Picture this: a person wearing a grey shirt with red and yellow shorts shoots down the numerous trails of Eaglebrook’s campus. A student, riding on a bike, is ready to propel themselves onto any abrupt roots, jagged rocks, and towering jumps. That is Eaglebrook’s Mountain Biking team. The students enjoy the pure feeling and experience of the adrenaline rush you get whilst gliding down a trail, speeding through narrow gaps between trees.
We have three groups in total for the whole team: A, the veterans of the group; B, the ones who have the skill but are working up to the A point; and C, the students who have just started to learn about Mountain Biking. These different groups can provide all the students with appropriate challenges, depending on their skill level.
MTB is not just about the competition of who is the fastest; it’s about learning responsibility and caring for each team member. Students learn to always lend a hand to someone who needs help if they need it, even if it means stopping their bikes. The older students in the group naturally take the responsibility of sweeping (staying at the back) or leading the team, and younger team members learn from them and follow their lead.
Every practice, each group decides on the trails that they are going to ride. Towards the end of the season, they even take turns helping with trail maintenance. This includes removing leaves and branches that are obstructing the trail, chainsawing through trees that have fallen, and using a leaf blower to clear the path. As a group, they are always caring and encouraging each other. Some people might say that Mountain Biking is not a real sport, but when they hear that, the next thing they know, they’ll be watching riders kick up dirt in their faces as they race ahead.
This year’s team consists of Harry An ’27, Spencer Austen ’27, John Baker ’27, John Barnhill ’27, Bobb Nathaniel ’28, Grayson Boron ’28, Brody Cross ’26, Lane Fuller ’27, Alexandre Guazzoni de Zanett ’27, Edwin Huang ’27, Jonathan Jiang ’26, Derek Kelly ’26, Travis Kelly ’28, Daniel Li ’29, Carl Lu ’27, Michael Mickiewicz ’27, Travis Sias Jr ’28, Dean Tanoyo ’27, James Wang ’27, Oliver West ’27, Miles Williams ’29, Richard Worley II ’29, Derek Xie ’27, and Tony Zhang ’26.
