Colin Delaney of Wilmington skis down a hill at Mount Van Hoevenberg on August 23. (News photo – Parker O’Brien)

LAKE PLACID — Elizabethtown native Max Van Wie was all smiles as he raced down the upcoming Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Biking World Series course at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Friday, Aug. 23.

Van Wie, who built and designed the course, has done some test rides himself, but August 23 was the first time riders officially tested the course. He was accompanied by a select few local mountain bikers, including pro rider Greta Kilburn and former pro rider and two-time Olympian Lea Davison, both from Vermont.

The entire course, which is not open to the public, is about 95% complete, according to Van Wie.

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series will take place here from September 27-29 and is the first of its kind in Lake Placid. The event will feature mountain bikers of various levels, including some elite athletes like Kilburn.

The Lake Placid track is one of 15 stops in the series, which spans 10 countries on three continents. The state-run Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic Sports Complex, will also host events in 2025 and 2026.

This year’s competition in Lake Placid begins on Friday, September 27, with a cross-country short track World Cup for the men’s and women’s U23 division. On Saturday, September 28, the U23 division will compete in the UCI Cross-Country World Cup over the Olympic distance.

The event will conclude on Sunday, September 29, with a World Cup race over the marathon distance and a World Cup race over the Olympic distance between the men’s and women’s elite classes.

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How it all began

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For the past few years, Van Wie has worked with Vermont trail organizations to build mountain bike trails, and he recently returned to the area when the Barkeater Trails Alliance hired him to build a jump trail on their Craig Wood Trails.

“I think that’s how ORDA found out about me,” he said. “They came over, looked at it and said, ‘Hey, what do you think about building a World Cup course?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ I didn’t really know where that was going to go and the next time they came to visit, they had some UCI guys from South Africa with them. I thought, ‘Well, they must be pretty serious if they’re bringing these people here.'”

After several meetings with the UCI, Van Wie finalized his design for the course. There were no changes during the construction process. Van Wie said his creativity was really only limited by the boundaries of the property.

Although he was tasked with building and designing the course, Van Wie does not have a cross country cycling background, as that competition is held in Lake Placid. He is more interested in building mountain bike and dirt jumps. He said he typically builds flowing berms and flow trails.

When he created this project, he wanted to visualize the track. He has done some test runs, but there are some parts of the track, including the part near the snowmaking reservoir, that he has never driven.

“I know it will go well,” he said. “This is a straight path.”

On August 23, most of the region’s riders stuck to the dual slalom, which is essentially two parallel courses with similar small obstacles. Van Wie said the dual slalom was both his favorite and most hated course because of the process it took to set it up.

“The soil from which these paths are built contains many residues from previous construction work,” he said. “We found wood chips at a depth of 60 cm. Water was flowing there because there are many rocky outcrops here.”

The water problem has now been resolved. Large parts of the area have now hardened and dried out.

“It was a lot of effort that wasn’t really necessary,” he said.We could have this race and build three berms there and nobody would know the difference. But I thought, ‘No, I want to do something that’s beyond the ordinary.’ That and the reservoir feature became these bigger things, and everything else we tried to go beyond what it is, it’s just smaller projects.”

Van Wie said there were still a few minor changes needed, but nothing major. He was just happy to finally see people racing on the track, the biggest project he’s ever worked on. The entire project took him about two months and a week.

“We never had more than four people working here at the same time,” he said. “Usually there are three, but often it’s just me and Andrew Gogan, my only employee who has been working for me for a few years. I’m pretty proud of what we’ve achieved with so few people.”

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Professional response

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Lea Davison, a long-time professional rider in the UCI Mountain Biking World Series, says every race in North America is special.

“Having this project so close to home is basically a dream come true,” she said. “I wish it had happened when I was still racing.”

Even before she took a test ride herself, she said she liked what she saw. She said it was unique for a World Cup course.

“What I find unique about Lake Placid is the magnificent view of the High Peaks. Plus, these features resemble a bobsled run right next door,” said Davison. “It looks very Olympic and Lake Placid-esque. There’s a lot of climbing, it’s challenging. There are a lot of technical sections, so you really have to be an all-around great rider with a lot of skills to be successful on this course.”

Greta Kilburn, who will be competing in her first ever World Cup in Lake Placid, said she likes that there is something for every type of rider.

“There is the climb, which has technical sections, but also a double track where you can overtake, which definitely benefits a strong climber,” she said. “Then there are rugged descents, which are pretty typical of North American riding. Then there are also machine-built descents and crazy berms.”

Kilburn, 19, was part of a Vermont-based group called Little Bellas that helps young girls get started in mountain biking. The 501c3 nonprofit was co-founded by Davison and her sister.

“I knew from the beginning that she would be fast and we did a few races together in Vermont over the last few years and she stuck with me. She really grew up and developed into a real talent in this sport and also in Nordic skiing. It’s really a dream come true to be part of the Little Bellas program and watch Little Bella grow up and compete in a World Cup that’s so close to the base.”

Kilburn said she is looking forward to racing here in September and hopes walking and testing the course can give her a competitive edge.

“It’s incredible to come here,” she said. “I can see the whole course and prepare for the event. I’m so excited, my friends will be coming from the University of Vermont and my family will be here, it’s going to be great.”