Meet Devin Madren | Mountain bike racer, Motocross enthusiast, Aircraft Mechanic/student pilot.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devin Madren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devin, how do you think about risk?
As a young boy I was pretty desensitized to risk quite quickly. My dad introduced motocross to me at the age of three and I started racing at the age of four. Pretty sure I went backwards on the track at some point my first race but I digress. My family lived on an acreage in the middle of no where in the middle of no where Iowa. There wasn’t much to do other than try to get into trouble. I had old crappy garage sale go-karts and and old van to play with. My dad tried teaching me to drive the old van in a field when I was five. He duct taped blocks of wood to the gas and brake pedals, put it in first gear and told me to have fun in a field. Little did I know at the time just how much I was learning with these situations. These days that would probably be considered child endangerment but I learned so much from them. What five year old can drive a van (poorly) and race a motorcycle over jumps? Most kids dont even get close to that kind of learning opportunity. These moments were not anomalies in my life but just a few of the first big ones. The older I got I had no problem making decision like moving to colorado when I was 21, with only a few grand in my pocket. I had no idea what I was doing but I always knew I wanted to live in the mountains and do something with airplanes. Within a few days of packing my truck up with my dirtbike, and my fish named Buck who was living in a five gallon bucket with a bubble maker, I found an apartment and moved in. Never once did I worry about what I was going to do because I’ve been way more scared then that growing up. A few really fast years later I found myself living in the beautiful town of Steamboat Springs as an Aircraft Mechanic. None of that would of happened without taking a risk. You wont go anywhere in life positively without some form of risk.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was 19 my mothers co-worker took me up in his small airplane and that was it, I was hooked. The feeling of flight with you at the controls was such an overwhelmingly emotional experience for me I wanted to do nothing but that. The cost of doing it was so astronomically insane that I knew I would have to work in the industry to even have a chance at it. I couldnt afford flight school and my parents definitely could not help. So I had to figure it out somehow. I quit my job in construction making $32 an hour and started working at a job fueling private jets and dumping their lavatories for $15. Not only was the pay a major shock to my system and lifestyle but the work fell quite short of gratifying. I knew I had to take the risk though. I needed to meet pilots and learn how they did it. After about two years of that I finally met a few local pilots that flew in regularly. When covid hit everyone pretty much lost their job so there I was pretty much screwed. I was headed back to installing service panels and pulling wire, or tiling a shower, whatever I could. However Scott Middleton at RPM knew my situation. I must of made an impact on him somehow and he told me of a mechanic who needs a hand doing small handy shop work. I told him I will literally do anything at this point. That situation ended up being an incredible apprenticeship and has developed into my career as an aircraft mechanic. It was such a whirlwind of a journey getting here.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly as much as I like a fancy dinner and playing around in the city shopping and what not, if Im lucky enough to have a full week off work I am packing up my bikes, fishing poles, and heading into the back country. It is the whole reason I moved out here. If I had it my way I would spend every day out in the wilderness. Riding my bikes, fishing, and hiking up miserable boulder fields are what I live for. But you have to work right? haha

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well I guess I am fortunate enough to thank my parents for most of it. They didnt have a lot of money and I love toys so they showed me things I could do to get what I want out of life. Early on they both encouraged me to try new things, work hard towards my goals, and reminded me that when I was relaxing playing video games someone else out there was getting after it. I can say that most of the things I have accomplished I have done myself, but it was them that instilled the ability to do so. Besides them I would have to say Derek and Wade at C3 bike shop in Denver. They gave me a chance at a race sponsorship when I first moved out here and I cant thank them enough for it. It help solidify me in the sport and allowed me to chase a goal of mine. I had literally no money at the time and they lent a hand, even though I was pretty new to the sport at the time. If you like to ride you should really check them out, they do good work.

Instagram: @mountain_critter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@devinmadren1819

Image Credits
www.jclearyphoto.com www.thewandering1.com