroke hurt and I was like I am done, leave me totally bopped. Yeah, I was like leave me, I'm done. And he was like let's go.
Speaker 1:And he was like this is going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was like he was all smiling and I'm like, stop smiling I'm the worst, I'm like you're enjoying this too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was enjoying how much you were miserable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I have terrible friends like that too. That's awesome, those are good ones. Well, we know your longest week. What's the longest ride you've ever done?
Speaker 2:I think it was like 189.
Speaker 1:Yuck.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was trying to get 200, but you were 11 away.
Speaker 1:Why did you stop?
Speaker 2:I think it was because my knees started hurting. No, actually I think it was 198. Oh shut up 198.
Speaker 1:And it was because you could have coasted for two.
Speaker 2:I could have, but I just had knee surgery and uh, we were riding, because I think it was heather's uh birthday. We were doing 300 miles in one go and we did that. I think it was like it was paul myself, uh, emerson heathers and sarah I.
Speaker 1:One of the bells had to have been involved. Yes, right up their alley.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we were trying to get 300 miles, so we started at like 4 am. I believe, and it was super cold. I think it was snowing that day.
Speaker 1:I remember this, I remember watching this unfold, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I called it quits at 198 because my knee started hurting and it was so cold.
Speaker 1:Did any of them make it?
Speaker 2:My knee.
Speaker 1:No, any of the right. Did they finish?
Speaker 2:It was Paul and Heather. Yeah, I think Heather, not Heather. Sarah, I think she called it. Quits around 200.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And then Emerson, I think, called it quits around 250 and then so far, yeah, so far and then, yeah, it was just heather and uh, paul, at the end heather's a bad woman, oh yeah, I'm calling her out right now again because, I send her messages and every time I see her I'm trying to get her on here, and she keeps putting me off.
Speaker 1:So I'm calling her out publicly this time. Damn, that's, that's a long day. Um, I guess the one last thing that I want to touch on that we talked about a little bit before was your biggest victory to date.
Speaker 2:Uh, would have been uh, uh, lago vista, uh-huh. Um, yeah, I think, uh, I think it was just luck. Honestly, I'd tell everybody that it was just luck, but because I honestly think it was luck Well, clearly not.
Speaker 1:You're putting in the time, you're putting in the effort. Yeah, you put in your hours and years, starting from when you were, you know, 10 years old, nine years old. So give yourself some credit at this level that you're at my level, there's a whole lot of luck at your level, at my level. There's a whole lot of luck At your level. Yeah, there's lucky breaks, or being on the right wheel at the right time, or this guy had a bad day or whatever Like that is. In any race, like any sporting event. There's a tiny bit of luck in any sporting event. You're at the level now where there's a lot to it, more than luck to win. So give yourself some credit.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you. For sure, and I think everybody that knows you and races with you would probably say the same thing thank you.
Speaker 2:So walk us through what happened uh so like I said, cedar hill was my first race. My knee was uh still recovering from uh those miles that I put in uh, so I didn't really know how I was uh fit. Uh. For Vista it was my second race of the year, I believe, and I didn't know where my fitness was, where my knee was. I was out there to help CJ and CJ is like a really skinny dude, a climber basically, and I believe it was going to be the race for him. So I just went out there and tried to help him. I found myself in the break the first day and it was three of us, I believe it was a United guy. The new team, skyline Canaan.
Speaker 1:Skyline.
Speaker 2:It was one of those one of them and myself. We got in the break, started rolling. I think it was like 10 miles once we got in the break and then it was like an 80-mile race. Okay, so we spent 75 miles in the break. Oh my gosh, yeah. So we were out there for a while and I think it was like 10 miles before the finish line.
Speaker 2:And 10 miles before the finish line we got caught by another group of guys who had Lucas Burgoyne in there he's a super strong guy and then some other guys I don't really remember, but they had a United guy and a Skyline guy in there as well. So I was the only guy of my team there and it came down to a sprint. It was like six or seven guys sprinting and I was able to get second that day, right behind behind, uh, luke or lucas or luke, yeah, whatever, yeah, he, uh, he got first and I was second that day and so I was second in the gc and yeah, um, I wasn't really expecting that. And the next day was more climbing. It it was a counterclockwise circuit and it was more climbing and, to be honest, I'm a big guy, I'm 165. And I was like there's skinny guys here, I am not, so I was happy with my result that day and on Sunday.
Speaker 1:What did you finish on the second day? Do you remember what place you finished Second day?
Speaker 2:I finished fourth. Okay, yeah, so I was. I got in a break again. I don't know how they let me go.
Speaker 1:Weird.
Speaker 2:I know I was in a break with the third place guy. I think his name was Gabe or his name is Gabeabe, uh, gabe, uh caesar david and, uh, tenor ward. Okay, I believe in some other guys. I don't remember their name, but I was in in a break with them and we spent again, uh, I think it was like more than 80% of the race in the break and then it came down to like 15 miles to go. Tanner Ward attacked. He went off solo. Nobody could follow him. Super strong guy he went. So then I just stayed on my rhythm. I stayed with the group.
Speaker 2:Nobody followed Tanner Ward, nobody followed a tender war, and I just had a watch for Gabe, because he was a third in GC and I just had to get him.
Speaker 2:Get him on the line, basically had me in front of him and the good thing that Burgoyne wasn't in the break. He was was in the field and I believe he was trying to chase back or trying to bridge to the break, but he never got there and we rotated well until like five miles to go where David attacked and I couldn't follow. Gabe tried to attack but then I like my legs were at the limit but I knew I couldn't let him go, so like I had to chase him back.
Speaker 1:So when that happens, just from from being on the outside of these things and always wondering the dynamic of what they're actually feeling in a race of these things, and always wondering the dynamic of what they're actually feeling in a race, when something like that happens in your like this, I know, like you're are you even looking at power numbers or heart rate at that point?
Speaker 1:because you, it doesn't matter what they say yeah because you got to either be there or you, or you're not there, like so you pay attention to that stuff, or you're just like I gotta go, he's going, I gotta go, it doesn't matter if I blow up or not. Or do you look at your numbers and pay attention to that as well?
Speaker 2:no, I don't.
Speaker 1:I rarely look at my uh computer when I'm racing, okay uh, so because it's just out of like, I either got to do it or I don't yeah, I go by feeling I don't really pay attention to my numbers with him.
Speaker 2:You're willing to go until you blew yeah, pretty much like it's either him or me that's gonna go out, and so he didn't go.
Speaker 2:I chased him back and then nobody would. It was just cat and mouse at that point with everybody, because David or Tanner Ward was up the road and he was just flying on the pedals like gone. And then David was, we could see him. It was like 200 meters from us, so we could see him. It was like 200 meters the uh from us, so we could see him. But I just didn't have the legs to bridge to him in, to drop everybody, right, uh, because, like I said, everybody's strong as you, if not stronger. So, uh, I just I was just hanging there with the team or with a team, with a group, uh, and I was just marking, uh, gabe that's it.
Speaker 1:It's the only one you cared about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's all um and he attacked again and um, I chased him back and then, uh, I was like all right, let's see what he has.
Speaker 2:So I attacked and he chased me back, so I was okay we're even, we're even yeah so I was like all right, well, and we uh made it to the, to the 200 meters to go, I think, and it ended like on a downhill. It was like downhill and then they went up for a bit and it was like a long drag to the finish, uh. So then I went as soon as we hit the little hill to get to that drag to finish. I sprinted, I gave everything I had and I didn't look back. And then this guy I don't know his name, but he passes me right on the line, and then I just throw my bike and I find out that Gabe, I think he ended up, uh, I think, six behind. Uh, caesar, okay, so, um, I, I basically I was still you got some space, yeah points.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little bit yeah, so I wasn't.
Speaker 2:So I was like all right, I got second on gc, that's that's all that matters. I didn't know how back um we're going. What's going to be, right, right. So I just sat there and waited, mm-hmm. And then I see the field come, burgoyne goes, and I think he got eighth.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then what's the last day? It was just two days.
Speaker 2:It was just two days. It was just two days, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you knew it was going to be close.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I knew it was going to be close, but I didn't know how close it was going to be, or if I got the, the win or not. So then, uh, I see, heather, she comes, she comes and talks to me and we talk a little bit and then she goes to check the result, because I didn't want to check I was, I was I was like nervous and I was like whatever, like what, what happens, happens.
Speaker 2:I gave it everything I had like, and then, um, I think she, she comes back like excited, she's like I know who won. And then I was like, if it's not me, don't tell me. And then she showed she, uh, doesn't tell me, she shows me. And then, yeah, it was. I think it was like a two point or one point cap.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was really that's awesome. So two last follow-up questions on this, because this is my favorite part of the races and the information that I love the most. So, first off, did they pay out each day, and then an omnium on top of that, I don't know, or GC on top of that?
Speaker 2:I think it was just. I don't think they paid GC that day. Okay, it was just each stage individually't pay. I don't think they paid gc that day. Okay, it was just each stage individually.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, and then do you guys because it's always interesting how teams work do you guys, whenever y'all go to like dairy land or tulsa tough or whatever, do you guys put the money into the pot and everybody splits it. That's there. Or do you guys the winner gets more? How do you guys do it as a team?
Speaker 2:uh, so we put it as a pot and everybody gets a split.
Speaker 1:Yeah, basically yeah, that's always interesting. I think that's pretty much how most people do it from what I hear. And then the last question I had about that race Whenever you guys are racing and you're in a break or you're in the group, is anybody talking?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You guys talk to each other.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So when you're in the break and you're rolling hard, are you guys like talking at all, or is it pretty quiet and everybody just knows what to do?
Speaker 2:Uh, sometimes everybody knows what to do, but uh, sometimes, uh, I I tend to talk uh like it's a uh. When I was in a break with uh David, he, uh, he's basically built like a climber and on the climb he was, uh, really like going hard and I was suffering. So I would like tell him to like, take it easy If you, if you want the break to go, like, uh, don't go too hard and just keep it smooth, basically, okay.
Speaker 1:So that's so. You guys communicate how to work together. Okay, when you're in the group and the guys are up the road, is anybody communicating about what we should do? Or is anybody, since you guys are up the road, is anybody just BSing because, like we know, the race is over? Or is everybody still pretty quiet and just like not really saying something, unless there's a tactic?
Speaker 2:So I tend to talk more with my, with the team, and if there's a break up the road would like talk, or I'll ask if, if we are represented in that. If we're not, then we should try to be so. You're talking tactics, you're not basically yeah, basically like that, and if we have somebody there then we're just like talking whatever nonsense?
Speaker 1:yeah, pretty much. I always wondered that because I always think see that when I see a race, I'm like are they talking about? Like what they want to do for dinner tonight? Or like somebody's cool bike or kit, or like just shooting the breeze about whatever? Or are they like does anybody ever get mad and yell at each other in the groups?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, dude.
Speaker 1:Especially in the crits.
Speaker 2:huh yeah, especially in the crits, Like if you cut somebody off or like dive bomb a corner? Yeah, they'll usually get mad. Do you dive bomb uh corner? Yeah, they'll usually get mad. Do you laugh? Is it funny? Uh, it's not funny, because well, is it funny?
Speaker 1:well, is it funny when nobody crashes and everybody's just yelling at somebody? Uh, because I think I would find that extremely hilarious. If I was riding next somebody and somebody was like another man was flat out yelling at another man right in front of me, I would laugh because that's funny. Like what he did isn't funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it's funny yeah, I don't, I haven't laughed, I just like, I just keep to myself all right, whatever.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh yeah, but has anybody yelled at you?
Speaker 2:yet? Uh, no, not yet, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1:It's coming. You do enough races. It's coming. Have you yelled at anybody yet?
Speaker 2:uh, no, I haven't, but uh, I know emerson has. Yeah, he uh yelled at a collegian guy because, um, I, I don't know what happened, but he was like coming in too close. So Emerson like bumped into him and like he basically like elbowed him and then told him to not do that, did he yell at him in Spanish or English.
Speaker 1:I don't remember, because it would be even better if you guys just let it rip on somebody and they had no idea what you were saying.
Speaker 2:That would be even fun, that would be funny. But I don't know why he said he just told me that he, like he yelled at somebody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was like uh, I'm always now there's. That's the kind of stuff that I always want to know, like what is going on behind the scenes, oh yeah uh, at dairy land there was like a little lull at in the in the in the field.
Speaker 2:So then he, and then a guy behind me. He was right, it's time to take a drink. So then he grabbed his bottle and took a drink and just and I thought that was hilarious because, everyone was going slow and he was like time to take a drink.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're not going to do anything. So I thought that was funny. That's really good, cool. Well, is there anything else that you, about anything you got coming up or mention?
Speaker 2:um, not really I. I couldn't think of that one question. You said I didn't know.
Speaker 1:No answer all right, well, if you think about it, let me know. Okay, we'll put it in the intro. Okay, man, I appreciate you taking time to do this. I'm glad I got you out of the heat for the day thank you, appreciate it yeah, so if we need to do like round two, three and four, just let me know on the days that's hot.
Speaker 2:yeah, tomorrow we. Tomorrow We'll tell dad.
Speaker 1:Oh, come in, Cause I'm recording my hustle work tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Daddy needs my help.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry yeah.
Speaker 1:Awesome. I appreciate you coming and doing this.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me Awesome.