Verde Valley Independent Article 1

4/26/2011 2:46:00 PM Verde Valley man aspires to go pro

Patrick Wiatrolik traverses down a rocky portion of a trail at Dead Horse State Park. VVN/Sean Morris Patrick Wiatrolik powers up a rocky incline on a trail at Dead Horse State Park. VVN/Sean Morris Sean Morris Sports Reporter Cat One is right below pro--it's the highest amateur level. Cottonwood resident Patrick Wiatrolik isMountain Biking in Cat One right now, and he's training to go pro. It's a huge commitment. There's only an elite group of riders who make it to the top because the competition is so fierce. "It depends on how hard I train, and how many races I do," said Wiatrolik. "I'd like to say it could be this year, but in reality there's such an incredible difference in abilities, it will probably be a year or two years of solid riding and racing to be able to get to the pro level because you need that good competition to improve." Luckily for Wiatrolik, the trails around the Verde Valley are the perfect proving ground for him to refine his skills. He came from the Midwest about five years ago, and the trails out here are a lot different. "The trails around here are awesome. There's a lot of technical riding, and that's fun because I really enjoy the technical aspects--it definitely makes things a lot harder. It's a completely different breed of trails than those in the Midwest. You can't even compare them because they're just a different caliber of riding. A lot of my friends that come out to visit say these trails are absolutely hands-down amazing, best trails in the world," said Wiatrolik. Riding nearly every day on the trails in the Verde Valley to train for races is equivalent to running with weights strapped to your legs, or warming up with a bat weight before stepping to the plate. "Most of these trails are a little bit harder than the trails I race on," said Wiatrolik. "It gives me the ability to push myself further. With the technical riding and longer climbs around here, I continually improve and I can push myself to a further extent." And you can tell he's been pushing pretty hard; his thighs are the size of Easter hams. The muscle definition of his legs is like a badge of honor--evidence of countless training hours pushing up hills. Wiatrolik started Mountain Biking about 12 years ago, but his cycling background goes back even further to his BMX days. Sprinkle in a little road cycling and you realize Wiatrolik would probably ride anything with two wheels. "My background in BMX helps me hugely. Every bit of cycling, whether it's BMX, road cycling, ormountain biking, they all go back and forth and help with one another. It helps to have a background in all of them. That's why I try to keep doing them, to a certain extent, to improve my riding ability," said Wiatrolik. Recently he sold some of his spare bikes to fund his racing season. He also consolidated and bought a Giant XTC Advanced. He trains and races on the same bike. "I just wanted to have something close to what the guys at the top are racing with," said Wiatrolik. Right now, Wiatrolik is a reserve firefighter. That means he works when stations need him to cover. The hours aren't consistent, but he takes what he can get. "If I was offered a full-time position I would take it," said Wiatrolik, "but I wouldn't stop training." A lot of pro riders don't make enough money to quit their day jobs. Only a handful of pros are positioned well enough with sponsorships to make a living solely on a Mountain Bike racing career. The hours of a typical firefighter (a few days on, a few days off) also lend themselves to having time for training and racing. Balancing a family life and a career with Mountain Biking aspirations can be tricky. Wiatrolik is gone for several days at a time, traveling far distances around the country for various competitions, but he says his wife makes it easy on him. "I have a five-year-old daughter named Avery, I have a two and a half-year-old son named Benjamin, and an almost two year-old son named Zachary," said Wiatrolik. "My wife means everything to me, she's my world. Without her I probably wouldn't exist. She does everything. She takes care of me and allows me to do what I want with racing. She allows me to maximize my potential and supports my racing, in all aspects."