Native cycling buffs complete grueling race

By Santiago Ramos Jr.
Special to the Times

GRANTS – Reservation cycling enthusiasts Nate Teller of Farmington and Brandon Vicenti of Cochiti Pueblo, both of Warrior Up, recently competed in the prestigious and grueling 200-mile UNBOUND Gravel race in Emporia, Kansas.

Racing against some of the best cyclists in the country and from all over the world, the 45-year-old Teller and the 53-year-old Vicenti were able to complete the 200-mile endurance race along the hilly, sunbaked gravel roads of the Sunflower state.

“This was my first time doing UNBOUND Gravel,” said Teller, who finished 362nd overall and 58th in his age group with a time of 13 hours, 48 minutes. “It was my first time going that distance.”

In the amateur race, a total of 1,039 cyclists entered with 904 completing the distance.

“The temperatures I believe were in the 70s but there was humidity,” said Teller, who is originally from Cove, Ariz., but grew up in Many Farms. “When we rolled through the course, the course was dry and dusty. We came across mud and a couple of creek crossings. They had a lot of rolling, punchy climbs.

“The most difficult part of the event was at about mile 90 to about 120,” he said. “That’s when my feet was hurting, and I couldn’t put any power down on the pedals and I couldn’t stand on the bike. That lasted for about 30 miles. I had to unclipped from my pedals and position my feet differently to ease the pain. I did that for about 10 miles and my feet started to feel okay after that. Getting to the final aid station I took some solid foods, massaged my feet and felt way better after that stop. I don’t think anyone passed me the last 50 miles, but I was passing people all the way to the finish.”

Teller admitted that he set his goal on finishing the race.

“Going into the event my goal was just to finish,” Teller said. “Then I talked to a guy from Durango, and he told me about racing the sun. You get a patch for beating the sunset, that consists of finishing before 8:45 p.m. From 8:45 to midnight you become part of the midnight club and from 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. you were part of the breakfast club. So my goal changed from just finishing the race to beating the sunset. It was a test for myself seeing if I could do this. I really wasn’t racing against anyone other than the sun. It was more of accomplishing a goal.”

“I beat the sun,” Teller said. “I think I crossed the finish line about 8:18 p.m.”

Teller, who graduated from Chinle High, reflected on how he got started cycling 35 years ago.

“I started to learn how to ride a bike about 10 years old,” he said. “One evening my oldest sister asked me if I wanted to learn how to ride a bike. I said sure. She had this road bike, like a gray, light bluish color. The bike was obviously too big for me because I was a tiny guy back then. We taped a pillow to the top tube of the bike so I could sit and pedal because my feet could barely reach the pedals. So an hour went by and I was crashing through everything. I rode that bike for about three months on bus routes, dirt roads and some trails made by livestock on the Rez.”

Buying a BMX bike was next, Teller said.

“That’s when the fun started. I learned to do jumps and just random stuff. But looking back at it, who knew this 10-year-old who was riding a road bike on gravel and dirt roads would be racing in one of the biggest gravel events out there in Kansas 35 years later? That is just mind-blowing. That reflection came to me the last 50 miles of the race.”

Teammate Vicenti, who finished 651st overall, and 105th in his age group with a time of 16 hours and 3 minutes, said his goal was also to complete the entire race.

“Two hundred miles is overwhelming,” said Vicenti, who is Cochiti Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo and Jicarilla Apache. “My goal was just to finish. I told my family and crew that I would make my decision to complete the race at the final checkpoint in Council Grove at mile 148.

“As I came into Council Groove I felt good and told my family I was going to finish the race. I had a minor technical problem that Randy (John Jr.) fixed. The last 54 miles was the fastest of the day. I saved the best for last. I never had a better day on the bike than that day. I literally enjoyed every second of the Flint Hills. I will definitely be back.”

Vicenti pointed out that the most difficult part of the race was “mental”.

“The hardest part of the race wasn’t physical but mental,” Vicenti said. “You have to be able to push through negative thoughts and your body telling you to slow down and push through that. Win enough battles and you’ll get to the finish line. I tried to prepare for the worst so nothing would affect me. So blessed for everything to come together which was so nice. Beautiful weather, people and views. Just a little 202 miles in between. I was hoping for a 20-hour finish but was rewarded with a 16-hour day. Not bad for an old man!”

Vicenti finished the race at 10:33 p.m. more than two hours after his teammate Teller crossed the finish line.

Vicenti said that when he was younger he got introduced to riding bikes.

“I grew up riding bikes on the Rez as a kid,” he said. “My early teen years I raced BMX along with playing baseball, basketball and ran cross country at St. Catherine’s Indian School in Santa Fe.”

After high school, Vicenti joined the Army and was in Desert Shield/Storm.

“I lost touch with the bike until 13 years ago,” Vicenti said. “At that time I weighed 250 pounds and I’m 5-7. I rode every Rez road that was out there. Slowly but surely the weight started coming off and I was getting better and faster. It didn’t take long to join a race in Farmington. I started in the beginner class and got beat by junior high and high school girls my first race.”

Teller and Vicenti are both doing the 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest in Gallup in July and the monster Leadville Trail 100 in August. That storied trail race starts at 10,000 feet and finishes at 12,000 feet in Leadville, Colo. Teller also plans to compete at the Steamboat Gravel in Steamboat, Colo., the following weekend.

“It’s considered one of the toughest single day 100-milers in the world,” Vicenti said of Leadville. “It took me two years of training just to compete in my first Leadville 100. My first year my time was 11 hours 37 minutes. My second time I had a time of 10 hours, 37 minutes. This year I’m going for a sub 9-hour finish. If I do it, I will receive the coveted big buckle. Doing this event gave me confidence to sign up for the 200 miles in Kansas. I figured what’s 5-6 hours more on the bike. It’s a lottery process to get into the Leadville 100 and Unbound Gravel. I’m very fortunate to be able to be selected for both this year.”

Randy John Jr., who is the manager of Warrior Up, a Native American cycling and running team, which is partly supported by John’s athletic wear company Yeego, started the team in 2020.

“Nate and Brandon are like newbies to endurance cycling,” said John, formerly of Shiprock but now residing in Albuquerque. “The rest of us have experience. Warrior Up just wants to help other Native Americans and has been very supportive of achieving their personal goals.”

A pair of Dine on Warrior Up have also distinguished themselves. Eudora Claw of southeastern Utah won the 2022 state cross country series. Sherwin Yazzie of Farmington won the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona single speed state championship.

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