MOUNTAIN BIKING: Swenson climbing in pro ranks

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF @NWABENGOFF Keegan Swenson rides Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, on the All American Trail near Compton Gardens in Bentonville. Swenson, a professional cross-country cyclist with Stan's NoTubes-Pivot team, will be riding in The OZ Trails Off-Road this weekend on the trails in Bentonville and Bella Vista.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF @NWABENGOFF Keegan Swenson rides Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, on the All American Trail near Compton Gardens in Bentonville. Swenson, a professional cross-country cyclist with Stan's NoTubes-Pivot team, will be riding in The OZ Trails Off-Road this weekend on the trails in Bentonville and Bella Vista.

BENTONVILLE -- The sponsor names on Keegan Swenson's cycling jersey are outnumbered by the number of tattoos on his body, but the only ink this elite mountain biker is thinking about this weekend is the kind found on the winner's check at the end.

Swenson, 23, is one of the top professional mountain bikers in the world and is a racer to keep an eye on today in the Epic Rides Oz Trails Off-Road race that starts around 8 a.m. from downtown. This event is the final of the four-race Epic Rides series and will include the largest payout at $60,000.

AT A GLANCE

Keegan Swenson

AGE 23

HOMETOWN Park City, Utah

RACING TEAM Stan’s NoTubes Pivot

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Won the Whiskey Off-Road 50 in April by holding off Howard Grotts in 2 hours, 59.16 seconds in Prescott, Ariz. … Won three consecutive pro cross-country races in 2017 including Soldier Hollow, Angel Fire and Missoula and won the Park City (Utah) Point-To-Point. … Was second at the Grand Junction Off-Road in 2017. … Finished second at the Short Track National Championship in 2017.

The Park City, Utah, native has already posted a win this season in the Epic Rides series, climbing to the top of the podium at the Whisky River event in Prescott, Ariz. A win this weekend would be a $10,000 payout.

"I love this series," Swenson said. "You see a lot more area and get to travel and ride some really nice trails."

The courses this weekend at Bentonville and Bella Vista are different than what Swenson is used to, he said.

"They are really tight and twisty," he said. "I'm impressed. It's not what I expected."

Swenson got into mountain biking at a young age through a program called Young Riders. He quickly became a top rider and discovered he loved the thrill of the race down the narrow dirt trails and rocky banks.

From there, he started racing regionally and won his first national title at the age of 16 and decided to pursue the sport professionally. He is hopeful of competing in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"It's a long, slow process to get an Olympic spot," Swenson said this week between practice runs. "You slowly build up points, and you are chasing UCI points. It's different from most of the other Olympic sports."

Swenson is a member of the Stan's No-Tubes-Pivot team along with Olympian Chloe Woodruff.

He is also a huge proponent of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) program that introduces mountain bike racing to students in the sixth grade through high school. There is a growing NICA league in Arkansas that includes teams from Bentonville, Rogers and more. They have a four-race fall series that is underway.

"NICA is big where I come from in Utah," Swenson said. "The NICA league is so large there, they have it divided into three sections. I've been to some of their races to watch."

Swenson said the course this weekend sets up well to his style of racing.

"I think it will be good," he said. "I like the short, punchy fast stuff. It will be tighter because there are a lot of us in a smaller area, so you'll have to be more tactical and be smarter. The courses are like a shark's tooth with fast climbs and descents."

Sports on 10/07/2018

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