It took a minute or two for it to settle in. But, when it did, Durango’s Zoey Waage realized she was national champion.
The 10-year-old fifth grader won her first downhill mountain bike national title on Aug. 3 in the women’s 11-12 category at Big Bear Mountain Resort in Big Bear, California.
“I really wanted to actually win,” Waage said. “That was my goal. I was just nervous that I was going to crash.”
Waage hopes it’ll be the start of many titles as she tries to become like her role model, Asa Vermette.
“He's really fast and he's really sweet and humble,” Waage said about Vermette. “I've just always watched him and hope to be like him.”
After starting her downhill journey three years ago, Waage won her first national title at Big Bear by completing her run in three minutes and 45.189 seconds. Waage was six seconds faster than second place in her age group. The young Durangoan didn’t have much of an advantage after the first two splits, but increased her advantage to nearly seven seconds after the third split.
The competitors had a set practice time to get to know the track and they had track walks to pick their lines. The riders couldn’t have parents on the track during practice or the track walks. Despite this, Waage was locked in and didn’t talk much before she went on her run.
“I really like that course, because it's dusty, but I'm used to dusty stuff,” Waage said. “It was really techie, but not the techiest thing I've ever done.”
Waage also has more confidence in herself because of the youth mountain biking community in Durango. She’s rode with fellow up-and-coming stars Ellis Bates and Titus Wilderman, who have encouraged her to try new obstacles, jumps, drops and they help her pick out lines.
The bond among these young rides could help this next generation of riders continue Durango’s presence on the world stage in mountain biking for years to come.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
