DURANGO, Colo. (KDVR) — You could say mountain biker Ned Overend is in it for the long haul. He has been stump jumping since 1983.
“I went from being a car mechanic to work in a bike shop to focus on being a professional road racer and mountain biking just started developing,” said Overend.
If anyone was destined for the dirt, it’s Ned. Just take a closer look at his name.
“You can take my first name, which is Ned, and rearrange the letters a little bit, you get end over end,” said Overend.
Overend does have a nickname, it’s Deadly Nedley for winning so many mountain bike races over the years. Overend was the first champion of the Union Cycliste Internationale mountain bike world championship held in Durango in 1990.
“It’s the body which determines which cycling sports get in the Olympics,” Overend explained. “It governs all the world championships.”
Yeah, it’s a big deal and it’s coming back to where it all began, and Deadly Nedley is beside himself.
“I’m really excited because mountain bike racing is kind of booming in the U.S. right now,” said Overend.
The race will be held at the Purgatory Ski Resort in Durango, just like it was in 1990. It’s coming back in 2030. Teams from around the globe will be here, tearing it up once again.
“It will be a throwback to the early days and the young kids. I think we’ll learn about our role and developing the sport of mountain biking,” said Overend.
So, will Deadly Nedley Overend saddle up one more time for the big race?
“We will see, I still have time to get into shape.”
Better get on it, Deadly.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
