June Trip pt.2
In June, HART Cycling divided and conquered with Isabella heading up to the U.P. to help coach the Michigan Tech Junior Mountain Bike Camp for a week. Meanwhile Samuel and Jeremy tackled a proper block of racing with a Continental Series race in Canmore, Canada, a UCI C1 in Missoula, Montana, and another Continental Series and the last stop of the US Cup at Soldier Hollow, Utah. Part #1 of this update covered the boys campaign in Canada and Montana, now it’s time for Soldier Hollow and the Michigan Tech Junior camp!
From Isabella-
“I was truly honored to be a coach at Michigan Tech’s Jr MTB Camp this summer—an experience that exceeded every expectation. This camp has been running for over 25 years, welcoming junior riders from all over the country to the incredible Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a week of skills development, riding, and connection. It’s one of the longest-standing and most respected youth mountain bike camps in the country, and to be part of it alongside several other professional coaches (including my own coach, Brian Matter!) was such a privilege.”
“This was my first time to the U.P., and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty, charm, and character of the area. Before camp began, we stayed in the historic mining town of Ishpeming and raced the Marquette Trails Fest—a proper XC mountain bike race with some serious World Cup vibes. It was only my second ever multi-category mass start MTB race, and while I made some tactical errors that left me fighting through the pack, I ended up finishing 5th in the pro women's field. The locals were fast, fierce, and clearly at home on the techy terrain—it was humbling, but hard to be frustrated when the course was that beautiful!
We packed up quickly after the race and headed to Houghton, where camp kicked off that same night with a fun ride at the Michigan Tech Trails. From Sunday through Thursday, we were fully immersed—coaching from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days, often riding two to three times daily with the kids. And with the sun staying up until nearly 11:30 p.m., it felt like the fun never ended! We rode, coached, laughed, jumped in freezing lakes, and even snuck in a sauna next to Lake Superior.”
“The week was packed with highlight moments, but what stood out most were the meaningful connections—with campers, with other coaches, and especially with the group of seven incredibly talented high school girls who absolutely ripped on the bike. Many of them race at a national level, competing at UCI events like the US Pro Cup and National Championships.
One of the most powerful moments of the camp came during a session on a pretty intimidating step-up jump. The boys were all sessioning it, but none of the girls had given it a go. I’ll be honest—I was nervous too (I’m not exactly known for my jumping skills!). But I knew I had to try. I thought, “If I don’t do this, I’ll be the coach who didn’t send it—and these girls deserve to see someone show up, even if it's messy.” So, with the help of our coach Pete Karinen, I went for it. I cased it (a few times), but eventually got close... and by the end, four girls were sending it too, laughing and doing jump trains down the hill. That moment reminded me just how powerful it is for girls to see other girls take risks, face fears, and have fun doing it.”
“We had a dream day at Copper Harbor, riding iconic trails. One of the days we even rode UNDERGROUND through an old copper mine! Oh, and I learned all about Yoopers, fell in love with pasties, and soaked in every bit of that unique U.P. culture.
One unexpected but deeply impactful part of the trip was meeting Kyia Anderson, a former World Cup racer who was a pioneer for American women in pro XC racing. Kyia joined us for the Copper Harbor day, and we instantly hit it off. I've been looking for a mentor in the sport—someone who's walked this path before—and Kyia became that for me. Her wisdom, humor, and encouragement were a huge gift to me and to the young riders at camp. It meant the world to learn from her.
This trip wasn’t originally on my race calendar. I made the tough decision to skip the June UCI race block to focus on what I’ve been calling a “foundation year.” After a few seasons of jumping headfirst into pro racing, I realized I needed to slow down, build deeper roots, refine my training rhythm (especially in my first season with Coach Brian), and reconnect with the "why" behind my racing. After experiencing loss in my family last year, I knew it was important to realign my path and invest in the things that bring lasting meaning—not just results.
This week at camp was exactly what I needed. It reminded me that racing is only one part of this journey—and giving back, inspiring the next generation, and being part of something bigger is just as fulfilling, if not more. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to coach, learn, laugh, ride, and grow with such an amazing crew.
I left the U.P. full of gratitude, full of inspiration, and with a little more trail dust in my soul.”
- Isabella Robles
While we missed having Isabella on the Big June Block of racing, we believe her investment in the juniors at the Michigan Tech Junior Mountain Bike camp is the core of what HART stands for. Racing, riding, just getting outside with friends, these are the ways we love to improve our physical and mental health. Isabella is an inspiration to HART and we’re happy to share that inspiration with the next generation of shredders!
Meanwhile, in Utah:
Having booked all the housing for the June Trip in January, HART booked for the ideal race scenario with the full team. As travel plans settled, the team realized the Utah house, an incredible vacation rental by Adventure Stays, was going to be mostly empty. After several variations of plans fell through, HART was able to host new friends Jelaani Davis and Emma Schwab along with a more familiar face, Odin Rhode.
Jelaani is a privateer from Austin, TX who transitioned from an elite level of Track and Field to mountain bike fairly recently. He was at Soldier Hollow racing the non-UCI race to gain experience. He finished 3rd in his XC race!
From Traverse City, MI, Emma races for her own brand, Cosmic Endurance, a nutrition brand producing high quality fuel for athletes. She races UCI Elite, usually battling our Isabella. She finished 8th in the Elite Women’s race in Soldier Hollow.
Odin races for CSU Fort Collins and is coached by Jeremy. Odin spent the last four months studying and racing abroad in Japan scoring his first UCI podium in a UCI C1 there! At Soldier Hollow he raced the UCI Elite Short Track with Samuel and Jeremy and the U23 XCO on Sunday.
Bike wash time with friends at the HART Cycling house.
Hosting a few new faces at the HART Cycling house was an incredible time to learn from other athletes, help build up our awesome sport, and just make new friends. Mountain bike is a hard sport in many ways and HART and our friends compete on the highest level. Stress, pressure, self doubt, frustration at losses, and just flat out top level competition often makes it hard to connect with other athletes.
Once athletes get the opportunity to connect without pressure, we get a stronghold in the sport. A few more cheers every lap, another friendly face at the finish line, another connection for first-time races, race day emergencies, personal victories. We get more inspiration, more ideas, better value to sponsors. Once the big race is over, we’ve had a better time and gain another great ride buddy.
This is one of several reasons HART strives to continue and grow as a team. Even in an individual sport like mountain bike, athletes are better, happier, and healthier together. We hope HART get’s the opportunity to host these amazing people again down the road!
Tucked between Deer Creek Reservoir and the Wasatch mountain peaks, Soldier Hollow is a beautiful venue with its own sports legacy. Once the site of the 2002 Olympic Cross Country Ski and Biathlon, the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center is now a lively training ground for XC Ski year round with world class training facilities and paved roller ski tracks. The venue also boasts a variety of mountain bike trails and even has rental bikes available to ride them!
Soldier Hollow has hosted UCI mountain bike racing for many years and hosted the Pan-American Mountain Bike Championship in 2024 where HART put together some solid rides including Jeremy’s 5th in XC Eliminator Championships. This year, the nations convened for a Continental Series race in hot and dusty conditions.
Soldier Hollow in summer green behind the HART x Sweet Protection tent.
First on the schedule was the short track race. Soldier Hollow’s short track course is some combination of a traditional XCC and a criterium with a significant portion of the lap on a paved roller-ski track and a nasty, steep hill mid-lap. This short track was combined U23 and Elite for 46 starters on the fast and tactical track.
Jeremy got a strong start, scrapping for position through the first few corners and sitting in with the lead group. Samuel was just behind and soon joined the lead group. A few laps in, Jeremy made a tactical mistake which put him chasing for an entire lap, overreaching enough to put him out of the lead group. Samuel rode strong as the group shattered and finished in 12th. Jeremy beat his chase group to the line for 15th, almost closing the distance back to Samuel.
Full suffer up the short track climb.
Full gas on the short track descent.
Cross country day came with temperatures in the 90s and 28 Elite riders from five nations lined up for the Continental Series race and the final US Cup Series. The Continental Series races are the same scoring as a UCI HC race with international points 25 places deep. This attracts top riders and puts them just below a World Cup in points and cash available.
Off the line Jeremy again moved into the lead group and, as gaps opened up, decided on his own pace on a gamble between holding wheels and surviving the heat. Thanks to HART support Brandt and Lori Elson, Jeremy was able to take ice and/or cold water twice per lap. He picked riders off as they started to suffer in the heat and landed 12th, his best ever finish in a race of this caliber. Samuel was not far behind in 16th, wrapping up a solid three weeks of racing with a few more UCI points.
The infamous root roll. Photo by Cooper Spillman.
The rock roll at the top of the Elite XCO Course. Photo by Cooper Spillman.
Soldier Hollow wrapped up the US Cup overall, six races across the US from March to June. Samuel, racing five of the six events and with consistent, strong finishes landed 2nd for Elite Men! HART is very excited to have a cohesive circuit in the US again, giving American racers more things to aspire to and more opportunities to develop and excel as athletes. We’re even more excited to have Samuel in 2nd for 2025! We’re looking forward to seeing how consistency pays off in the US Cup overall in 2026.
Jeremy finished 4th in the US Cup overall having consistently finished just behind Samuel and not starting the XC in Englewood due to a strained quad. He’ll be on the hunt for that overall podium in 2026!
Samuel’s consistency across the US Pro Cup Series earned him 2nd in the series overall and a well earned cash prize!
Samuel in the Sweet Protection Falconer and Shinobi Rig glasses, Jeremy in the Trailblazer helmet.
The venue at Soldier Hollow provided an opportunity for HART Cycling to host our helmet and glasses sponsor, Sweet Protection in the awards plaza. It was an incredible opportunity to meet rep Ryan in person and hang out around the racing. It was also a great time to check out the range of models Sweet Protection offers from the aero road helmets used by riders in the Tour de France to much more protective mountain bike helmets made for pushing limits in trees and rocks.
The team favorite is the Sweet Protection Falconer, technically a road helmet, with great weight, protection, and ventilation for the demands of XC mountain bike.
Samuel in his Sweet Protection Falconer. Photo by Cooper Spillman.
Jeremy, Ryan, and Samuel post race Saturday.
Sunday following the race, Samuel headed back to St. George to prepare for nationals and crank out some hours at his job the hospital.
Jeremy, along with housemates Emma and Jelaani, headed back to the race course to support and cheer Odin in the UCI U23 race. With temperatures ticking over 100 degrees, it was critical for Odin to have as many opportunities to take on water as possible.
Jeremy’s POV from the pit as athlete, Odin, survives the 100 degree heat.
After supporting Odin’s race, Jeremy got back on the bike with Jelaani to explore the trails in the Wasatch mountains. It was a proper adventure ride with a steep, winding, 3000ft climb up to the top of the ski lifts above Park City. After getting turned around a few times, getting lost in true post-race adventure fashion, Jeremy and Jelaani descended the incredible Wasatch Over Wasatch (WOW) trail back down into town. Jeremy kept air in his tire this time, unlike in Montana, so Jalanni got the traditional flat near the bottom of the trail before they limped back to the house.
Jeremy and Jelaani near the top of the WOW trail.
White Columbines on the WOW trail.
This concludes the Big June Block updates. Three back to back weekends of UCI racing in some of the most beautiful venues on the continent was an incredible main block of racing for the 2025 season. We are already looking forward to doing it again in 2026!
Now, the team heads to Roanoke, VA for USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships. We are excited to explore the new new venue for National Championships and share our experience and results with you. The HART athletes are feeling fast and well prepared for some great rides!
Check out the National Championship update next!
-Jeremy Norris
