The mountain bike adventures of McCall
By Daniel Scheffler
Mountain biking is as much about riding as it is about falling off. And that is the premise of Josephine Anderson’s documentary short, “On Falling”—how riders deal with mountain bike crashes. The pleasure of wind in one’s hair (proverbially, of course, since each rider likely wears a helmet) and the thrill of tackling thorny terrain are paired with the risk and reward of falling off the bike. This is probably why the sport is such a great venture for young people; it teaches them that life is just like riding—and crashing—a mountain bike. And especially in McCall as it's so perfectly located between forested mountains and the striking shores of Payette Lake.
“It’s a hard sport, but you learn so many life lessons from it,” says Yadi Spangenberg, a coach of 15 local athletes and the owner of Wild Rockies Racing, a local mountain-biking training organization. “We are advocating for kids to get outdoors and keep them fully engaged, and mountain biking is a great way to do exactly that.”
Compelling data from the Yale Center for Business and the Environment supports Spangenberg’s belief that kids who spend time outside improve their overall well-being. Outdoor activity positively impacts their physical, social-emotional, and mental health as well as their cognition and academic learning. “We want to steer kids away from tech and social media, and show them the great outdoors,” adds Spangenberg. McCall is perfect for this, with its easy access to forested mountains and trail systems. Plus, the city supports all kinds of riding: road, gravel, adventure XC, flow XC, and, of course, downhill.
Building Team Spirit
For Dean Cromwell, founder of the not-for-profit organization Payette River Bicycle Movement and Head Coach/Team Director at the McCall Area Youth Mountain Bike Team, all of this fully aligns with his goals. “We want to develop and foster a lifelong love of mountain biking (and cycling in general) for kids in our community, and to make a real, positive difference for the kids in our community. It is such a unique sport, and one that you can do for a lifetime.” With a focus on building a strong team culture, Cromwell says the youth riders on his team have earned a reputation within the Idaho Cycling League for being spirited and supportive, having great attitudes, and welcoming all athletes and families. That’s exactly what McCall is all about.
Cromwell knows a thing or two about racing, too—he competed for many years when he was younger and still participates in some local races. Now, along with his wife (also a coach), they are part of the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League and The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). “I absolutely love coaching and helping young cyclists learn to love the sport—I also coach on the Wild Rockies Racing team,” Cromwell adds. “This is a more competitively focused development team for kids who want to race at a higher level and/or do really well in NICA races.”
The NICA team started with six student-athletes and a handful of coaches in 2015. Today, the team has more than 80 student-athletes, ranging from sixth to 12th grade, and more than 35 volunteer coaches. “We are a very large team for a community the size of McCall and one of the larger teams in Idaho,” says Cromwell. “We are also very proud of the fact that we have over 50% girls on the team. Most teams struggle to have 25% girls on the team.” In fact, NICA has a targeted initiative, GRiT, focused on recruiting and retaining more girls and female coaches in its programs.
Biking Into McCall’s Future
Currently, McCall’s mountain bike scene is strong, but with the ongoing efforts of the city’s various teams and organizations, it’s poised to get better and better. “NICA has fueled the popularity and growth of mountain biking in the U.S. for a number of years,” Cromwell says. “The sport is hugely popular in Idaho, with over 1,200 kids participating on nearly 30 teams across the state. Because of this, more and more families are riding bikes, trying out racing, etc.” And then there are organizations like Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association (CIMBA) and Jug Mountain Ranch (with its trail network) that are doing a great job building more trails in the area. Thus, McCall has become a legitimate mountain biking destination. “We are even starting to develop a more robust local racing scene, which is really healthy for the sport as well,” adds Cromwell.
“We have so many local people here who want to ride mountain bikes seriously, and I am here to help them get better,” adds Spangenberg. Those local people include her daughter, Payette Spangenberg, who loves racing and has not only learned a lot about the sport in her last four years of riding but also about herself.
“I enjoy the training, the challenge, the hard work, seeing my effort pay off, meeting new people at the races, our team, and that there is always something to learn,” shares the younger Spangenberg. In fact, biking is what has built her confidence and mental toughness, and, as her mom and coach says, “She's learning each race what she's capable of, what progress is, pushing through when you don't ‘feel’ like it, focus and concentration, managing emotion and all these will carry her through life.”
Mountain bike training and racing is tough, but as participants, coaches, and leaders have shown, the sport provides a perfect opportunity to learn about oneself whether the rider is on the bike or coming off the bike. As mom and coach Spangenberg says, “We get outdoors, enjoy the beauty, push ourselves or ride lightly and work on skills, rejuvenate and reflect, socialize and laugh—so much can be accomplished on a bike!”
MTB Bucket List sidebar
List Of Favorite Places To Ride Around McCall:
- Jug Mountain Ranch trail network
- Bear Basin trail network
- Payette Rim Trailhead to Brundage to Bear Basin Trail Loop (there are various routes/loops to choose from; all are fun)
- East Fork of Lake Fork Creek
- Secesh River to Loon Lake Loop
List of Après Ride Spots:
- The patio at Jug Mountain Ranch Clubhouse
- My Father's Place restaurant in downtown McCall for burgers and milkshakes
- Outdoor seating at any of the three breweries in town—Salmon River Brewing, McCall Brewing, or Broken Horn Brewing
- Ice Cream Alley in downtown McCall for mountain-size cones
- The beach in Ponderosa State Park
