USU students take mountain biking to next level
Utah has become famous for its incredible mountain biking experience. The Intermountain Cup racing series is something that has grown because of the popularity of mountain biking in the Beehive State.
Utah State students Quinn Bingham and Nate Stowers are part of a mountain biking team called AOS/DJ Ortho, and are part of the Intermountain Cup racing series.
From March to August, these guys travel all over the state – from Logan, to Ogden, Lehi and St. George – experiencing the best mountain biking Utah has to offer.
“It’s fun to get out on different trails throughout Utah,” Stowers said. “It’s a real good opportunity to ride different trails and terrain. Tons of places I normally wouldn’t ride on.”
Stowers has been racing for about three years, racing seriously in the last two. Last year, he and Bingham decided to step up their commitment to the sport and started training harder, longer and more effectively.
“We just kind of started liking it a lot and kind of jumped in it together,” Bingham said.
There are four racing categories that divide the racers up according to age and ability. The categories are beginner, sport, expert and pro. Stowers and Bingham, along with John Finoff, another member of their team, all race in the expert class. Kyle Wright, the final member of the AOS/DJ Ortho, team races in the pro class.
Stowers believes that the categories are good for the racers because, “you don’t have to be an extreme racer to do this.”
“It’s always fun to have more people competing. The more people the better,” he said.
Bingham’s advice for anyone that is interested is, “don’t be intimidated to try your first race. Just go and have fun.”
Stowers said, “It’s a good way to be involved in a competitive sport and biking is such a good way to stay fit and be active. It’s fun to hang out with friends and ride with them.”
However fun it is, Bingham says the sport takes a lot of time and commitment. Many hours must be spent training, along with the time put into traveling all over the state to races at least every other weekend, sometimes more.
But for those that love it, the many benefits outweigh the cons, the riders say.
“It is fun to be able to compete doing something I love to do,” Stowers said.
Bingham said, “[I do it because] it is something competitive. It keeps you in shape and I love to mountain bike.”
Bingham also explained that it is generally the same people competing with each other at every race and they generally talk and have a good time while they are racing.
“Everyone’s cool with each other and it is a good atmosphere,” Stowers said.
Last year Stowers took first overall in the sport category and Bingham placed fifth in expert. This year both of the mountain bikers are looking to do well throughout the season and place in the top three in their category.
Stowers and Bingham have already had a few races so far this season, but they still have plenty more to go. Their next race is on May 1 in Lehi. They will also be competing in Logan on May 29.
For more information, go to www.intermountaincup.com, to check out race times and sites.
-aedmunds@cc.usu.edu