AVIMOR, Idaho — This Saturday, the Hard Mountain Biking League will hold its first official race as some of the best mountain bikers in the world flock to the foothills of the Treasure Valley.
This unique competition tests riders' abilities in several disciplines on one of the most challenging courses I've ever seen. Mountain bikers will have to navigate a dual slalom track, a downhill track, an enduro track, and also pull off a technical climb.
WATCH | Check out the riders testing out the course ahead of race day
"This event is so unique, it is a brand new style of riding, and when I first heard about it, I couldn’t wait to get myself out here," said Fergus Ryan, who traveled all the way from London, England, and is part of the Global Mountain Bike Network on YouTube. "It really is the pinnacle of mountain biking with the hardest concepts of cycling, and you have some of the most technically accomplished riders as well."
The course in Avimor is the brainchild of Braydon Bringhurst, who grew up in Boise and became a professional mountain biker. It took years of hard work and persistence to get to this point as Braydon designed this course with the help of the mountain biking community in the Treasure Valley and beyond.
"This has truly taken so many amazing people with incredible talent and incredible passion to make this thing happen," said Bringhurst. "It really does not seem real. It seems like a dream, but it is definitely a dream come true."
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We were out there on Thursday as mountain bikers were getting a feel for the lines that include a variety of features such as drops, jumps, and technical features. 11-year-old Wes Toniuqens came from Florida, and Braydon told me this kid is a prodigy.
"Everything is just so gnarly out here," said Toniuqens. "Braydon has done a really good job of making it insane, and somehow it ends up working, which doesn’t really make sense, but it’s insane."
The race happens from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the public can purchase tickets here.
I also put in a map as the course, which is located on the north end of Avimor. In order to find it, people need to take a left while traveling north on Highway 55, right before going up Horseshoe Bend Hill.
"This is the first official race— building into a super exciting finals this fall— and it is an honor to see so many amazing riders out here," said Bringhurst. "Hard things don't just happen, it takes a lot of time and a lot of failure to overcome, and that's what I hope happens with the fans: that they come away inspired."
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