Durango Devo sprang from the mountains of Southwestern Colorado in 2006 with six riders and two staff members. They had a simple mission statement back then, “Creating lifelong cyclists, one ride at a time.” Today, that goal remains the same, and the program has grown exponentially to over 600 juniors, ranging from scoot-biking two year-olds to NICA racing high school seniors.
Voler partnered with Durango Devo this past season to provide Produce-On-Demand, custom kits for the hundreds of Devo participants.
Levi Kurlander is the executive director of Durango Devo, the very program where he discovered riding a decade ago. This past year, Kurlander raced professionally for the Orange Seal Off-Road MTB team while concurrently overseeing Durango Devo’s operations. He enlisted the help of Voler to simplify and streamline the production and distribution of Devo’s custom kits.
“In all honesty it makes my life a lot easier to not have to coordinate all the shipping and sizing that comes with big, centralized kit orders.”
Voler’s in-house custom program not only simplifies Kurlander’s life, it also allows Devo kids to get involved in the design process. Kurlander says, “We have a big group of kids and community around Devo, and we draw on that community and its broad range of skillsets for inspiration and design.”
Dozens of sketches poured into Voler’s inbox, where the in-house team of graphic designers and artists in Grover Beach, California, brought the concepts to wearable life.
“The final product was a real group effort that combined different elements from many designs,” Kurlander explains.
“Having a say in the design of the kits gives the kids a sense of pride and ownership in the program. They are stoked to be wearing kits that they and their friends helped design.”
“Voler’s whole Produce-On-Demand program really makes my life a lot easier, too.” Kurlander continues. As kids sign up for the program throughout the year, they can place orders directly with Voler. Within 10 days, Voler makes the kits in California then the orders are shipped straight to participant’s houses. No more missing the annual kit order. No more boxes of unclaimed garments overflowing into the executive director’s office. Within a week and a half, these kids are outfitted like the rest of their buddies. They’re ready to race, ride and fit in with the rest of the Durango Devo community.
The Devo kids explore the MTB trails around Durango and travel across Colorado for NICA races. But the community that Devo strives to build extends far beyond the pedal strokes.
“Durango has given Devo so much that we really want to make sure we give back to them too.”
Kurlander explains.
In this spirit of community service, you’ll find Devo’s high schoolers working on the trail networks around town with the local MTB advocacy group, Trails 2000. Or you might see a group of middle schoolers volunteering at the local soup kitchen. “In addition to developing cyclists, we also want to build well rounded human beings.”
It’s easy to spot these well-rounded youngsters, whether they’re racing the local NICA races or out blazing new trails high in the San Juan Mountains.
It’s not just their custom Voler kits emblazoned with Durango Devo. It’s those huge grins on their faces that beam, “I love cycling, and I will for the rest of my life!”
