Mother & Son - A Perfect DH Race Duo

Kristin and Ben post ride. All smiles, even if you can’t see Ben’s behind his helmet.

Team Routes staff member, Ben Goodman, and his mom both competed in the Angel Fire Downhill Mountain Bike Race this past June in New Mexico. It was the first time they’d ever raced together like this…and they loved it.

Ben originally learned of the race through a post on Instagram from the organizers - Downhill Rockies. He signed up in preparation for this summer’s downhill Nationals at Winter Park. Gravity racing has been a passion for him for the last few years.

Ben’s mom, Kristin, is getting back into racing after a 20 year hiatus. Before having Ben and his older brother, she did Ironman triathlons and XC mountain bike races. Her passion started to rekindle as she watched her son dive into multiple MTB racing disciplines.

Kristin, a high school science teacher herself, now has Ben, a Palmer Ridge High School student, as her teacher on the DH tracks. He has become her coach and instructor and shows her what lines to ride and how to execute a clean DH run.

Ben loved Angel Fire and the race because the cat 1 track was super fast, with some chunky tech, jumps, and deep drops. Overall, he was very pleased with his time. He enjoyed the atmosphere as folks were extremely laid back and really liked to have fun. 

Ben airing it out on his race run.

Kristin enjoyed her experience at Angel Fire as well - even though she had to take one of Ben’s buddies to the hospital for a broken collarbone.

You know? It happens.

She raced on the cat 2 track and was very happy she didn’t fall. She appreciated that the race was well organized and that the riders were highly supportive of each other. 

Ben and Kristin camped with a few other families nearby in a parking lot designated for camping. The two shared the area with a few other Team Routes staffers as well, including the owner who was there racing with his son. The weather was in the 80s and 90s and pretty dry - in part because of recent fires nearby. And despite the lack of moisture to wet the terrain, it was an epic time on the mountain racing for all.

On the 4 hour drive back home to Colorado Springs, they agreed they would definitely do this race again. 

RACING THE ROYAL GORGE

Cy Knowles joined Routes staff in the summer of 2021, and will be a Junior at Palmer Ridge High School this Fall. He moved here from Minnesota a couple years ago where he did his first downhill mountain bike race in 7th grade. This was only the beginning of Cy’s love for MTB and racing.

Cy Knowles and Ethan Werschky on top of the podium! And to be clear…the other podium finishers didn’t stick around to claim their spots. Ha! So they did in fact win in a field of other riders within their division.

Cy recently completed The Royal Gorge Groove - an XC mountain bike race. Despite the very windy conditions and 1,700 feet in elevation gain, he and his relay-mate, Ethan Werschky, took first place in the U18 division. (Ethan also just started working at Routes!)

It took the pair just over three hours to complete the 24-mile course. 

Cy had only hiked in the Royal Gorge prior to this race. After biking it, he said he would, “100% do this race again”. His general sentiment? It wasn’t too “techy”, the atmosphere & vibe was great, and the views were simply amazing. To boot, he enjoyed a post-race burger at Happy Endings Caboose Cafe in Canon City.

He did this race as a warmup for his XC season, and also plans on doing the Revolution Enduro Race in Snowmass at the end of the summer.

We love having Cy on staff at Routes! He’s growing his skills as a bike mechanic like crazy, and he continues to bring the kind spirit we value to both the community and his fellow staff.

If you see Cy at the shop, on the trails around town, or getting a post ride burrito at El Rincon, be sure to say “what’s up”!