Cardigan Mountain School A boarding and day school for boys in grades 6 through 9

Mountain Biking Program

Cardigan Mountain biker leads his teammate trough the corner during a race

Capitalizing on almost nine miles of trails on campus, Cardigan mountain bikers train for fitness, speed, and endurance, develop technical skills, and learn trail and race strategy.

We compete in the Lakes Region Interscholastic Mountain Bike Race League, consisting of teams from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. We field four mountain bike teams. There is a place for every boy to ride in an environment that fosters fitness, skill development, sportsmanship, and an appreciation for the outdoors.

Cardigan student-athletes benefit from:

  • A community of students, faculty, and staff who care about, help, and support each other with understanding, kindness, and compassion.
  • A learning environment that will challenge you as a learner and at the same time provide the academic support you need to help you achieve success.
  • A residential environment that will allow you to grow as an individual and become an integral member of a very special community.
  • A high-quality, very competitive, highly successful Junior Prep mountain biking program.
  • A talented and experienced coaching staff that will help you develop and achieve your goals as a mountain biker.
     

Mountain Biking Facilities at Cardigan

Aerial photo of the Cardigan Mountain Bike Course


Cardigan is fortunate to have almost nine miles of trails on campus that feature both typical New England wooded single track (rocks and roots) and manmade technical trail features such as berms, drops, step ups, log hops, rollers, log rolls, bridges, and log rides. 

The Cardigan team also travels to premier riding areas near campus, including Green Woodlands, Mt. Peg, the Aquaduct, and Saskadena Six Ski Area. We also utilize local dirt roads, woods roads, and snowmobile trails for conditioning rides.

Rider Development at Cardigan

  • Comprehensive fitness development on and off the bike
  • Technical trail riding and bike handling skills
  • Proper nutrition before, during, and after training sessions and races
  • Individual cycling skills
  • Cross country race skills
  • Goal setting, motivation, and pre-race mental preparation skills
  • Bike suspension setup, bike fitting, repair, and maintenance skills
  • Sustainable trail construction and maintenance skills

Watch: Cardigan Athletics

Rendering of Cardigan's proposed new Snow and Bike Center

Cardigan Snow and Bike Sports Center

Opened in September 2022, this new facility provides a modern space for two of Cardigan’s growing athletic programs. The Snow & Bike Sports Center addresses several identified needs, including dedicated space for video review, ski and bike tuning, team changing rooms, and equipment storage.

Doug Clark

Doug Clark

Program Director

Mr. Clark is a Professional Mountain Biking Instructors Association certified coach and has been with Cardigan's program for over eight years. During his tenure, he has helped to build and maintain over 10 miles of single track on campus. Mr. Clark has also coached at Sugarbush Downhill park and a been a trail builder in Northern Vermont. Mr. Clark also serves Cardigan as a history teacher, director of weekend activities & special events, and alpine ski coach.

Contact Coach Clark

Use the form below to contact Coach Clark and learn more about Cardigan Mountain School.

Your privacy is important to us. We'll never share your information.

Cardigan Athletics Logo