Member Spotlight: James & ben Loverich

Tell us about your cycling journey. What got you into riding and what keeps you coming back?

James – I grew up in Flagstaff, AZ in the 80s and got a Price Club Rockpoint mountain bike my junior year of high school. All it took was one ride down the Shultz Creek Trail, I and the hook was permanently set. I love being out in the woods riding challenging trails and hammering away with friends. It’s always been fun to ride with Ben, and it’s gotten even more enjoyable now that he’s the same speed as me (probably faster actually).
Ben - My dad got me into riding when I was very little. From the time I was walking my dad had a Strider for me. After that, he got me a little blue bike that was a bit bigger and retrofitted some disk brakes for it (I did countless burnouts). I went through a few more bikes until now and also broke my collar bone riding. Now, I’m riding lots in the summer at home and also on trips with my dad. Riding for me is a way to get away from the rest of my life and give my “system” a reset. It also is one of my favorite activities just to go out and have fun. I think that is the biggest part of riding; just having fun. It doesn’t matter how good or how fast you are just as long as you have a good time on the trails.

What is your favorite cycling discipline (MTB, road, gravel)?

James – I like them all, but dirt has always been my favorite. The continuous puzzle of riding good tech or clearing out the lungs on an anaerobic climb is just awesome.

Ben - My favorite discipline of riding is mountain bike riding. For me gravel and road biking are both not very interesting on the ride while MTB gives you more of a challenge and a good time while riding. I am into wild tech trails as well as fun flowing trails. A trail that has both tech and flow in it is the best of both worlds.

What’s your favorite trail or area to ride in the Black Hills / Western SD Region?

James – We are blessed with so many amazing trails in the hills. It’s hard to narrow it down, but I’d have to say I’m partial to Fosters followed closely by the Old Knife Blade course - Piedmont to Alkali on the Centennial.

Ben - I would say one of my personal favorite trails in the hills is the Paha Sapa Trail. This trail has both technical sections as well as having everything flow nicely. It also gives you a decent ride (about 8 miles). This trail is great with a shuttle drop off at Sylvan Lake. The trail has some nice technical sections and a great line choice through the southern hills.

What’s your all-time favorite place you’ve traveled to ride?

James – Lots to choose from there too. Ben and I are on the same page on this one. Golden, B.C. He’s got the reasons covered. Riding back home in Flag and Sedona is always special as well.

Ben - My all time favorite place, although my dad and I have been all over the western US and some of Canada, is Golden, British Columbia (Canada). This town is set in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Right outside of town is Kicking Horse Mountain resort which has good downhill trails as well as other technical trails. Most of the trails there you don’t need a high travel bike to ride and have a great time. On the other side of the valley is Mt 7. Mt 7 has about 4,000 ft of vertical and a continuous flowing trail from top to bottom that is great for climbing and descending as well as other great trails across the mountain.

What is the cycling related accomplishment you are most proud of and what made it significant?

James – I was the primary coordinator for the Rowdy Dawg MTB Race one year in Blacksburg, VA in the late 90s. It was a great event, but what a huge effort. It gave me lots of respect for event organizers. Props to all of you out there who continue to promote our sport with races and other events!

Ben - My biggest cycling accomplishment is riding the Dakota Five-O in sub-5 hours and finishing fifth in my division. For me this is big mostly because of the size of the race. Last year was my first 5-O and I finished the race well under my time goal of 5.5 hrs. I am excited to ride again this coming year hopefully with a faster time than last year.

What Black Hills Bike Hub activities have you participated in, and how did they benefit you as a rider?

James – I try to make it to trail maintenance days when possible and hope to keep that up in the future. I think keeping trails in good shape is important for bringing new riders to the sport.

Ben - I have participated in multiple group rides. These rides are great for anyone who wants to get out and have some fun on their bike. The rides are usually not too long but good. They have helped me by getting me more integrated into the biking community of Rapid City. 

What Black Hills Bike Hub projects have you contributed to and how will these support BHBH’s vision of making Rapid City a better place to live, work, and play? 

James – At this point it really just been helping with trails. I’m super excited about the South Dakota Cycling League for high schoolers that Alex Johnson is kicking off and plan on being involved with that as much as possible. Getting kids fired up about the sport is key.

Ben - I try to make it to almost all Maintenance Mondays and make a solid contribution to maintaining our local trails and keeping them in great shape or even making them better than they already are. I also make most of the BHBH meetings to see what updates there are and help out if need be. The Maintenance Mondays keep the trails in great shape as well as involving the community at the same time. People can either learn trail maintenance skills or put the skills they already have to good use. Either way there are more trail maintainers in our community to help the trails out even more. BHBH makes Rapid city a better place to live work and play through its group rides, maintenance, and bringing community together.