Soren Poole races in the Tennessee National Enduro. He navigates tight trails as he speeds down mountains at up to 30 mph. (Contributed photo) Susannah Allen was fairly new to the sport of mountain biking when she arrived on the University of Virginia’s Grounds last year. Now, as a rising second-year student, the Bedford native leads the beginner mountain biking clinics for the UVA Cycling Club.
“We offer beginner rides and have multiple members who started riding with our club their first year and now are competitive racers,” she said.
The growing interest in the sport at UVA tracks with what researchers noted as a boom in mountain biking that coincided with the pandemic.
NPD Group, an organization that tracks consumer spending, reported huge growth in sales for all bicycles in 2020 as the pandemic shuttered schools, businesses and many recreational pursuits. The sales of mountain bikes, in particular, jumped 92%.
So it seems logical that a lot of incoming first-year students will be ready to ride when they arrive.
That was Allen’s case when she rolled into Charlottesville. She and other relative novices to the sport have likewise increased the ranks of the UVA Cycling Club.
Her advice to new riders in Charlottesville? Join the club. Not only did she find some of her best friends there, but she was able to connect more with the Charlottesville community and discover lesser-known trails in the area to ride on. After Double-Lung Transplant, UVA Patient Is Again Competing in Triathlons “The UVA Cycling Club is […]
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