Ear to the ground:

“I had to fall off the wagon because football without alcohol is insufferable.”
– Local football widow explaining her failed New Year’s resolution

Bend or bust

After 16 years in Durango, several at the front of the pack for Devo and Fort Lewis College’s mountain bike team, Chad Cheeney is hitting the high road.

Cheeney and his wife, Annie, leave Durango on Feb. 1 for Chad’s hometown of Bend, Ore., where Annie will attend graduate school at Oregon State University. Annie, who has also worked as a coach for Devo as well as for the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, will be pursuing a degree in counseling.

Chad and the photo he hopes prospective employers will never see.

“We’re going to be Beavers,” lamented Chad, “but I like the Ducks better.”

For those who’ve grown accustomed to seeing the Cheeneys as fixtures on locals trails or the bike polo field, fret not. They plan to return to Durango in three years.

Chad, who moved to Durango in 1998 to attend FLC, admitted that, like many returning home, he will be moving in with the rents. But he doesn’t anticipate any curfews or complaints about dirty laundry or loud music. “I’ve got really cool parents,” he said.

The transition should be eased by the fact that Bend is a lot like Durango. “It’s a lot like here, a high desert climate,” he said.

And there should be no shortage of riding. “Bend is known as the ‘other’ mountain biking mecca,” said Chad. “People in Bend say they’re No. 1, and people in Durango say they’re No. 1., so maybe this will settle it once and for all.”

Chad said although he is “trying not to get a job,” they seem to keep finding him. There are a few Devo-like groups scouting him and he is also planning on furthering his coaching expertise. “There’s all these little things floating in a bubble above my head,” he said.

One of those bubbles is a trip back to Durango in the spring to help with Devo coaches’ training, which hopefully will include his successor. “The vibe of Devo is now so well known, so I’m not too worried about who steps in,” he said.

But what he is worried about is leaving his young protegees. “I’m really just sad to leave my kids,” he said. “It’s tougher than leaving my friends.”

On a bright note, there is the Super Bowl, which, if all the stars align, could feature his two most beloved teams. “My two favorite teams  are the Broncos and the Seahawks. It could be a dream weekend.”

A going away party for Chad and Annie will be held 6-8 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 23, at Ska.