Marathon World Champs on home soil. 🇺🇸
Epic conditions with torrential rain saturating the east coast roots and rocks into a proper mud fest. It was an aggressive race from the gun, with little shakeout straight into technical single-track; and was all-in-all a demanding, true mountain biker’s course that was as mentally taxing as it was physical.
I didn’t have a day to write home about, ending with a 51st place finish (mid-pack). But hey, there’s like 8billion people in the world? 😂
I wanted more, but left the race in a positive headspace after turning a race where I struggled to find a rhythm for the first half into a really solid back half. Lots of personal work of late going into racing with mindfulness and refocusing, getting back to work when things go sideways, and I am proud of that turnaround.
One more at bat this weekend (Lake Placid World Cup) before calling it a wrap for the ‘24 campaign. Let’s go. 🫡
Massive thanks and shoutout to the lil sis @karli.vw.scott and bro @dru_scott for coming out and running flawless support. Amazing weekend hanging with them🙏🏻
Go time for the mountain bike marathon world champs in Scotland tomorrow! Freya’s ready. The course is epic and it’s been raining heavily… gonna be wet ‘n wild out there. Can’t wait!
It’s an honor to be here racing as part of team USA. We’ll give it all for the 🇺🇸!
Great to be back in the desert for True Grit a few weeks back—still one of the most proper MTB courses around. Went long this year with the 100-mile variation (2x50 lap).
3:15 first lap, 3:50 second… full survival mode those final hours in unseasonable heat😅
Spent most of the day off the front with @rostonnordell and finished second after 7hrs of racing. Chapeau to him on a well-earned win.
Type 2 fun at its finest. 🫡
In a surprising turn of events, Tom and Preston are out, and the new blood is in! Mitt Niederhauser (Preston’s son) and former guest Payson Norman host the BrainStoke podcast, featuring guests, fantastic mentors, and friends Roger Arnell and Danny Van Wagoner.
They touch on their friendship, their amazing achievements together as a team, and their solo achievements.
They talk about the struggles and stoke of building a life that supports excelling as well as protects the important roles of being a father and husband.
Check it out now!
It’s been amazing to have 3 generations together trekking a 50 mile stretch of the Via Alpina route across Switzerland. Amazing menories for Freya to have with her grandparents 🫶. A perfect way to spend the week after World Champs. 🇨🇭
Honored to rep 🇺🇸 at XCM World Champs in Switzerland. 125km, 5,250m climbing, and the Alps putting us all to the test en route from Verbier to Grimentz.
My ride didn’t deliver the result I wanted, but days like this remind me why I keep chasing it — the joy, the pain, the grit, the privilege of lining up with the best. 🫶
That’s a wrap on my ‘25 racing campaign. Time to reset and soak up what matters most with @sarah.vanwagoner and our little bestie Freya. ❤️
📷 1,3,4,5,6: @maximeschmid
📷 2: Martin Platter - Bike Marathon Classic
5 days. 350+ km. 11,000m of climbing. Yesterday, Roger and I crossed the finish line of the 2025 Swiss Epic. 🇨🇭
This race is as tough as it is beautiful—every stage demanded the climbing legs, and every descent (and vista) rewarded our efforts. The Alps don’t give anything for free.
Racing as a team adds another layer of challenge and motivation. We pushed each other through the ups and downs, and that made finishing together all the more meaningful. With Roger, it’s easy to remember that fun is fast, and fast is fun.
Chapeau to the Epic Series for creating such a world-class event. 🙏🏻
📷 1: @muzikstation
📷 2-4: sportograf
I’ve been over the Scaletta Pass en route from the Engadin to Davos three times now @swiss_epic and it’s always extraordinary. Mythical even. Consistently a highlight. But today in the rain? That was another level. 🤌🏻
PC 1: @muzikstation PC 2: @slam_clark
