What started as a vision four years ago for local dads Trevor Turcott and Steve VanCollie, to get kids on bikes, has developed into a powerhouse cycling group that instills the love of cycling in local youth—but it is more than that.
The East Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team helps kids from middle school through high school reach performance goals, physically and psychologically, find adventure and promote safe cycling. This accomplished while also instilling solid life lessons.
Racing along a rugged mountain trail on a bike, while peddling as fast as you can, could be compared to life. There are plenty of ups and downs, steep elevation drops, shifting ground, tons of rocks, and perhaps the biggest obstacle is other riders crowding the trail.
To negotiate the obstacles riders will encounter on the trail during a race, the coaching staff, consisting of eight experienced mountain bikers, trains the team on technical skills, track stands, mechanics, turning through a series of cones, and techniques of riding drops or riding over a balance beam. “Anything that would simulate a mountain bike trail,” explained Head Coach Curtis Barrett.
“We keep these activities in a contained environment, so the coaches can watch the kids, while helping them make corrections and improve their skills,” he continued. “We also do short rack races of one to two miles in sprints, or we go out on a 10- to 12-mile ride to increase endurance and to put all those skills into play.”
For Coach Barrett, it’s not just about winning and coming in first. “Our philosophy is to get kids on bikes, have fun, be respectful and learn to be stewards of the trail,” he stated. “We go out five or six times a year to work with the Tonto National Forest on the trails that we ride. So, it is really about being respectful to our community and environment.”
In the world of youth mountain bike competition, there are two types of teams. There is the school-sponsored team, which is comprised of full-time students from the same public or private high school for grades nine through 12. For schools that do not have a cycling program, students from more than one high school within the same geographic area can form a composite team.
The East Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team attracts riders from Red Mountain, Basha, Westwood, Mountain View, Highland, Desert Ridge, and Basis high schools. According to Coach Barrett, “The team has come together and has had an awesome year, finishing the Division 2 race series strong.”
Racing 10 miles in Division 2, JV2 category were Red Mountain High School sophomores Austin Phillips, who placed first in the state for 2018, and Elias Modest, an exchange student from Denmark who raced to a fourth place overall series win. Cameron Barrett, also from Red Mountain High School, placed seventh in the 10-mile Division 2 freshman category.
In his first year riding with the team, Sam Westwood, a sophomore from Westwood High School, finished in 12th place in Division 2, JV2 category. Sam says he has learned a lot in this year. “I have become a better learner overall,” he stated. “I have learned how to interact with others on the trail, how to be a good competitor, and I have learned more techniques of mountain biking, like how to ride more difficult trails with a higher level of competitor.”
Joni Rae-Westwood says she has seen her son’s confidence level soar. “The biggest change I have seen in Sam is more confidence in his physical abilities,” she said. “With the coaching and the experience he has gained by practicing hard and being able to ride with stronger, more experienced riders, his skills have improved and so has his confidence. He is taking more responsibility for his own outcomes, in school and at work.”
The sport is not exclusive to boys. Girls also enjoy the gritty, rough and tumble, high-energy sport of mountain bike racing, and even excel. Maci Waldron, a Red Mountain High School freshman, is making her mark in the dirt. She raced up to category JV1 this year, biking 15-mile courses and competing against older girls in Division 2, where she snatched runner-up from large fields of racers, placing second overall in the series.
“Maci has some real talent and is accepted into the AZ Devo team that only accepts 10 riders each year, so that is a big deal in our circles,” Coach Barrett acknowledged. In Arizona youth mountain bike racing, the AZ Devo team is a premier development program that has produced elite cyclists bound for the pros or the Olympics.
The East Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team competes throughout the State of Arizona under the auspices of The Arizona Interscholastic Cycling League, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization. Its overarching mission is establishing a climate that will provide students who have the desire to mountain bike with the coaching and camaraderie that will help them achieve both competitive and noncompetitive cross-country mountain biking goals in a safe and enjoyable manner.
To learn more about youth mountain bike racing, the East Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team, or to watch a race, go to evcbiketeam.com.