- BLOGGER APP #11: Anthony Maguire

NAME: Anthony "Ant" Maguire

SPONSOR/TEAM: Team Maguire

HOMETOWN: Taos, New Mexico

Where are you from? I’ve called Taos, NM home for the last thirteen years. San Diego, CA is where I am from.
What kind of bike do you ride? A Santa Cruz "Classic" Blur, dressed in a Anodized Citrus finish.
What do you love about it? I love everything about my bike, from the ride to Willie K. at Santa Cruz Bikes. (ED NOTE: I also have a not-so-secret man-crush on 'Willis')
Solo or team competitor? Why? Solo. Why not, I’m crazy enough!
Done any ultra-endurance stuff before? Yes, many, many self-supported big days, like Wolf Creek Pass/Elwood Pass/Pagosa Springs. Did the Durango 100k, placed 5th over all. Racing, until now, has been strictly forbidden in my posse.
Favorite food? Anything my wife makes, particularly if it has chile on it. I am talking New Mexico chile. Red or green? I’ll have it Christmas!
Movie? Breaking Away
Book? It’s a secret.

Worst experience on a bike? I have been pinned down by lightning, had the worst ragging diarrhea and stomach cramps, been soaked with sweat then half frozen, have had to walk my bike many miles and I have still never had bad day on the bike. It’s like the age-old adage: The worst day of fishing is better than the best day at work.
Best experience on a bike? There are so many, it would take pages to chronicle all of them. Here’s one that sticks out though. Preparing for the Durango 100k, I was riding with my buddy, who always dropped me like a bad habit on climbs. After riding for about forty miles, we were traveling up one of our favorite climbs "Jaracita", when I passed my buddy and then continued to drop him all the way to the top. This may not seem like that big a deal, but this was somebody who had continually dropped me on every climb for the past ten years. Yea, payback is sweet…Baby!
Tell us about your LBS (Local Bike Shop): I do all my own wrenching, so my favorite LBS is my own in house bike shop. There are two local shops, both of which are great. Taos Cyclery and Gearing Up. Doug from Taos Cyclery and Ray from Gearing Up are very knowledgeable and know all the local rides.
Tell us about your favorite ‘local’ ride: The best local ride would have to be the South Boundary Trail. It runs from Angel Fire to Taos and is about thirty five miles long with about 10,000’ of climbing. This is the premier single track of Taos and should be ridden in the fall when the aspens are going off. The SB is definitely the local goods.
Tell us about your favorite ride EVER: Every time I get a chance to ride is usually my favorite ride ever. During one of my last rides of this season I had what we like to call a New Mexico moment. It had just stopped raining and the sun was at my back, the dogs were running next to me and the light from the sun setting was the most beautiful that I had ever seen. I have lived in Northern New Mexico for thirteen years, and every time I think I have seen the most beautiful sunset ever, I see another. I am truly grateful to live in such an enchanting place.
Describe a sponsor or company you admire and why you admire them: I admire Taos Ski Valley the most. Taos Ski Valley is a Northern New Mexico ski resort, which is run by the Blake Family. I love working at a place where the owners believe that having fun is just as important as working hard. I have never worked with people that are so nice and unassuming.
Who will play you in the Breck Epic movie and why? Nicholas Cage. He has great range and thinning hair.
What do you hope to get out of this experience? Expectations/goals/etc. My first goal is to show up, not just to the start line, but physically, mentally and spiritually. I would never attempt anything of this grandeur without proper preparation. So having said that, I have already evoked the top-secret training plan and will be good to go July 5. My second goalis to have an epic amount of fun. The main reason to race the Breck Epic is to have fun, I mean can you do it for any other reason? My third goal is to have a great family vacation. My family would be so psyched to hang out at the Breck Epic for a week of racing. They are my greatest wealth and their support is one of my greatest treasures. My last goal is to hammer with the 40+ class and to turn myself inside out and leave everything out on the course. Lastly, I will be in the pursuit of the mind clearing and meditative effects of riding a mountain bike, after all, isn’t that what it is all about.
Tell us about your history as a cyclist or in the industry: I moved to Taos thirteen years ago, and have been mountain biking ever since. I usually spend April through October pedaling the high altitude alpine forests of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Mountain biking in Taos is lose, steep, rocky and in your face. We have one map that is a lose interpretation of a trail system, but the reality is that you are on your own. From thunderheads to cougars to weak trail markers, Taos is backcountry mountain biking at its best.
Feel free to blatantly self-promote here. A quote you like, a direct appeal to the voters, some hateful vitriolic slander for your political opponents (see: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter…) This is your space. Decorate it however you’d like. Well, this is it, my only chance to hammer in the inaugural Breck Epic. The $$$ have just not been forthcoming like my horoscope had promised. This coupled with the birth of our son Ryder has made self-sponsorship next to impossible. Racing in a mountain bike stage race is one of my life dreams. Mike, people of earth (and registered aliens), make my dream come true, pick me to represent the outsiders, the dark horses, the underground sector, the Southwest and I will spin you a yarn that we will tell our grandchildren.