Kristin and Ben post ride. All smiles, even if you can’t see Ben’s behind his helmet.
Team Routes staff member, Ben Goodman, and his mom both competed in the Angel Fire Downhill Mountain Bike Race this past June in New Mexico. It was the first time they’d ever raced together like this…and they loved it.
Ben originally learned of the race through a post on Instagram from the organizers - Downhill Rockies. He signed up in preparation for this summer’s downhill Nationals at Winter Park. Gravity racing has been a passion for him for the last few years.
Ben’s mom, Kristin, is getting back into racing after a 20 year hiatus. Before having Ben and his older brother, she did Ironman triathlons and XC mountain bike races. Her passion started to rekindle as she watched her son dive into multiple MTB racing disciplines.
Kristin, a high school science teacher herself, now has Ben, a Palmer Ridge High School student, as her teacher on the DH tracks. He has become her coach and instructor and shows her what lines to ride and how to execute a clean DH run.
Ben loved Angel Fire and the race because the cat 1 track was super fast, with some chunky tech, jumps, and deep drops. Overall, he was very pleased with his time. He enjoyed the atmosphere as folks were extremely laid back and really liked to have fun.
Ben airing it out on his race run.
Kristin enjoyed her experience at Angel Fire as well - even though she had to take one of Ben’s buddies to the hospital for a broken collarbone.
You know? It happens.
She raced on the cat 2 track and was very happy she didn’t fall. She appreciated that the race was well organized and that the riders were highly supportive of each other.
Ben and Kristin camped with a few other families nearby in a parking lot designated for camping. The two shared the area with a few other Team Routes staffers as well, including the owner who was there racing with his son. The weather was in the 80s and 90s and pretty dry - in part because of recent fires nearby. And despite the lack of moisture to wet the terrain, it was an epic time on the mountain racing for all.
On the 4 hour drive back home to Colorado Springs, they agreed they would definitely do this race again.
