Sam grew up in the mountains of Montana, where he cut his teeth on the trails after his Uncle introduced him to the sport of mountain biking at the age of 11. At 13, he completed his first race, Lone Peaks Revenge in Big Sky, Montana, finishing 2nd out of two people. He was hooked right there and then. His fervor and determination continued to carry him to numerous podiums, including a XCO National Championship, as well as a debut in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Following London, back issues forced Sam to step away from his cross country mountain bike racing career and step into what he refers to as “soul riding”.

Now he is focused on riding for fun and he picks and chooses races that fit into the riding style that he enjoys naturally. He can't kick his XC roots and still loves riding fast and hard, but is more focused on the metaphoric ride- the adventure, the company, and the enjoyment. He enjoys taking the long way to and from races and events, soaking up as many experiences as he can in his work-in-progress camper van with his purebred mexican street dog, Pancho, in tow.

Lately Sam has taken to the sky, paragliding and speed flying whenever possible. Flying forces him to be hyper present in the moment and is one of the most freeing, challenging, and exciting endeavors he has done. Once he gets his feet back on the ground he is fired up to seek out a similar head-space and flow with the familiarity of two wheels beneath him and the comfort of a closer proximity to terra firma.

Recently, Sam has been putting much of his focus into running a statewide highschool and middle school mountain bike league in Montana through the NICA organization. Growing up there wasn’t anything comparable and it has been rewarding for him to help build a community to support the young riders in his home state. Seeing the progression and joy in the kids (and coaches) brought by pushing and supporting each other on bikes is about as big of a prize as he could imagine.