At 16, David Kessler never fully grasped how much concentration was needed on his road bike until he competed last summer at the Tour of West Flanders. His tour director, Geoff Proctor, was responsible for giving his team a word of the day, but on this particular day in Belgium, he gave his team two: mental toughness.
The light switch turned on.
“With any endurance sport, you just have to have the mentality that things are going to hurt but you have to tough it out,” said Kessler, a member of the Felt-Holowesko-Garmin junior team. “Ever since then, I have just tried to embrace that.”
For embracing that concept to the fullest last month, Kessler was chosen The Denver Post’s Youth Excellence in Sports award winner for June.
“David’s mental capacity, determination and strength is where I see him being better than the next guy,” Proctor said. “It takes a lot of mental fortitude to go away to Europe for a month in the summertime at the expense of social life.”
Kessler had a disappointing finish in June at the USA Cycling Juniors and Elite Road National Championships in Bend, Ore. Kessler finished 10th in the time trial for the 17-18 age group June 24 and 36th a day later in the criterium. On June 27, Kessler finished 25th in the road race.
Kessler said he wasn’t in his best form, but used his cerebral juices to rebound a week ago at the 51st Annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Mass., where he finished fifth overall in the age 17-18 division and first among all 17-year-olds.
“We really went out to the East Coast and showed them who us Colorado kids are, so I was really happy,” Kessler said.
Nicknamed “Dangerous Dave,” Kessler raced mountain bikes before switching to his Felt F-series road bike. He takes time off from the Colorado Academy in February to work out in California, where Lance Armstrong trains.
Today, the Littleton native is expected to compete in the North Boulder Park Criterium for his final tuneup before Canada’s Tour de l’Abitibi on July 19-25. High-profile tours are nothing new to Kessler. He has toured in Europe and throughout the United States, and is set to compete in Italy this summer.
“It’s been such a good experience being able to go to France and Europe, and meeting new people while doing what I love the most,” Kessler said.
Kessler said he hopes to turn pro someday.
“I definitely see myself racing in the pro tour one day and the Tour de France, doing what Lance Armstrong does,” Kessler said.
But for now, Kessler enjoys being a teenager. When his schedule permits free time, Kessler’s leisure activities include his second-most valued quality — relaxing. His latest hobby is bowfishing.
“If you can just stay relaxed and enjoy life, I think it’s way better than living with stress,” Kessler said.
Shemar Woods: 303-954-1609 or swoods@denverpost.com
IN MEMORY: DRENNEN O’MELIA
Talented youngster leaves lasting legacy
Drennen O’Melia always put team before self, no matter what sport he played. He made friends easily with teammates. He was also an admired member of his youth group at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church.
On June 6, O’Melia, 12, drowned while attending a private pool party. He died a leader among his peers, a promising athlete and an even better student and friend. Circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown, as he was an accomplished swimmer. According to his father, Bill O’Melia, the autopsy showed that there was nothing out of the ordinary. An investigation is ongoing.
“He was a motivated leader that always pumped the team up,” his father said. “Each week he wanted a new friend from his team to sleep over.”
O’Melia was enrolled in the gifted-and-talented program at Powell Middle School and played football and basketball for the Panthers. He was a skilled golfer, shooting even par on a par-3 course two days before his death.
On the day before he died, O’Melia qualified in the 50-meter freestyle, 50 breaststroke and 100 individual medley to earn a spot on the Southglenn Gators Swim Team.
St. Timothy’s has plans to dedicate its youth center in O’Melia’s honor.
“When he loved something, he was always saying to the other kids, ‘Come try this, come do this’,” his mother, Melissa McGarvin, said. “He just had this (great) personality.”
Youth Excellence in Sports (YES!) honors those 17 or younger who have excelled in any athletic endeavor unaffiliated with the Colorado High School Activities Association. To submit your choice for the top individual or team achievement that occurred during July, visit for an online form or fax a brief description of the achievement to 303-866-9004 (Attention: YES!).
