Varsity Mountain Biking began its season with first-place finishes in its opening three races. Led by co-captains Tiger Mutter ’26, Maya Grogean ’26, and J.T. Popp ’26 and coaches Mike Fitzgerald, Ted Weihman, and Sam Somera, the team added four Prep riders to a roster of 17. New rider Greta Roswech ’29 said, “I was immediately welcomed by all teammates and coaches. The coaches are great at supporting riders at all different skill levels. On Saturdays, we travel to practice off campus on classic mountain bike trails in the region, and Wednesdays we race at other local prep schools. It’s a great community, and at the end of every school day, I can’t wait to get back on the trails to ride with everyone.”

The team practices in a skills park in Beeslick Woods behind the 49 Fields and off-campus on local courses, trails, and mountains.

Thatcher Meili ’27 said, “Practices are usually a mix of endurance rides and more technical trail sessions. We’ll do climbs like Riga to build stamina, then work on cornering or descending technique. It’s pretty laid back, but everyone still pushes hard. We all want to get faster and smoother for the races.”

The skills park is maintained by team members, who build new features, ranging from large wooden jumps to technical rock features. “The skills park has grown in the past few years and has helped improve the technical abilities of current riders,” said Popp.

Five races remain in the season. Riders hope to repeat the team’s 2023 and 2024 first-place finshes in the Housatonic Mountain Biking League Championships. Grogean said, “We have a strong team with amazing coaches who have been helping us a lot.”

The team’s next race will be at South Kent on October 15.