Aiden Chapin is living the American dream

Want to know everything there is to know about life as an American pro mountain biker? Talk to Aiden Chapin. At just 21 years old, he’s already been through a lifetime of experience on the enduro circuit. He has raced all over the country. Won big. And even tested the waters of European racing. He can also tell you about the struggles. Broken bikes, bad crashes, scrounging for sponsors, you name it.

The life of a professional mountain biker is rarely, if ever, glamorous. But this year, racing on his own personal program with Trek after spending the last three years with Trek-Fasthouse, Chapin seems to have found his groove. He is tearing up the Big Mountain Enduro circuit once again, taking fourth with a stage win at Sunrise Park in Arizona most recently, and he went to the party that is TDS Enduro in April and finished fifth.  

Chapin is at the beginning of a long journey in bikes. He’s not worried about where it will take him. He’s simply enjoying the moment-to-moment experience.

“I just hope that I can look back and see that I’ve done my best,” Chapin says. “This offseason, I had a relook at my past years in racing, and I just appreciate what the bike industry has done for me. Everything’s coming together. And the way I look at it, everything happens for a reason.”

Chapin will be taking on three more Big Mountain Enduro events this year, and is aiming to finish top three in the standings after finishing fourth overall last year. His next race is at Purgatory Resort in Durango, Colo., on July 8. In the meantime, he’s training as hard as he can, making sure that, above all, he’ll have no regrets no matter what happens at year’s end.

Chapin caught up with the Trek Race Shop recently to discuss life as a solo rider, the state of the American enduro scene, and what he’s looking forward to the most in the coming weeks, months, and years.

You’re on an individual program now. What have the benefits of that been?

It’s super beneficial because I feel like I’ve been able to bring in more sponsors and get more help from them, and tell them, ‘Hey, this is what Trek’s doing for me this year, here’s how you can help too.’ They’re putting focus on me instead of a team, and I think sponsors like that, and it helps me out as well.

The atmosphere at TDS Enduro looked amazing. What is that race like as a rider?

If anybody asks what TDS is, I just tell them that it’s a party race. You have fun and you go fast on your bike. And the family that runs it, the Sanchez family, they put so much into it, getting everything ready and making sure all the trails are good for all the racers.

I think what makes TDS unique is that it’s a race revolving around fun. There’s not a lot of pressure from sponsors or anything like that.

I first went there in 2019 not really knowing what to expect. And I left the race and I was like, ‘I want to do it again next year.’ The environment is unreal. It’s unlike any other race because there’s just a fun aspect to it.

You’re only 21, but you’re a grizzled veteran of American enduro racing at this point. How has the scene evolved?

It’s always been fun. I feel like if we’re just talking about the Big Mountain Enduro series, they’ve always done a good job of making a race that’s for everybody. They have all the classes that range from amateurs all the way to the pros. And it’s been like that every year. 

They’re trying to grow it and expand every year, and it’s cool to see it actually expanding. And they’re trying to do more with it. They have a podcast now. They’re trying to get more photographers and videographers. They have a goal to make it really big.

What about the competition? How have the riders changed?

I feel like the competition has grown exponentially over the past few years. For example, Richie Rude has always been one of the top Americans. Same as Shawn Neer when he was on the Yeti team. So there were the two Americans in the Big Mountain Enduro series that everyone thought were good enough to go race in Europe. And now it’s gotten super competitive over here, to the point where now we have three or four guys, including myself, that could go over to Europe and finish inside the top 30 in the elite men.

What would make this a successful year in your mind?

I don’t want to leave a race regretting and beating myself down, like, ‘Dang, I could have done better, I could have pushed harder here, I could have done this.’ I just want to leave every single race knowing that I did my best. And I want to come into every race knowing that I’m ready to give it my all. And that just comes with doing things like training outside of the race, and training on and off the bike.

I obviously would want to do better in the overall Big Mountain Enduro series. Last year I got fourth. My goal is to win a Big Mountain Enduro this year and be top three in points when the when the season’s over.

It’s probably hard to think far down the road, but what about your career aspirations? Where do you want this journey to take you?

I just hope that I can look back and see that I’ve done my best. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets. Or look back and be like, ‘That year I could have trained a little harder,’ and have those what-ifs.

Coming up with my own program with Trek gave me a new thankfulness for the sport and thankfulness for bikes. This offseason, I had a relook at my past years in racing, and I just appreciate what the bike industry has done for me. Everything’s coming together. And the way I look at it, everything happens for a reason. 

What do race days look like for you now? Do you have support with you?

One of the big things that has helped a lot this year is that Trek gave me a budget to bring a mechanic along with me. I got to experience working with him at Sea Otter and at the first Big Mountain Enduro in Arkansas. That part of my program has surpassed last year, because last year I was also my own. I was having to go around to people being like, ‘Hey, can you help me with this?’

You mentioned Sea Otter. How do you like hopping on a bigger bike and doing DH?

I honestly like it. I like a one-run format, just because I feel like I can absolutely focus in and give 100% on that one run. It’s funny, because the reason why I started doing enduro was to get more runs in, and to get more bang for my buck when I was younger. But now I look at it, and I still love enduro, but I do love downhill, and every time I get on a downhill bike, it’s just so much fun. Sometimes I look back and I’m like, I wish I raced downhill [laughs]. But I’m just as happy racing enduro as I would be racing downhill right now.

It’s just fast. You have to get all your lines right. You have to pump on the backside of the landings. You have to be super precise all the way down. You can’t make a single mistake. If you do make a single mistake on that course, you’re down a few seconds immediately. 

The last time we talked was 2021 when you were given the opportunity to race in the U21 Enduro World Series alongside Trek Factory Racing. What was that like?

That’s something I’ll never forget my whole entire life. That’s an opportunity that I was given that I was so thankful for. And I had such a great time getting to learn European racing and getting to learn from the European racers. And just being on the team, I feel like that set my mind up for the future and really showed me that this is where I want to be eventually. I want to be on a factory team, so I’m going to give it my all and just see where the sport takes me. 

And that’s where I’m at now. I’m gonna do my best. I’m not going to kick myself in the butt if I crash or something. I’m not going to let that get to me. I’m just gonna do my best, focus on the now, and get through every race one by one.