BY JIMMY GILLIGAN | Sports Editor | The Statesman The UMD Cycling Club hosted its first ever event this past weekend at Spirit Mountain: The North Central Collegiate Conference Mountain Bike Championships. It was not only the first collegiate race in Duluth, but in all of Minnesota.
Tiffany Endholm, the President of the UMD Cycling Club, said the event took two months of planning, but it was well worth it for the exposure.
“I wanted Minnesota mountain biking to get on the map, and Duluth mountain biking has exploded in recent years. I feel like the collegiate sector should really get their nose in there,” Endholm said.
The senior hopes that the Spirit Mountain races become an annual event, and that other schools in the NCCC (which includes select schools in Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas) also begin to host events.
With a huge number of trails being added to the existing mountain biking trails, Duluth became one of six International Mountain Biking Association Gold-level ride centers. Given the huge growth of the sport in the area, Endholm hopes that UMD will eventually become a destination for mountain biking enthusiasts.
“We don’t have a huge club yet, but I see it growing as UMD cycling grows,” Endholm said.
Without a coach, Endholm and her club had to coordinate the event on their own. But on the bright side, that gave them the opportunity to lay out the course themselves.
She chose the Spirit Mountain trails from among a number of different options in the Duluth-Superior area because it had a lift and all four events could be held in one central location.
The races consisted of four different mountain bike races: short track, enduro, downhill and cross-country, with each event testing a different aspect of mountain bike racing.
In laying out the courses, Endholm wanted to showcase Spirit Mountain’s best trails. They stand out in the mountain biking world not only because of Duluth’s rocky terrain, but also because of their construction, which was done by Rock Solid Trail Contracting.
“They’re world class people, and (the trails) are world class. I don’t know how they did it,” Endholm said.
Along with UMD and other college cycling clubs, a number of local riders attended the races, competing in “open” classes.
For the collegiate racers, the events were more than just for fun. The top finishers were awarded points. With enough points, riders can qualify for nationals.
Among UMD cyclers, Josh Laumann placed first in the short track collegiate race, with Sean Newton taking third, Ben Bergen taking fourth and Shawn Buesgens coming in sixth place.