Early warm weather brings mountain biking to campus

With the end of the school year in sight, students across campus have put a disappointing ski season behind them and are looking forward to the sporting opportunities offered by the summer.  

Asking students around campus about their favorite warm weather sport, you will get a variety of answers. One of the most mentioned sports was mountain biking, which should come as no surprise. Colorado Springs has a multitude of trails and the state in general is one of the most popular mountain biking destinations in the country.

Sophomore C.J. Prue, an avid mountain biker and Colorado Springs native, said he has been riding bikes since he was two years old on training wheels.

“I’ve been riding around since I was a little kid,” stated Prue. “I was five or six when I started riding without training wheels and haven’t stopped since.”

Like many Colorado natives, Prue loves the outdoors. He also snowboards in the winter time, but said that biking is his favorite thing to do.

“I enjoy riding and would rather go mountain biking to get exercise than just go to the gym,” he said. “The Springs has a ton of places to ride and is the perfect town for mountain biking.” Some of those places are right around the corner from UCCS too.

Palmer Park, only a short ride from campus, is a great place for mountain biking, according to Prue.

“Red Rocks, Gold Camp and Palmer Park are the best in the Springs, and Red Rocks is my favorite because of some of the jumps you can get there,” he said.

Prue plans on riding for the first time in this summer’s Winter Park Races, which takes place in June. The Winter Park Races are some of the toughest tracks to maneuver in the state, but Prue said that first-timers to riding should still challenge themselves.

“If you don’t think you can do something, than get off your bike,” he stated. “But make sure you challenge yourself a little bit, because it can be really fun too.”

For those who are interested in mountain biking, the Rec Center has bikes for rent and can provide you with more information.