Taking the gold at the USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Biking National Championships is a big deal for cyclist Wren Capra — but it’s not everything.

The Steamboat Springs-raised athlete, 19, traveled to Roanoke, Virginia to participate in her second national championship event on July 16 — but she didn’t compete solely to win.

“Unlike a lot of people, I race so that I have an incentive to train, rather than training because my reward is to race,” said Capra. “I really enjoy racing, but mostly, I love the process that goes into it.”

Capra’s first-place short track win, in a time of 19:57, is a testament to her love of the sport, which was sparked a couple years ago after joining rides with Steamboat Velo, a local organization that helps foster the community’s love for cycling through group rides and events.

After taking time off from cycling due to family issues, Capra started officially training for competitions only last year. Now, she’s a two-time endurance mountain biking national champion.

Capra said her history in Nordic skiing helped her gain confidence in developing strategies and competing. After she started biking, Capra transferred her ski racing skills to biking.

“Unlike (Nordic) skiing, I can go anywhere on my bike,” said Capra. “I’ve been able to explore all over Routt County, and I just started falling in love with it.”

The mid-July endurance mountain bike race was Capra’s second time competing at the national level, following her win in the same race last year. 

In addition to being a two-time endurance mountain biking national champion, Capra also came in second in the cross-country bike race and sixth in the marathon mountain bike discipline in the same category.

Capra attributes her success to the people and sponsors who support her, including her team, Avout, a Denver-based team comprised of racers from across the country.

At the core of it all, Capra simply loves the journey.

“My success has caught me by surprise,” she said. “I just love being outside. I love exploring and adventuring and meeting new people. Racing is an outlet for that because it allows you to ride in new places and push yourself so differently than you’re able to alone.”

Capra noted that one thing she loves about biking is getting to know her surroundings. As a geography major at Middlebury College in Vermont, Capra is excited by discovering new terrain.

“When I ride in Steamboat or at school, I have a real sense of place,” she said. “I know which roads go where and I know what’s on those roads … When I go to new places, being able to establish that mental math in my mind is so satisfying and interesting to me.”

In every moment of the competition, Capra does it for the love of the sport.

“The best part (of a race) is when I make a point to warm up or cool off on the trainer so that I’m able to ride the roads around the venue,” added Capra.

Moving forward, Capra plans to compete in the Gravel National Championships on Sept. 20 in La Crescent, Minnesota.

“When the pieces come together and you’re able to execute smooth riding and a fast race … that makes the time investment worth it,” said Capra. “I’m just so proud that I was able to pull everything together and give it all I’ve got.”