The 2022 mountain biking season has been over for a few months because of the harsh winter weather. Some members of the team are still training, and they are looking forward to the next race season starting up in the spring. 

Although the spring season isn’t part of the high school racing series of NICA, a handful of Ridgeline students are still planning on racing at least once. The Intermountain Cup Racing Series will be holding 7 cross-country races that will commence February 25th and continue through August 5th. 

Tanner Jacobson, a junior on the team, said that he would like to run “a couple” of these races before the main series starts in late summer. These races will be all around the state, starting south in St. George where it is warmer during the wintertime. During the summer months, the races will come further north in the state as the courses at some of the ski resorts become dry. Tanner says that he doesn’t ride that often during the winter season because of the cold; however, he does like to go skiing. “I like to stay active, but taking a break from biking can help improve your training” he explains. Tanner continues to add that he will start riding again when the weather warms up a bit. 

Another race, called the Cache Bash, will be held around the beginning of summer at Beaver Mountain. Jake Bowen, another rider for Ridgeline explained that the Cache Bash is a fun race that will get him and his other team members ready for the race at Beaver during the NICA season, which uses the same course. 

In an interview, Jake was asked if he has started to train for the upcoming season, to which he responded, “Yes, however, it is a little bit boring since the trails are not dry.” He also adds that he has been riding most days of the week and has also been working on strengthening his legs at the gym. “I’m hoping that all this training will pay off for my senior year.”