Darian Harvey: Professional mechanic and DH racer

Darian Harvey is the service manager of Mountain Bike Specialists in Durango, CO and a former downhill National Champion. The list of pro cyclists who entrust her with their bikes include Ned Overend, Sepp Kuss, Riley Amos, Ruthie Mathis, and Todd and Troy Wells. Payson has also relied on her expertise ever since he moved to Durango over ten years ago. In this conversation, she tells Payson about how the bike shop has adapted to the pandemic and the current boom in the cycling industry that has caused component shortages and months’ long delays from manufacturers and suppliers. She talks about her early career as a professional downhill racer, where she won back-to-back national championship titles in 2008 and 2009. They also talk about how she stays on top of rapidly evolving cycling technology which now requires her and her coworkers to be electricians and tech experts as well as mechanics, and she also talks about the head injuries she suffered during her racing career and the consequences she’s experiencing decades later. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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