Soldier Hollow hosts 800 mountain bikers from 40 countries

Pan American racing for hundreds of international bike racers at SoHo. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

This was the first time the Pan-American Mountain Bike Championships was hosted in the United States in over 20 years

MIDWAY, Utah —Athletes from more than 40 countries in North and South America competed in the Pan-American Championships for coveted Pan-Am champion jerseys at the Soldier Hollow Olympic venue May 8-12.

This video shows a men’s start and Olympian Luke Bodensteiner talking to TownLift explaining the weekend’s highlights.

Events included short track, relay, eliminator and cross-country in junior, U23, elite and masters age groups. The event blended aspects of the annual Soldier Hollow Bike Festival with the Pan-Am Championship races, including USA Cycling-sanctioned amateur races for youth and adults providing an opportunity for all levels of competitors to take part in the action.

Below is a video taken minutes after these first podium athletes of the weekend, who are South American, crossed the finish line and talked to TownLift.

The Pan-American Mountain Bike Championships was an international competition returning to the United States for the first time in over 20 years featuring the best athletes in multiple disciplines vying for continental titles and crucial qualifying points for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. 

Watch this video as TownLift talks to a Utah athlete minutes after she stepped off the top of the podium.

All photos: Michele Roepke // TownLift

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