By Tara Hauck
Bodhi Kuhn gets some air.
At age 16, Rossland mountain bike racer Bodhi Kuhn is making a name for himself on the downhill circuit.
Bodhi won the U-17 Experts division at the Canada Cup downhill race at Panorama last month. His result was the second fastest time in the downhill that day, just over a second behind two-time national champion Kirk McDowall, the Pro-elite Men’s Division winner; good company for the Rossland rider.
On Aug. 8, Kuhn kept that momentum going and won the U17 Expert Men’s race in Big White to secure the BC Provincial Downhill Championship.
Rossland rider Bodhi Kuhn earned top spot at the U-17 Canada Cup downhill mountain bike races in Panorama last month, and then captured the BC championship in Kelowna on Aug. 8. (N. Kuhn photo)
A student at Seven Summits Centre for Learning, Kuhn is successfully captivating the attention of followers of the downhill racing scene. He has been given the title of “Fastest Canadian Junior” by Terry McKall of Cyclist Magazine.
But there is so much more to this impressive young man. He is also a successful competitive freeskier, and he earned a top academic award at Seven Summits Centre for Learning. This gives him the title as a triple threat.
“I find it manageable to balance my time between competing and training with my schoolwork as Seven Summits Learning offers online education, in class teachers, and support for athletes,” said Bodhi. “It’s just a matter of organization and prioritizing.”
He is interested in the fields of science and physics and plans to end up in aerospace engineering.
Bodhi started competitive freeskiing at seven years of age. He enjoys freeskiing the challenging terrain at Red Mountain and the camaraderie of others who he races alongside. He is an independent racer and hopes one day to race in the Freeride World Tour when he turns eighteen.
However, his main focus is on racing downhill mountain bikes as fast as possible.
Rossland is one of the premier mountain bike destinations in BC – earning the title “Mountain Bike Capital of Canada” by Explore Magazine. It doesn’t stretch the imagination to see how a kid growing up with access to the bounty of downhill trails could be so strikingly fast and technical at such a young age.
In 2019, Bodhi won every BC Cup downhill mountain bike race in his division U-15, including the Nationals. This year, Bodhi topped the podium at the U-17 Canada Cup downhill mountain bike races in Fernie and Panorama.
“What is most important is to stay healthy and just keep putting in fast, consistent times at the races,” said Kuhn.
“I hope one day to compete beyond the regional races I am currently winning and make it to the World Cup for downhill mountain biking.”
