Few students spend 12 hours a week pedaling alongside teammates for six consecutive days, each session lasting two to four hours. But for sophomore Reid McLaughlin, this level of dedication to mountain biking is merely the norm.
Four years ago, during quarantine, McLaughlin decided to make use of his mountain bike and join a local team of 40 high school mountain bikers with hometowns ranging from San Carlos to Woodside. McLaughlin, who struggled to find a sport he enjoyed as a kid, likes being part of a close and welcoming community of bikers. “I’ve sort of found this community of people who — no matter where you come from, no matter how fast you are — really welcome you and want to be your friend and want to ride with you,” he said.
McLaughlin’s local team of bikers participates in a high school league in the Bay Area that’s part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. While McLaughlin’s local team is not affiliated with any high school, high school teams around the Peninsula also compete in the same local league.
McLaughlin is also part of SET Performance Coaching, a national development team for mountain biking, and has raced in multiple national championships. McLaughlin’s first race took place only two years ago, and yet he finished in the top 30 in the Cyclocross National Championships in Kentucky in December 2023 and raced in another national championship in Pennsylvania in July 2023. Because many competitions do not take place in California, McLaughlin often travels across the country to race.
Qualifying for a national championship is no small feat. McLaughlin participated in a qualifier race two days before the championship and qualified as the top 50. Around 200 bikers enter in his age category of 15-16 years, but only 120 will make it to the final qualifier race. Races are typically 10-20 miles long and last for an hour and a half.
Even though biking is typically viewed as an individual sport, McLaughlin attributes his success in biking to his teammates and coaches. “You can succeed by yourself and there are people who do, but having a community around you really helps you at a higher level because you have people who can support you,” he said.
McLaughlin has also found that being a part of a team of bikers has improved his leadership skills. Because he is now one of the older and more experienced riders on his team, he can support other riders. “[Biking] has given me an opportunity to mentor younger athletes,” he said.
This year, McLaughlin plans on riding in the Junior Tour of Ireland with a road cycling team from California and is looking forward to continuing his biking hobby. McLaughlin encourages others to learn more about biking and try it out. “I think [biking] is something that not a lot of people know about,” he said. “But it’s a really great community and I think it’s a really exciting sport that deserves more appreciation.”
