Colorado native Dave Wiens is a dedicated mountain biker with a unique pedigree: he took his love for the great outdoors to Alaska in the mid 1980s, discovering the mountain bike before embarking on a professional cross country career that brought World Cup and domestic victories while racing for Team Diamondback and RLX-Polo Ralph Lauren.

The 45-year-old father of three boys is married to 1996 Atlanta Olympic cross country bronze medalist Susan DeMattei, who's a native of Marin County. Wiens retired from full-time racing in 2004, but stayed connected to the competitive side by winning the grueling Leadville 100 a record six times in a row, beating world-class roadies Floyd Landis and Lance Armstrong in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

The 2009 Leadville 100 duel between Armstrong and Wiens was captured gloriously in the movie 'Race Across the Sky'. Here's a clip:

Wiens is proudly serving as a NICA board member, and is looking forward to the expansion of high school mountain bike racing into Colorado in 2010.