Hundreds of Idaho students compete in Grand Targhee cycling event
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ALTA, Wyoming — Inclusivity, equality, strong body, mind and character isn’t just a mantra. They’re the core principles for the National Interscholastic Cycling Association that Idaho youth took to heart on the course this weekend.
“I just like the adrenaline,” 13-year-old rider Taylor Brown says.
Taylor along with over 600 other students from around the Gem State competed in the 2018 Grand Charge — the second race in a five-race series during the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League’s competition season.
The riders took to a four mile course at the Grand Targhee Resort Saturday. Kids from sixth through 12th grade competed in races suited to their age division.
“We’re gonna kill it out there,” 17-year-old Morgan Hurst says. Morgan is a varsity rider in her fourth year of competition. This sport for her is a family affair with two other siblings on the team — Erik, 11, and Emma, 15.
She and her sister represent half of the girls on the Upper Valley Composite team. The co-ed team hosts 80 riders, with 51 competitors at Saturday’s event.
The girls are outnumbered in the sport of mountain biking but they still ride hard and represent. Emma says she likes the challenge.
“I feel pretty cool,” Emma says. “I’m a girl and I’m biking, like, I can do this.”
Morgan, on the other hand, feels a bit more pressure to perform.
“I think it’s kind of stressful,” Morgan says. “We want other girls to join our team and want them to see that it’s fun.”
Both girls placed in the first event of the season in Twin Falls. Morgan placed 5th overall for Varsity, and Emma took third for JV.
Joe Hill, Madison High School and Upper Valley Composite team director in Rexburg says it takes a massive crew to run the event. Hill said the race course was four miles long and with roughly 500 feet of vertical climbing.
“There’s probably 2,500 spectators here today. It’s becoming the largest cycling event in the state and its youth,” Hill says.
Hill says the course is a cross-country landscape and has minimal jumps. Age range determines the number of laps riders need to complete. Younger riders race one lap while varsity riders have to do four.
“There are sometimes jumps in the courses but there’s not a lot,” Hill says. “They’re trying to make sure they minimize as many injuries as possible.”
He says to prepare for the season his team trains twice a week at a local bike park where they practice skills, drills, and interval training. The other half of their practices include riding through hills on trails.
Competitors, spectators and parents alike all have one thing they love about the sport, the inclusiveness.
“Everybody cheers everybody. If you’re mountain biking your family, (then) we’re all here having fun,” Hill says.
“I think my favorite thing is that everyone is included. There’s no bench warmers like other sports,” Morgan says. “There’s so much variety in age and skill level.”
“There’s just not any bad sportsmanship. Everybody’s positive and it’s fun,” parent Lisa Brown says.
Biking teams came from places like Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Boise, Hailey, Teton, Twin Falls, Payette, Garden Valley, Big Sky, Montana, and more.
Hill says to find out more about the sport go to Idahomtb.org. To know more about the Upper Valley Composite team go to uvcmtb.com.
“There are scholarships available for kids, there’s even a loaner bike program available for kids,” Hill says. “Even if kids don’t even have a bike they can get involved if they’re interested.”
All photos taken by Natalia Hepworth, EastIdahoNews.com
