Mountain biking is one of the newer Olympic sports, debuting in 1996.
The cross-country rough cycling event tests riders technique and stamina during the one- to two-hour race across 10 kilometers of rocky, mountainous terrain.
Yet Eli Kakouris, a south St. Louis cyclist, is up for the challenge. Kakouris is already looking to compete in the 2028 Olympics.
He's an Affton cyclist who geared up for a recent mountain biking short track XCC race in Valley Park. Kakouris said the goal is to basically go as fast as he can in about 45 minutes on what he considers flat terrain.
But to a passerby it would look anything but flat.
"Once you just get past that initial frightened stage it can be one of the most fun things you can do," Kakouris said.
His family owns South Side Cyclery which is partially what has helped him hone his skills on a bike. Kakouris said there aren't many chances to pass on the forest course through Meramec Levee Recreation Park.
However, the 18-year-old explained why it's typically the French and Swiss riders who pass most of the world to get to the top of the Olympic podium.
"I think they have the best terrain for the type of mountain biking that's done at the world stage," Kakouris said. "They're the most used to it. Usually they're training at altitude which helps you a lot."
Kakouris is pointing to the life lessons he's learned from a hard race especially during the summer as he gets read to compete at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina, one of the best cycling schools in the country.
"Just being able to use that in my day-to-day life, just not giving up when it gets hard," Kakouris said. "It's really just for training but it was good. I liked it."
As expected, the French cycling team did well in the mountain biking cross-country event winning gold in the women's event and silver in the men's.
Yet it was U.S. Olympian Haley Batten who would be the only American cyclist on the podium winning silver on July 28 in the Paris race.