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By Patrick Lujan

It took 12 years, but Derek Horton is going back to the Olympic Games as a mountain bike rider. (courtesy photo)
Olympic cyclist Derek Horton is accomplishing two things rarely done on such a high level of competition.
Horton will be competing at a well-done age of 39 and will be entering his second Olympiad, but first since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
GSPN chats with Horton, who’s currently in Manchester, England preparing for the London Games.
…on his international experience.
– Most of my international competition consists of a handful of Oceania Championships, one previous Olympics, Sydney 2000, Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California in ’03 and a scattering of road and mountain races in Asia. Most of my racing has been in Australia and New Zealand.
… on qualifying for the London Games.
– I actually qualified at the 2012 Oceania Mountain Bike Championships in Rotorua, New Zealand in March. I finished 13th out of the 15 or 16 pros that entered. Because of the large number of UCI points on offer, it was a must finish race. I received 55 points from that placing, which at that time ranked me 415th in the world, and the highest rider outside of Australia and New zealand. So, I qualified through continental points and rankings.
… on the feeling of getting selected.
– When I found out about getting the slot, excitement was coupled with anxiety. This is what we had hoped for, but this meant I really had to step up my training. Balancing a bigger training load with working 45-50 hours a week and taking care of my family proved to be extremely difficult. I couldn’t have done it without my wife, Nes, supporting me and friends like my sponsor Frank Guerrero at Km Universal who provided me with my bike last year with the hope of doing well at Oceania and possibly going to the Olympics. Everybody’s words of encouragement helped sustain me.
…on what he wants to get out of the Games.
– All I truely want from this experience is to be able to perform at my very best. To say I gave everything at the Olympics and to have everyone proud of that accomplishment.
…on his training.
– I’ve been putting in about 10-15 hours a week on the road bike, just for fitness. I had been raining so much that I hadn’t been able to hit the dirt. It was difficult to stick to a training schedule, being tired from work and having limited daylight. Some nights, I would ride til 7 or 8 p.m. with lights just to do my workouts. But, I did what I had to do.
…on life without a bike.
– Since I’ve always worked on bikes, it’s difficult to picture life without them. My wife loves bikes and riding as much as I do, maybe even more sometimes. I do know one thing for sure, I would not be where I am today without them. And that is living a truly blessed life with family and friends who love and support me for who I am and not just what I do. I could never picture my life without bicycles.
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GPS Sports Calendar
February 2023
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for January
1st
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
2nd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
Events for February
3rd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
TRITONS BASEBALL INVITATIONAL PLAYOFFS
Events for February
4th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Events for February
6th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
7th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
8th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
9th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
Events for February
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
TRITONS BASEBALL INVITATIONAL FINALS
Events for February
12th
MONSTER ENERGY MOTOCROSS ROUND 2
Events for February
13th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
14th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
15th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
Events for February
16th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
Events for February
17th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
Events for February
18th
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2K/5K
World Athletics Cross Country Championships
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for February
20th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
21st
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
22nd
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL
Events for February
23rd
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
Events for February
24th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
Events for February
24th
Events for February
25th
Events for February
27th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
Events for February
28th
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL FINALS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS

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