Few people can pilot a bike鈥攐r a Bronco SUV鈥攁s deftly as Micayla Gatto. A professional freeride mountain biker, graphic designer, and multisport adventurer, Gatto grew up on British Columbia鈥檚 North Shore, where the mountains were never far. She fell in love with downhill mountain biking and spent nine years on the World Cup Circuit, notching several national championship wins. Today, she鈥檚 focused on freeride mountain biking, her art, and overland adventures, which is why she was a top pick for the . Ford assembled a crew of adventure pros, including Gatto, to experience the TransAmerica Trail, a 5,900-mile route that crosses 13 states and some of the best hiking, camping, biking, climbing and paddling areas in the country.

The adventure pros joined the convoy at key locations in Utah and Colorado and found the route delivers plenty of action鈥攂ehind the wheel and on the ground. Learn more about and how you can easily follow this under-the-radar route.

is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company鈥檚 Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty.

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No place in the country has embraced mountain biking like Northwest Arkansas. The mountainous corner of the Natural State has more than 400 miles of singletrack, the vast majority of which has been built specifically for mountain biking. The neighboring cities of Bentonville and Bella Vista have gone all-in on bikes, integrating new trail systems into the fabric of their communities, while endless ribbons of singletrack traverse the surrounding mountains and bluffs. The result? Northwest Arkansas has become the hub of mountain biking in America. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of anywhere else in the U.S. that approaches trail riding in quite the same way,鈥� says Anneke Beerten, a three-time world champion mountain biker and .

The cycling community is so unique that it must be experienced to be believed. What鈥檚 in store? Here are eight reasons Northwest Arkansas is the ultimate mountain biking destination.

A Seamless Riding Experience

Are Bella Vista and Bentonville towns with world-class mountain biking, or is it a 200-plus-mile network of world-class trails that comes with two charming cities? Either way, what you get is two distinct communities with an amazing all-levels trail system that connects them. Can鈥檛 decide where to ride? Bella Vista鈥檚 Tunnel Vision never disappoints. Beerten also points new visitors to , just north of Bentonville: 鈥淵ou鈥檒l find me here most of the time,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ecause it has super fun, flowy trails with some really playful jump lines.鈥�

Options for Every Rider

The diversity of trails throughout Northwest Arkansas is unmatched, largely because most systems are built with progression in mind. The 49-mile , for instance, has the well-groomed (ideal for beginners) but also the black diamond Sick-A-More trail that鈥檚 stacked with features for expert riders. At , there are beginner jumps and drops where kids and newer riders can safely get comfortable with airtime, but also advanced jump lines and big-air features.

True Proving Grounds

The area gets a lot of well-deserved credit for welcoming beginners (see above), but there鈥檚 plenty of technical terrain for experts as well. That鈥檚 why the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team chose Northwest Arkansas as its home base, and why many pros are moving to the area. Nat Ross is a former world champion XC racer who relocated specifically for the trails, and notes the many backyard opportunities to test his skills. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much for intermediate riders here,鈥� Ross says, 鈥渂ut you鈥檒l find dabs of black diamond terrain everywhere because the Ozarks topography, and all the rock here, make for excellent technical riding.鈥� Want to push your climbing prowess to its limit? Try out , a black-diamond cross-country test piece in Coler Mountain Bike Preserve (pictured atop article).

A Culture of Two Wheels

Biking isn鈥檛 just a pastime in Northwest Arkansas, it鈥檚 woven into the community鈥檚 culture and economy. Trails are more than just magnets for visitation, they improve life for locals鈥攌ids riding bikes to school, parents commuting on two wheels, and a record number of designated . Beyond its substantial economic impact, biking shapes the nature of the community for the better. 鈥淭he trails, the community, and the slower pace of life really stand out,鈥� Beerten says of her choice to live in Bentonville year-round. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to see the community continuously striving to make cycling part of everyday life.鈥�

Innovative Urban Trails

Bentonville has benefitted from its growth as the country鈥檚 new biking epicenter, with a 70-mile incorporated seamlessly into the small city. And it鈥檚 not just singletrack in the forest; bike integration means sidewalks built into pump tracks. 鈥淓very time I ride from my house into town, I feel grateful,鈥� Beerten says. 鈥淚鈥檒l roll down a sidewalk with jumps built in, cut into a few singletrack trails, then hop onto the greenway that takes me straight downtown.鈥� Beerten likes to bookend a day on the bike with a morning latte at and a cold beverage at .

Instant 国产吃瓜黑料

From any one of 400-plus bike-friendly vacation rentals, you can connect to three trail networks with more than fanning out through forested bluffs, caves, and lakes. The Little Sugar trail network includes Huntley Gravity Zone where mountain bikers can lap features like drops and tabletops without worrying about uphill traffic. For a big ride, the network includes 40 miles of singletrack for all levels, including hanging bridges that span waterfalls and bluffs. The Blowing Springs network includes the Gear Garden, an outdoor beer garden next to a natural spring. Recharge overnight at the new adventure lodge, which packs amenities like a bike wash, sauna, and cold plunge. Looking to build your skills? 鈥淚n Bella Vista,鈥� says Rich Drew, former enduro racer and founder of The Ride Series coaching system, 鈥測ou鈥檒l never run out of trail styles to improve your bike handling, mindset, and endurance.鈥�

Lift Service

Arkansas鈥� first lift-served mountain biking, the , is currently being developed in Bella Vista with easy access from Bentonville, featuring a high-speed quad chairlift (rendering pictured below) and 20 miles of gravity trails, all of which connect with the existing network. In true Arkansas fashion, art installations will be featured throughout the system.

The Bigger Vision

The extensive riding in Northwest Arkansas is only one part of a larger statewide investment in outdoor recreation dubbed Trail Vision. The initiative encompasses everything from the , a collection of purpose-built trail systems scattered throughout Arkansas鈥檚 state park units, to the new , which will be comprised of 100 miles of singletrack on Ouachita National Forest, connected to the town of Mena and serviced by three chairlifts.

Northwest Arkansas, where the cities of and unite to create the ultimate mountain biking destination and provides the training ground for the US National Mountain Bike Team. These neighboring cities offer 200-plus miles of connected trails ranging from urban flow to backcountry adventure, anchored by the . The OZ Trails network radiates across the region creating a cycling destination where year-round riding meets genuine Arkansas hospitality, an expansive culinary scene, and a thriving outdoor culture. Welcome to Arkansas – , a mountain biking paradise.

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On May 13, 2022, ground was broken on the first adaptive trail network in the world. Now, the inspiring story of how it all came to be.

听follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers , 26, and , 40, as they explore life after disability in a Green Mountains biking community.

The idea for the film was born the day , president of in Vermont, joined Greg and some of their friends for a ride. Berne recalls witnessing how difficult it was for Greg to ride fluidly like the rest of the crew. “This is so dumb,” she expresses in the film, watching him being carried across bridges too narrow for his bike. “There are so many problems in this world that aren鈥檛 solvable. We can solve this problem.鈥�

Best Day Ever will tear at your core. It will inspire you to never put limitations on yourself or on others.

“It鈥檚 hard to understand, said Berne. “I think the inclination, as able-bodied people, is to feel bad for somebody who鈥檚 had an injury, but when somebody doesn鈥檛 feel bad for themselves, it changes your perspective.”

The film follows the completion of the Driving Range, now a fully adaptive network with intermediate to expert to pro-level trails, and Allie, on her first ride post-accident. Using an adaptive bike she received via a grant with help from Greg, who works as the senior director of programs at the , Allie made the decision to revisit the trail feature where she injured her spine.

“I was told I’d be in a power chair my whole life,” she says in the film. “I basically told them ‘fuck you.'”

Catch the premiere of Best Day Ever at on October 17 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the first of showcasing the film.

The Driving Range Opens to the Public

After failed attempts to find a builder who could catch their vision, Berne and Greg linked up with trail builders like . “They said it wouldn’t be possible,” Berne told 国产吃瓜黑料, but Berne found folks willing to get to work. They took Greg out on the trails to help them identify problem areas and then to give the routes a final ride.

“It changed the way we were thinking about trails from there on out,” Lepesqueur says in the film. “In hindsight, there are many trails I鈥檝e built in my career that could’ve been better for adaptive riders with not a heck of a lot more effort.”

took about three years to complete. Hundreds of volunteers helped get it open to the public by August 2023, and it remains free for all. Every Wednesday night, volunteers, able-bodied riders, and adaptive riders join to eat, drink, and ride. “It’s hard to get people to leave,” Berne shared with 国产吃瓜黑料. “I hope people will continue to come and experience it and use it as a model for trails in their community.”

When a trail is marked a black diamond, it’s actually black for all riders, able-bodied or disabled. “These trails are rocky, they鈥檙e hard, they鈥檙e challenging, and they’re fun to ride,” Rob Galloway, an adaptive mountain bike instructor says in the film.

And once you meet adaptive mountain bikers like Greg and Allie, “you recognize that they are more aggressive, more skilled, more capable, more passionate,” Bec Wojtecki, director of Richmond Mountain Trails shared. “You 听realize like ‘why do I have all these trails and they don鈥檛?’鈥�

Greg has also helped launch a series of camps with the Kelly Brush Foundation to welcome anyone with a spinal cord injury who鈥檚 interested in adaptive mountain biking.

“I never would have thought adaptive mountain biking would be on my list,” Gretchen Dsouza, an adaptive rider who attended one of the camps, says in the film. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in a chair for ten years, and I’m just now getting to do these things. It鈥檚 never too late.鈥�

Allie, who doesn’t have the function of her hands or upper body, gave 国产吃瓜黑料 a glimpse into how her bike works. “I strap my hands basically onto the handlebars because I don’t have any grip. Then, on my right hand, I have a throttle pad that I use a wrist motion in my shoulder strength to kind of drop my elbow down and use that wrist. It allows the throttle to get the bike to go. With her left wrist, Allie pushes down on a bar that engages the brakes.

Allie is just getting started, but Greg has been at it for years now. He’s participated in the past two U.S. Opens for downhill mountain biking, has crossed the Ironman finish line, and so much more. “I have all of these amazing dreams because of this community,” Greg told 国产吃瓜黑料.

When we asked the crew about how the film got its name, Greg cut through the silence: “I say the day I got injured was probably the best day ever. It totally changed the trajectory of my life.”

“It can be hard to know how to do something positive. Well, we invite people to get involved with this work,” Berne shared.

to watch the film, and help for adaptive athletes to get specialized equipment and trails. For a wheelchair user, a mountain bike isn鈥檛 just fun. It鈥檚 freedom.

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You’ve seen them in thrift stores and at garage sales. Heck, maybe you have one in the far recesses of your basement, a thick layer of dust building up on its rim brakes, grip shifters, and threadbare 26-inch tires.

I’m talking about early-nineties mountain bikes. Perhaps you’ve stared at one of these relics of cycling history and wondered: Did anyone really race this thing up and down a mountain?

The answer, of course, is yes. In the early nineties, the halcyon days of mountain biking, a cadre of American cyclists competed all over the world on these glorious if archaic machines. Ned Overend, John Tomac, Juli Furtado, Sara Ballantyne, and others dominated the World Cup and world championships of cross-country mountain biking back then, their neon spandex and ping pong ball-like helmets blurring across singletrack from Vail to Val d’Isere.

Americans invented the mountain bike, so it made sense that our athletes were the fastest.

Alas, this era of American dominance was short-lived. Within a few years of the Mountain Bike World Cup鈥檚 creation in 1990, European racers pushed the Americans to the back of the pack. With the new European era came new names to cheer for, , and yes, glorious new bike tech.

Years, then decades, flew by. The old bikes and old American heroes faded away.

In the aughts and teens, American women scored decent results, but the U.S. men lagged. I covered mountain biking for the cycling magazine 痴别濒辞狈别飞蝉听from 2004 until 2009, and I wrote about the U.S. men as they tried to break their losing streak. I became an immediate fan of the sport, and I often wondered if I would live long enough to see an American man win鈥攍et alone dominate鈥攖he World Cup.

Times change and losing streaks end. On October 5, Christopher Blevins of Durango, Colorado, won the World Cup race in Lake Placid, New York. By winning, Blevins, 27, earned enough points to claim the entire World Cup title for cross-country mountain biking鈥攁 prize for season-long performance.听The last guy from the USA to win the听series was John Tomac back in 1991, the second year of the series.

Yep鈥攖hat was 34 years ago, back in the era of heavy bike frames, rim brakes, and 26-inch wheels.

“The World Cup overall was one of the biggest goals of my career,” Blevins after the race.”To prove to myself that I can have consistency throughout the year was a big achievement.”

Adding to his title, Blevins also won the short-track cross-country race and the World Cup title in that discipline, which was added to the series in 2022. In short, Blevins was the most successful racer of 2025 from the start of the season to the finish.

If anyone were to break the European stalemate, it was Blevins. He grew up in Durango, the same town where Overend, Tomac, Furtado, and other American racers lived and trained during the gilded age of American off-road racing. Durango also hosted the inaugural mountain biking world championships way back in 1990. The world championships听will return to Durango in 2030 for the 40th anniversary.

The town’s network of singletrack trails鈥攕ome of which were used during the 1990 worlds鈥攕tart in town and climb into the mountainsides above the city. The kids who grow up in Durango have access to Durango DEVO, a youth cycling program, which is perhaps the country’s best at getting kids to love bike racing.

I interviewed Blevins , when he was a budding star on the U.S. circuit. He told me that he grew up idolizing Durango’s famed mountain bikers like Tomac and Overend. He even loved the guys from later generations who were routinely spanked by the Europeans.

At the time, I became convinced that Blevins’ connection to mountain biking’s past would help him end the U.S. drought. You see, Blevins is a true cycling wunderkind, and since childhood,听he has been on the trajectory to cycling greatness. He could climb with the best, zip down rocky and technical trails better than almost anyone else, and also sprint, corner, and chase. He was a Swiss army knife of cycling talent.

But Blevins also kicked butt at road cycling, which forced him to make a crucial decision early in his career. Would he chase the Tour de France or the mountain biking World Cup?

In previous generations, during the so-called “Lance Era,” many of America’s best up-and-coming cyclists chose听the Tour over mountain bikes. The paycheck was bigger, the glory more substantial. This talent drain also contributed to the U.S. drought.

But Blevins stayed committed to Durango, to Tomac and Overend, and to mountain biking. He quit road cycling in his early twenties to focus on the World Cup. And now, that decision has paid off. I have no doubt that Blevins would have won a big road bike race or two by now鈥攁 huge accomplishment. Instead, he has etched his name into American cycling history as the guy who ended a multi-generational losing streak and returned the country of mountain biking’s origin to the top of the podium.

And who knows? Maybe the next Blevins was standing in the crowd at Lake Placid, or is lining up for the local races in Durango, ready to continue the American cycling tradition into the future.

“I don’t feel any different than the kids who were racing out here yesterday,” Blevins told reporters after his big win, referencing the kids’听races that went on the day before. “There is such a through-line, an organic process to get here.”

My colleagues at Pinkbike recently that Blevins rode to win the World Cup. It has all of the bells and whistles of modern mountain biking technology: a carbon-fiber frame, shock absorbers controlled via an electronic remote on his handlebars, 29-inch tubeless tires, hydraulic disc brakes, electronic shifters, and far too many other doodads to name.

But someday, this fancy bicycle will also exist as a relic of a bygone era, stored away in a basement, inspiring wonder and awe from those who gaze at its out-of-date technology. Some may ask: Did cyclists really race this thing on trails? My hope is that, when this day comes, the American legacy of Blevins winning mountain biking’s World Cup will still be going strong.

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In September, mountain biker Tommy Gwinn and two others set off on their annual multiday biking trip in the Idaho wilderness. Unexpectedly, they rescued missing hiker Heather Wayment鈥攄isoriented, malnourished, and injured鈥�17 miles from her last known location.

滨诲补丑辞鈥檚 Sawtooth Valley is as remote as it gets. It’s 15 miles from the nearest paved road鈥�and 10 miles, and several thousand vertical feet of climbing in any direction鈥�to get to the nearest dirt road. It鈥檚 not a place where you鈥檇 want to have a problem.

But that鈥檚 what happened during our annual mountain biking trip. After a full day of riding in the backcountry with my brother, Vinny Gwinn, and our friend Shelton Robinson, we encountered a woman on the trail who was attempting to walk but appeared severely disoriented. It was about 2:30 P.M. She was in her underwear, without shoes, and had both her shirt and shorts tied around her feet to protect them. There were visible scratches and cuts all over her legs and body. Her feet were raw and bleeding. Something didn鈥檛 look right.

In September, the mountain range can get cold, with temperatures sometimes dipping into the low 20s at night. It鈥檚 not a place you want to get lost, especially without the proper gear.

Hot Dogs, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Boys in the Backcountry

For 13 years, our group of friends from the Pacific Northwest and beyond has been descending upon the Sawtooth Valley in mid-September for a multi-day mountain biking trip. In the early years, it began as a way for a group of accountants to unwind after the September 15 tax deadline, but it has since evolved into a sacred 鈥渃an鈥檛 miss鈥� event for many of us.

Like most of our backcountry adventures begin, ours started with eight guys in tents, eating hot dogs and Cool Ranch Doritos, diving into the icy waters of Alturas Lake to take a bath. Today, most of us have graduated to camp trailer and hot showers鈥攂ut the stoke has never died.

This year, on our second day, we left camp around 11:00 A.M. to begin our ride, where we topped out at around 9,000 feet. Our intention was to return to camp in time to cut wood, hang out, and cook dinner before the sun set鈥攂ut the trail had other plans.

A Lifetime of Skills For an Hours-Long Rescue

Shortly after lunch, Shelton, leading the pack, encountered the woman who would eventually听be identified as Heather Wayment, a hiker reported missing by her family on September 17. As Vinny and I arrived, it was clear that our afternoon just got a lot longer.

With minimal service at camp, we had no idea that Heather was the subject of an intense multi-agency search and rescue effort led by the Blaine County Sheriff鈥檚 Office. Astonishingly, we found her more than 17 miles from her last known location, north of Ketchum, Idaho, away from her vehicle.

We began chatting with her, asking her name and what she was doing so far in the backcountry. We offered what food and water we had, as well as extra clothing. It quickly became apparent that she was extremely malnourished, dehydrated, and had already spent two nights in the woods in near-freezing temperatures.

After a lifetime of growing up in the backcountry, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and riding dirtbikes, we鈥檝e seen our fair share of problems. We know how to handle this one as well.

Executing a Backcountry Rescue

We used our GPS app to determine our exact location and calculate the distance to the nearest road, which was up and over the mountain. Based on this information, we decided that we didn鈥檛 have the resources to evacuate her before dark. We assessed the situation, her injuries and physical limitations, and determined that Heather wouldn鈥檛 be able to evacuate on her own, either.

About 20 minutes after encountering Heather, I texted my wife, Kenzi, via satellite. The area is so remote that even on the mountain peaks, there is no service for more than 20 miles. I informed her that we had a search and rescue situation and to contact the Blaine County Sheriff鈥檚 office immediately. We conversed back and forth via satellite text throughout the rescue operation, offering our GPS coordinates, information about Heather’s identity and condition, information on the terrain, and possible heli landing zones. Kenzi maintained phone contact with the Sheriff鈥檚 office and Search and Rescue for nearly two hours, relaying all information we could offer to the teams.

We received word from Kenzi that a helicopter was inbound and would be landing in roughly 30 minutes. Around this time, three other dirt bikers stopped to offer additional support, including food and water.

We were informed that the helicopter had landed and were given its GPS coordinate, which was about a half-mile down the trail in an open field. At that point, we were able to lift Heather onto the back of one of the dirt bikes, and the driver transported her slowly to the landing zone.

Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis wrote in a shared to X that Heather was transported by Life Flight 76 with unknown injuries to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. Other details about Heather’s rescue, why she was in the wilderness alone, or how she is doing now have not been released to the public, and I鈥檇 like to respect her privacy.

How Slowing Down and Coming Prepared Can Save a Life

I haven鈥檛 connected with Heather since the rescue, but I would love to grab a cup of coffee with her someday. I鈥檓 grateful that she is okay and hope others can use this experience to make good decisions when recreating in the backcountry. She鈥檚 not the first and will not be the last person to get lost in remote terrain. Being prepared by letting someone know where you鈥檙e headed goes a long way towards ensuring a positive and safe experience.

The lesson? My group may have become lax over the years with carrying first aid, extra clothing, and planning for the worst. Although we have the essentials, situations like this make you think twice about where you are and how much risk you鈥檙e willing to take. It鈥檚 fun to go fast and ride gnarly terrain in a controlled environment where medical attention is readily available, but it鈥檚 a good idea to tone it back a notch when in remote terrain.

With a wife and two little girls at home now, that acceptable risk has gotten lower over the years.

As told to Madison Dapcevich. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

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For , Manaslu is an old friend.

Early on the morning of September 26, the 86-year-old Spanish alpinist trudged to the top of the 8,163-meter (26,782-foot) mountain, making history as the oldest person ever to reach the top of a peak over 8,000 meters. He was accompanied by longtime photographer and close friend Luis Miguel Lo虂pez Soriano, and Sherpas Mikel, Nima, and Phurba.

It was a poignant moment for Soria, and not just because of the record. He has a longer relationship with this mountain than perhaps any climber alive today. He first reached in 2010 at 71, but he was also a member of the very first Spanish expeditions to the peak, in 1973 and 1975. But Soria didn鈥檛 touch the summit on those trips. The first expedition was forced to turn back due to adverse weather conditions. On the second, he acted as a designated rope fixer.

Last week, Soria and his team summited Manaslu relatively quickly and without any significant hurdles. After their final acclimatization rotation, they pushed from basecamp to the summit in just three days. But on the steep, icy descent to Camp III, the climb took a turn for the worse. Soria鈥檚 legs have been a weak point in recent years鈥攈e underwent a knee replacement in 2018 and severely broke his leg on Dhaulagiri in 2023. By the time he reached Camp III, he was in severe pain, and his balance and coordination were suffering as a result.

Ultimately, he opted for a helicopter evacuation to basecamp to ensure his injuries didn鈥檛 worsen.鈥淚f I tried to come down walking, I could cause everyone else problems,鈥� he said. 鈥淐arlos wanted to keep himself safe, but also to keep the rest of us safe, everyone else in his team,鈥� his photographer, Soriano, added.

鈥淚 Feel Good up There鈥�

Climbing an 8,000-meter peak, in any decade of life, is an impressive feat, but Carlos Soria has now summited a dozen of the world鈥檚 14 highest summits, most of them in his 60s, 70s, and 80s. He is the only person, in fact, to climb 10 8,000-meter peaks after the age of 60.

It begs the question: Why?

At an age when most individuals are bouncing grandkids on their knees鈥攊f their knees even function鈥擲oria returns, time and time again, to the most inhospitable regions on Earth, to test himself.

鈥淚 do not care about records,鈥� he told me. 鈥淚 am not looking to be 鈥榯he best.鈥欌�� He also does not seem particularly concerned with the usual Himalayan mountaineering shenanigans, like sponsorships and motivational speaking tours. In recent years, he has self-financed many of his expeditions. Instead, he is simply drawn to climb. 鈥淭he mountains are the place I want to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always want to come back.鈥�

Soria began finding solace in the mountains as a child. He was born in Avil谩, Spain in 1939. It was a rather inauspicious year鈥攖he last of the Spanish Civil War, and first of brutal dictator Francisco Franco鈥檚 36-year rule. 鈥淚t was a very difficult time to be in Spain,鈥� he told me. 鈥淢y family was poor. We didn鈥檛 have hot water, we rarely had electricity.鈥�

At age 14, Soria began climbing, exploring the Sierra de Guadarrama range just outside Madrid. 鈥淚n the mountains, in nature, I found a way to escape that life, to find beauty again,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檝e kept coming back. I felt good there at 14, and I feel good there at 86.鈥�

At 86, maintaining one鈥檚 health is an uphill battle. But Soria鈥檚 regime is not dissimilar to that of any other climber. He doesn鈥檛 touch alcohol or tobacco, and he鈥檚 a clean eater. He also spends every morning working out, seven days a week. But the trick, he said, isn鈥檛 checking all these boxes. It鈥檚 to enjoy the training as much as the climbing. 鈥淚 really like training,鈥� he told me. 鈥淚 train when I have expeditions coming, and I train when I don鈥檛. It doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥� In recent years, he鈥檚 become a fan of indoor rock climbing, too. At 7:00 a.m., almost every day, Soria can be found roped up at a climbing gym near his house.

Everything in the mountains is harder at his age. His mobility, balance, strength, and stamina are all waning. It鈥檚 harder for him to catch his breath, harder for him to get food down. His list of old injuries has only grown as the years have gone on. Soria鈥檚 approach is to take things slow and to err on the side of caution. When I asked him what was going through his mind when he took those final steps up to the summit of Manaslu, he answered simply: 鈥淚 was focused on reaching the summit.鈥�

And what was he thinking when he was finally up there, standing on one of the world鈥檚 highest mountains, the oldest person ever to climb an 8,000-meter peak?

鈥淚 was thinking about coming down safely,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was happy, yes. But I wanted to make sure my team and I got down without problems.鈥�

鈥淚f We Didn鈥檛 Change, We Wouldn鈥檛 Be Alive鈥�

The only 8,000-meter peaks Soria has yet to summit are Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma, but not for lack of trying. Soria has retreated from Nepal鈥檚 Dhaulagiri a staggering 14 times. It鈥檚 also where he broke his leg in 2023鈥攖hough the injury resulted not from his own mistake, but from a Sherpa slipping and falling into him. 鈥淒haulagiri is not the most difficult, but the weather is unstable and hard to predict,鈥� he said. 鈥淪torms come fast from the valley.鈥� Soria also lost a close friend on the mountain during one of his earliest attempts. Since then, he has been extremely cautious in his approach. 鈥淚 have a lot of respect for that mountain,鈥� he said.

Perhaps no one is better positioned to bemoan the commercialization of high-altitude mountaineering than Carlos Soria. In his early days an alpinist, 8,000-meter peaks represented isolated, remote objectives鈥攖rue wilderness. Back then, a single team coming together to put a pair of climbers on a summit incited national celebration. Within his lifetime, many of these peaks have become jam-packed thoroughfares. Hundreds of guided climbers may tick a summit in the space of a few days.

鈥淲e were totally alone in those times,鈥� Soria said of his trips to Manaslu in the 1970s. 鈥淚t was very different. We were the only expedition on the mountain. From the gear and apparel we used to the style in which we approached the mountains, many things have changed today.鈥�

But Soria says he isn鈥檛 nostalgic for years past, and he won鈥檛 speak ill of mountaineering, then or now. 鈥淭hings have to change in this world,鈥� he told me. 鈥淲e cannot worry or be sad. Change is life.鈥�

Many positive changes have also materialized, as Soria sees it. More young people are coming to the mountains, including more women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the past is better, or worse,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 am happy. I like to change with the times. If things didn鈥檛 change, if we didn鈥檛 change, then we would not be alive.鈥�

In photographs, Soria often wears a wry, knowing smile, as though he harbors some hidden wisdom, some eternal secret, that the rest of us can鈥檛 quite seem to figure out. Wondering if I could chip out some of that secret, I asked for his most important piece of advice for anyone who dreams of climbing 8,000-meter peaks. Soria was clear. It鈥檚 not training hard or gaining experience. Those things are necessary, but they come later. First, 鈥淵ou have to love it,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to love climbing.鈥�

You can鈥檛 be up there for the social media posts, the records, or the sponsors. You can鈥檛 be up there for the feeling you get when you鈥檙e back at home, bragging to your friends at the bar. 鈥淚f you love it, then you will naturally do it right,鈥� Soria said. 鈥淵ou will train, you will acquire the necessary experience, because you love it. And then, if climbing 8,000 meters is your dream, you can achieve it.鈥�

About the photographer: , who accompanied Soria on his climb, is a Spanish videographer and photographer who has climbed several of the world鈥檚 8,000-meter peaks. Follow along

The post An 86-Year-Old Just Became Oldest to Summit One of the World鈥檚 Highest Peaks appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

What was the best part of winning Colorado’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race?

A few answers come to Kate Courtney’s mind. On August 6, Courtney, the most decorated American mountain biker of her generation, by nearly ten minutes in her debut, completing the 100-mile course in 6 hours, 48 minutes, 55 seconds. She won it with her friends and family looking on鈥攁 rarity for Courtney, who predominantly races overseas. And Courtney rode to victory just two months after a broken wrist forced her to completely rethink her 2025 racing schedule.

“Leadville wasn’t even on my radar at the start of the season,” Courtney told听国产吃瓜黑料.听“The significance was less about the win and the record, and more about the race bringing out the type of riding that I’ve been trying to get out of myself for a while.”

OK, so what was the worst part of winning Leadville? I’m going to go ahead and answer for Kate Courtney here. It was being asked the same question, over and over again, by pesky cycling journalists like yours truly:

Are you a gravel racer now?

“I do one race鈥攁nd it’s a mountain biking race鈥攁nd the number one question I get is ‘are you a gravel racer now?’ It makes no sense,” Courtney, who is 29, told me on a recent videoconference call. I paused and asked the same question, just in a different way. Courtney laughed.听

“I’m a little sensitive about the gravel thing,” she continued. “It’s the wrong question. ‘Are you this now? Are you that now?’ Why can’t I just be a great bike racer?”

It’s a fair point, and one that’s worth unpacking. Because the answer may shed some light on the next chapter of Courtney’s racing career.

Courtney鈥檚 Place in U.S. Cycling History

For those unfamiliar with Kate Courtney, a quick history lesson. In 2018 she etched her name in American cycling history by at age 23, her first year in the elite pro ranks.

It was a massive moment for U.S. cycling fans. Americans invented the mountain bike in the seventies, but in the nineties and aughts, our best off-road racers were quickly surpassed by Europeans. Courtney’s win ended a 17-year drought by elite American cross-country mountain bikers at the world championships.

The win vaulted Courtney into the spotlight鈥攖he Stanford grad who got her start in California’s high school cycling league, spoke with the eloquence of a CEO, and uploaded her jaw-dropping fitness routines to Instagram. In 2019, she graced the cover of 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine.

Courtney followed the big win up with another accolade鈥攊n 2019 she won mountain biking’s World Cup series.

“To the the outside world those results probably seem like they came out of nowhere, and those big media moments are like the only thing you remember, but I had raced pretty much at that level for a few years beforehand,” Courtney said. “From then until the 2020 season I was consistently at the front of international races.”

And then? Injuries and setbacks, success and failure. Courtney qualified for the 2020 Olympics, but finished a distant 15th. In 2020 she suffered a concussion; a year later she broke her arm. The next generation of American mountain bikers surpassed her. Haley Batten, the youngster Courtney once mentored, topped her on the World Cup, eventually winning Olympic silver in 2024. Courtney, meanwhile, didn’t quality for Team USA for the 2024 Games.

“There were a combination of factors that have prevented me from accessing my highest level of performance,” Courtney said. “It’s not so unique to me; a lot of athletes have ups and downs, especially when you reach that peak early in your career. It’s a different challenge to try to stay at that level or to replicate that for multiple seasons.”

Courtney spent years trying to recapture her mojo. She changed coaches and switched bike sponsors. She left her European team in 2024, and in 2025 launched her own team with her own sponsors, called She Sends Racing.

“You try things until they work, and I’ve been on a bit of a journey to recapture that at the World Cup level again,” she said. “All of the changes have been about me trying to unlock that performance level that I know I’m capable of.”

And then in 2025, another crash, another broken bone, and a disrupted World Cup campaign. In the spring she returned to California to rest and recover. For her first race back, Courtney chose a new race to begin her comeback: the Leadville Trail 100.

A Race that Unlocked Her Ability

A World Cup cross-country race and the Leadville Trail 100 are akin to comparing the 10,000 meters to an ultramarathon.

World Cup mountain bike races last just over an hour, and are incredible tests of all-out effort and fight. Most are held in Europe. Seventy of the world’s fastest racers elbow each other as they battle for every inch of trail around a short course with steep climbs, punishing descents, and the occasional sheer drop-off. One bobble, one slip, and a cyclist may be passed by a dozen others.

“There is something in me that has the deep love of these races and the deep intensity around it and what it demands. Ninety nine percent isn’t enough, you have to give 100,” Courtney said. “Those are some of the most rewarding days I’ve had in the sport鈥攁nd also my most frustrating because it’s so hard to stay on that edge.”

Leadville, meanwhile, takes all day to unfold. The professionals share the 100-mile course with weekend warriors. The course isn’t very technical鈥攕ome athletes compete on gravel bicycles. Oftentimes, the fastest pros spend much of the day racing by themselves, squeezing every ounce of endurance from their bodies over the course of hours.

That was the case for Courtney. After dropping the defending champion, Melissa Rollins, on the course’s signature Columbine climb, she rode by herself at top speed for 55 miles.

But at Leadville, Courtney raced in front of screaming fans, TV cameras showing the race live, and鈥攑erhaps most importantly鈥攈er family.

“It had these elements that make me want to perform in a race鈥攃hallenging terrain, high level of competition, my family was there,” Courtney said. “It was in an environment that was so different from what I’m used to that it unlocked the mental side of competition.”

There’s another big difference between the two formats. World Cups and the world championships are qualifying events for the Olympics. The Leadville Trail 100 is not. Instead, it is part of a series of ultra-endurance gravel cycling events called the Life Time Grand Prix, which offers $380,000 in prize cash and live broadcasts of races. In recent years, these mass-participant events, such as Kansas’s Unbound Gravel, have gained global attention and even attracted top professionals from the Tour de France and mountain biking World Cup.

Racers like Courtney can now earn a decent living on the series鈥攁nd they don’t have to spend half the year racing abroad. Former World Cup mountain bikers Keegan Swenson and Sofia Gomez-Villafa帽e have extended their careers in cycling on the Life Time circuit, as have a handful of others.

“There’s a huge media opportunity to race in the U.S., and Life Time has done a great job with the series,’ she added. “What I think is cool is there’s now the option to race these events.”

But having the option and taking it are two completely different things. When I asked Courtney if the Leadville victory convinced her to trade the World Cup for the Life Time series, or to target big gravel events like Unbound Gravel, she pushed back.

“Unbound is a flat gravel race over 200 miles. I’m a racer who excels at anaerobic climbs,” she said. “It’s not my current plan or desire. It’s been fun to watch the level rise, but they’re not races I’d put as super goals for me.”

The Crossroads

Courtney will turn 30 in October鈥攈ardly old for a World Cup racer, but one step closer to the finish of her career than the start. As our conversation unfolded, she admitted that she has felt fatigued by the World Cup circuit, and the year-in, year-out chase of victories and podium finishes.

“Since I was 16 years old I’ve lived and died by UCI points on the World Cup,” she said. “That requires this dedication to certain events and certain performances. It is this structure that becomes a big organizing principal of your life. Having this injury in 2025 forced me to think about what I want out of racing.”

The wrist injury, recovery, and decision to race Leadville showed her that there are events outside of the European racing circuit that can motivate her to reach her best. She told me that the entire ordeal has convinced her to branch out from the World Cup chase in 2026 and beyond.

“I’m curious about having more freedom to pick and choose other races,” she said. “As the World Cup season expands鈥攚e now have ten races and they want to add more in the future鈥攊t’s a long time to be away. That’s never brought the best out of me, being gone for that much of the year.”

What, exactly, her racing schedule looks like next year is still up in the air. Courtney will still race World Cups, but she will also target an ultra endurance race or two as well. And yeah, Courtney may dabble in a gravel race as well. Now that she controls her own destiny as manager of her own team, she has the power to choose.

“The goal is to be able to race in the way I know I’m capable of racing at any race鈥攁t a World Cup, gravel race, endurance mountain bike race鈥攁nd that is what I’m working towards,” she said.

But trading the World Cup series for the North American gravel scene isn’t the Shangri-La that Courtney is after鈥攏ot yet, anyway. She wants to seek out races that create, as she called it, a “Leadville moment,” but not commit herself to a different points chase on a different series.

Hence the sensitivity to questions over the potential pivot to gravel racing.

“In the same way that I don’t want to be just a World Cup racer who can’t do anything else and has to maintain my ranking, I’m also not planning to just race gravel in the U.S.,” Courtney said. “Trying to put a box around your racing limits athletes.”

So, while Kate Courtney hasn’t completely chosen which crossroad to take, there’s good chance that, in 2026, she will pedal in a different direction.

The post Kate Courtney Is at a Crossroads in Her Cycling Career. What鈥檚 Next? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Apple Watch wearers just got a whole lot more outdoorsy. In a long-awaited push toward greater accessibility, the global mapping platform Trailforks (which is owned by 国产吃瓜黑料’s听parent company, 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc.) announced the rollout of its new Apple Watch app this month. The move provides mountain bikers, trail runners, gravel grinders, moto riders, and hikers with instant, phone-free access to real-time trail maps and activity statistics鈥攄irectly on their wrist.

Nearly 800,000 already connected Trailforks users across 141 countries now have access to an unmatched database of global trails across mountain biking, trail running, ski touring, and hiking disciplines.

鈥淥ur community asked鈥攍oudly鈥攆or Apple Watch support. Today we鈥檙e delivering a true map-on-wrist experience that lets athletes stay present on the trail while still capturing every stat,鈥� said Trailforks general manager Devin Lehman.

is the world鈥檚 most comprehensive crowd-sourced trail discovery and management platform. For more than a decade, it has helped outdoor enthusiasts get outside by providing users with the best tool for planning their next destination and navigating on-trail experiences with safety in mind.

Now, those tools are ready to hit the trail鈥攋ust like you.

App users can access real-time map information and multi-activity stats right on their wrist, keeping recreationalists on route and off their phone. Users can view their exact position on the Trailforks basemap and scope out nearby trailheads and points of interest.

Detailed offline maps can be downloaded, allowing the adventure to continue even when cell service is unavailable. Traildar proximity alerts gently buzz or notify users as they approach waypoints, intersections, or user-defined POIs to stay on course.

Multi-activity recording provides users with a one-tap start for various activities, featuring auto-pause, distance, speed, vertical, heart-rate, and calorie metrics displayed live. Health and performance-tracking metrics ensure users are pushing their limits. Every session can be synced into Apple Health through HealthKit integration, closing rings, and providing insight into long-term trends.

Together, these tools keep users in the flow, regardless of their location.

The Trailforks Apple Watch app is available as a free companion download with the latest Trailforks iOS release on the . As part of the 国产吃瓜黑料 Interactive network, Trailforks empowers millions of adventurers to explore confidently, plan responsibly, and give back to the trails they love.

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There’s something about witnessing someone doing what they were born to do that stops you in your tracks.

Maybe I’m thinking of my own kid athletes, but I couldn’t help but feel inspired talking to ten-year-old Wes Lukens, who answered my call from Whistler, Canada, on his dad’s mobile phone in the middle of a ride.

When Wes says, “mountain biking is life,” he isn’t exaggerating. His parents, Shawn and Katie Lukens, have been on the road with he and his two siblings since March, and don’t plan to return home to Florida until September. Wes is homeschooled, and spends most of his time exploring and competing all over the world.

“We just got back from China,” he told me.

“To mountain bike? I asked him.

“Yeah, just to ride.”

Wes was recently crowned the second-best freerider in the world after crushing it in Reno, Nevada, at the , an all ages mountain biking event that “blends the biggest freeride lines, slopestyle-inspired trick jumps, and technical challenges into one all-encompassing test of skill, style, and guts.”

The winner was a 20-year-old rider who has already gone pro.

“He keeps getting better for ten, and for, anyone,” Cam Zink, professional freerider and X Games athlete, and host of the Invitational, said at the opening of the short film, Launch, my reason for catching up with Wes in the first place.

Launch was shot and edited by Scott Gaffney, a freelance filmmaker and legendary cinematographer in the ski world, who followed Wes as he competed in Reno. Barely double digits, Wes is seen soaring over his competition, stunning some of the best freeriders in the world.

国产吃瓜黑料 was given an exclusive first release of the film, which will later be released on YouTube. You can view the full film above.听

Here’s what Wes shared with me about the experience.

“I Love That Being Good at This Doesn’t Come Easy”

I asked Wes to expand on a powerful statement he made in the film highlighting his win.

“I love that being good at this doesn’t come easy,” he shares in it, and this is the message Wes wants other kid athletes to remember. “You have to work every day, as much time as you can. Work on the things that you need to improve but also the stuff that you really like, to get better at it. You need to know what you’re capable of so you’re not always so out of control.”

Wes has been riding since age two alongside his siblings Camden (now 14 years old) and Emery (now 6 years old.)

When Wes gets discouraged, his family reminds him that this started as a fun thing to do, and as a way for he and his family to connect. At the core, that’s what it’s all about.

“I just want to ride every single day,” Wes told me.听鈥淚 wake up and I鈥檓 thinking about riding. I crave the feeling of being free in the air. I crave hauling as fast as possible. I crave the sound of my tires hitting the dirt.”

“What is your wildest dream though?” I asked him.

“To be the world’s best mountain biker,” he said.

Well, Wes may have to dream bigger, because he’s nearly there.

You can keep up with Wes and .

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The Mountain State, Almost Heaven, Wild and Wonderful, West Virginia has a few different reputations, all of which hint at the goods sandwiched inside this small state鈥檚 borders. And the state of adventure in West Virginia just seems to keep getting better with the addition of new public lands and fresh trail systems.

I recently spent three days driving through the mountains of West Virginia, combining the state鈥檚 newest adventures with some of its classics for the perfect summer road trip full of cold lakes, fast bike descents, waterfalls, and towering peaks that rise above the heat. The best part? This itinerary is short on miles, so you can spend less time in your car and more time on the trail and in the water. That鈥檚 the beauty of West Virginia; it packs a big punch in a limited footprint, with a lifetime of rugged terrain to explore in one of the smallest states in the country.

Follow my route for a weekend trip designed for summer fun鈥攅specially for those who want to be on their bike more than in the car.

Road Trip Odometer听

Total Miles: 100
Duration: Three days
Highlights: Brand new singletrack, multiple lakes, lift-served bike park

Day One: Lake Day in Summerville State Park

New River Gorge National Park is the obvious draw to West Virginia these days (and I love it) but the first leg of this trip is focused just north of that impressive chasm on Summerville Lake, a 2,700-acre reservoir that has Caribbean-blue water and gray sandstone cliffs rising from its shores. It also sports a brand new state park, , that makes for the perfect basecamp for exploring the water and the surrounding trail systems.

The park opened this May and was created in part to protect a massive climbing crag with more than 200 established routes, most of which are bolted for sport climbing. There are also plenty of single pitch top rope options and boulders as well. The short Climbers Trail is worth exploring, even if you don鈥檛 wanna send any rock. It听passes through a thick rhododendron forest before dropping into a boulder field with a small waterfall and delivers you to the base of a tall sandstone cliff on the edge of the lake. It鈥檚 a quiet cove, surrounded by cliffs that makes for a good place to swim.

Climbers should definitely bring their gear, though. Fall is prime climbing season in this area, but I found some cool shaded routes at this crag that you could climb during the summer, and spent some time working my way through a few easy boulder problems near the edge of the water. If听you get too hot, you can always jump in the lake.

But the water is the real pull here, so grab your paddle board or kayak and head to Summersville Lake Wildlife Management Area鈥檚 Salmon Run Put In ($5 day use fee), just a mile up the road from the state park. has rentals if you don鈥檛 have your own boat (from $50). From Salmon Run, you can launch your boat and paddle a half-mile long protected cove with a no wake zone that has several small inlets with rock outcroppings that offer great places to swim. I found a bunch of different places to park and lounge without losing sight of the boat launch. If听you鈥檙e looking for a bigger adventure, paddle a mile up the lake, hugging the line of cliffs on your left, until you reach Pirate鈥檚 Cove, a large sandstone alcove where a waterfall drops directly into the edge of the lake.

If you’d like to burn more calories, the makes for a fun, rolling run through a hardwood forest that delivers you to a quiet portion of the lake after two miles. On my run I saw wild blackberries and a handful of deer.

Where to Stay: Eventually, Summersville Lake State Park will have cabins and tree houses, but right now the park offers a mix of open RV sites and more secluded tent sites. The Overlook RV campground has plenty of amenities, even a coin-operated laundry room, and full hookups (from $82 a night), but I recommend grabbing a , which are tucked into a shaded grove and will give you immediate access to the Climber鈥檚 Trail (from $42 a night).

Where to Eat: The town of Summersville is sleepy, but I like downtown, which is a local hotspot with good wings and burgers. has really creative lattes and solid organic coffee. If you鈥檙e looking for more options, the lake is just 20 minutes north of Fayetteville, a bustling adventure town on the edge of New River Gorge.

Day Two: Backcountry Biking on Monday Lick Trails

Leave the lake and drive across the Gauley River through a quiet section of Monongahela National Forest. You鈥檙e heading to Marlinton and the brand new , but you should make time for a couple of detours. The 42-acre Summit Lake is tucked into the mountains and makes for a secluded paddle or spot to fish for bass. Or if you鈥檙e looking to stretch your legs, hike this听short trail through the where a boardwalk traverses a high elevation wetland that supports wild cranberries. The surrounding forest has a Jurassic vibe to it with lush ferns, mosses and huge elephant ears sprouting from the wet earth below.

Just make sure you have enough energy for the 30 miles of purpose-built trails at Monday Lick, a trail system designed for mountain bikers on the edge of downtown Marlinton. It鈥檚 backcountry flow at its finest, with half a dozen trails beginning on a ridge and dropping in sinuous fashion down to the edge of 听Greenbrier River. A gated gravel road climbs to the top of the system, making it relatively painless to knock out laps here. As for what to ride, I really like Lens Ridge, which is a big descent with big, sweeping berms that lead into beautiful sections of rock armoring, dropping more than 1,200 feet in five miles of pure joy. Messier is more of a cross country effort, playing out like a 2-mile long pump track full of rollers and optional jumps. is the signature trail, and it鈥檚 more technical than the others, dropping 1,000 feet of elevation in just three miles of tight bench cut singletrack with plenty of root gardens and off-camber rocks.

You could spend an entire day wearing yourself out on this system like I did. If you鈥檙e more interested in a pleasure cruise, you can pick up the paved at the same trailhead, which runs for 77 miles along the river between the small towns of Cass and North Caldwell.

Where to Stay: Head 28 miles up the mountain to the , on the edge of Snowshoe Resort鈥檚 mountain-top village, which has well-appointed one-bedroom suites with plenty of room to stretch out and easy access to the bike lift (from $168 a night).

Where to Eat: Don鈥檛 leave Marlinton without getting a meal at , an old-school drive-thru that has awesome smash burgers and milkshakes. When you make it up to Snowshoe鈥檚 village, head to the for a good selection of local beers and hearty entrees.

Day Three: Downhill Day at Snowshoe Mountain

is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It鈥檚听crazy to think I鈥檝e been skiing this mountain for almost half of that existence. In the last several years, Snowshoe has become as much of a destination during the summer as it is in winter thanks to its ever-expanding downhill bike park (day from $45). This mountain now boasts one of the best in the east, hosting two UCI World Cup events in recent years. There are 40 trails to choose from, traversing a mountain that drops 1,500 feet in vertical from top to bottom. I鈥檓 not a huge downhill biker, but there鈥檚 something for every level of rider. On my most recent day on the hill, I saw groups of armor-clad dudes sending big jumps, and families cruising down mellow green trails. I found a happy medium in the middle, focusing on the bevy of intermediate trails that drop from the mountaintop village down to the edge of Shaver鈥檚 Lake.

If you want the most open terrain, show up on a weekend when lifts on both sides of the mountain (the Basin and Western Territory) are running. Western Territory has the hardest trails, but the Basin has more variety. I really like Dream Weaver, a double track blue trail with pumpy rollers and optional B lines if you want to get rad. On the Western Territory side, which has its own lift, check out Skyline that听takes you deep into the evergreen forest away from the ski slopes.

The thing about lift-served mountain biking is it鈥檚 easy to convince yourself to do one more lap, but this is just a weekend trip. If uou鈥檙e like me, you have work tomorrow, so you save some energy for the drive home. Make听sure you have enough time to take a swim in and maybe grab听a cold beverage and burger at the Boat House, at the bottom of the lift, before heading back into the real world.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist, but he loves a good road trip most of all. He recently wrote about the art of survival and the best swimming holes in our national parks.

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