By Katy Savage
Dylan Conte has been mountain biking since he was about 12. A small bike park where he grew up was built and his dad dropped him off there. He’s been hooked ever since.
Mountain biking, he said, allows him to “both be competitive and be out in nature,” Conte said. “It’s something active that I enjoy and I can continue to get better at.”
Conte, 30, has been a mountain bike coach at Killington Mountain School since 2021 and he’s about to compete in the Downhill and Dual Slalom events at the Fox U.S. Open of Mountain Biking Sept. 26-29, along with his students.
“Pretty much every athlete that I work with will be there competing,” he said.
Conte is no stranger to the event. He competed in his first U.S. Open in 2006 in New Jersey as a junior. It was actually his first time racing.
“I didn’t do very well,” he said. But that didn’t stop him.
He’s competed at most U.S. Opens since. He got 19th in the Downhill event in Killington last year and 10th in the Dual Slalom.
Twelve KMS athletes will also be participating in the USO events over the weekend at Killington.
“It’s so much fun, it’s way more rewarding than my own races,” Conte said.
Conte and his students will walk the course before they ride. They’ll look at different lines, assess where the race track will be worn down after all the riders and strategize how to maximize their practice time.
“We’re lucky we’re at our home course,” Conte said. “Everyone on that team has both done well and raced here a ton. [But] it’s a new race, and things can be different.”
As far as Conte’s own race aspirations, he’s hoping to finish in the top 30.
“This year is a little different than years past. It’s a lot more international talent,” he said. “For me, a top 30 in the pro class would be something I’d be proud of.”
