By Katy Savage
Joshua Poirier is in his second year as a downhill mountain bike coach at Killington Mountain School and he’s already “looking forward to many more,” he said. “The athletes I work with are all incredible people which makes my job fulfilling and fun.”
Poirier is a mountain bike racer on the side, traveling to Downhill and Enduro races throughout the northeast. He finished in 10th place in the enduro category at the U.S. Open last year and seventh in 2022. But this year, Killington’s USO will not have an Enduro.
Q&A with Josh Poirer
Mountain Times: How long have you been mountain biking for? Do you remember your first time and how you got started?
Joshua Poirier: I’ve been mountain biking for 16 years now and racing for 10. I was originally a dirt bike kid growing up but then as I got older it became a hassle to transport and maintain a dirt bike so I started riding mountain bikes instead.
MT: Have you competed in the US Open before? What was it like and how did you do?
JP: This will be my fourth US Open (which included three enduro races and my second downhill race) and I am really looking forward to it. It is certainly one of the best events of the season and always really fun when all of my friends from all over the country and world come together for the race. My results have been good here, I’m consistently in the top 10 for pro Enduro and a mid-pack pro in Downhill.
MT: What made you want to compete this year? And what events are you competing in?
JP: What makes me want to compete this year in particular is being able to do it with my team, the Killington Mountain School Gravity Mountain Bike Team. I will be racing only one event this year and that will be the downhill.