Fearlessness and Finesse: Amanda Vansant ’24 Takes Home a Gold Medal at the National Collegiate Mountain Bike Championships

“Don't compare yourself to the other riders and just do as well as you can. I didn't go into it with the expectation that I was going to win. I knew it was going to be a really cool experience, and I just wanted to have fun,” she says.  

This turned out to be a winning mentality. Over one October weekend at Ride Rock Creek, Amanda, representing the SLU Bike Club, won the gold medal in the club downhill racing category and eighth place in club dual slalom.  

For the uninitiated, downhill mountain bike racing is a lot like it sounds. The rider starts at the top of a designated course and battles against gravity while navigating rough, downhill terrain—featuring jumps, drops, and other obstacles—to get to the bottom as quickly as possible.  Amanda snagged the gold medal with a time of 2:41.44, a full 8.3 seconds faster than the runner-up.  

When you’re finessing a rocky course full of challenging features in just about 160 seconds, you don’t have much time to think. You rely on confidence and hardwired fearlessness. 

“There’s not much going through my brain when I’m racing,” says Amanda. “I have the course memorized from top to bottom, so I know what’s coming. I’m mainly reminding myself not to hesitate. Keep going as fast as you can. Physically, you never have time to be tired, so you can’t let yourself get into a lull. Just keep pushing.” 

Keep going as fast as you can. Physically, you never have time to be tired, so you can't let yourself get into a lull. Just keep pushing." —Amanda Vansant '24

At any given moment, Amanda is breaking, pedaling, shifting gears like it’s second nature, anticipating “pinch points” along the course, but never allowing the anticipation to distract her. For those of us who prefer a flatter, more leisurely approach to riding a bike, this might sound intense, maybe even stressful. For Amanda, the adrenaline rush is practically therapeutic—a way to channel her love for competition and being outdoors into something fun and community-oriented. 

Amanda has been a Nordic skier for over a decade. She grew up Nordic ski racing in her home state of New Hampshire and was captain of her high school team at the Holderness School. She’s been a four-year member of the team at St. Lawrence and was named captain as a junior.  

Initially, Amanda was drawn to mountain biking as a way to maintain her competitive edge for ski season. It helped her stay in shape and keep up her endurance. She got her first mountain bike as a sophomore in high school and a job coaching at a local bike park a few years later. Being on the bike, challenging her mind and body in a way that differed from Nordic skiing, felt good, and the more she did it, the more her skills improved (her drive and natural ability probably didn’t hurt). Seven years later, it’s turned into a passion that adds value to her life and her St. Lawrence experience, not just her Nordic ski season. 

“I’ve pledged to myself that mountain biking won’t be a big source of stress in my life. For me, it’s a relaxing way to spend time outdoors, stay in shape, and be active without the mental intensity of Nordic ski training.” 

The stakes might be a little bit lower for Amanda, but winning feels just as good.  

“Winning was a bonus for just being on the trip, but it also felt like a reward for all the hours I’ve spent riding my bike over the past seven years. It was the culmination of my college biking career.”  

Within the National Collegiate Mountain Biking Championships there are varsity and club divisions. On the East Coast, most athletes, including Amanda, compete on behalf of club teams at their colleges or universities. As current president, Amanda represented the SLU Bike Club, which has only grown since she became a member and championed more representation for mountain biking. When she joined, the group was mostly made up of road bikers. 

“I was passionate about it, and I knew there had to be more people interested,” she says. “We went from having maybe one person that would race mountain bikes in the fall to bringing up to 15 people to some of our races this year.”  

Now, members of the bike club represent the University during mountain biking competitions all year long. 

Amanda traveled to North Carolina for nationals with Erika Loomans ’25, who placed 18th in short-track cross-country and 25th in cross-country. The trip was funded by Trustee Emeritus Tom Saddlemire ’70. His support covered entry fees as well as gas, accommodations, and meals. Saddlemire, for whom the University’s “Saddlemire Trail” is named, is an enthusiastic patron of the bike club at St. Lawrence.  

“Tom is an amazing friend and donor to our club, and he was really excited to help us out with the trip,” says Amanda. “It wouldn’t have been possible without him.”  

Now in the spring semester of her senior year, Amanda is focused on wrapping up her geology major and her last Nordic ski season at St. Lawrence. With nationals behind her, Amanda’s collegiate mountain biking career is over, but she won't be staying still for long. 

“The spring collegiate circuit is only road biking,” she says pausing, before adding, “I do have a road bike, so maybe I’ll hop on for a race or two.”