Her passion for mountain biking is crystal clear in the voice of 15-year-old Lacey Dennis.
She loves, loves, loves it.
And it shows.
Dennis, who was born and raised in Squamish, has had considerable cross-country success this year.
In fact, she’s the current U17 female leader for the Canada Cup National Mountain Bike series.
How she got there
Among other successes, in April, she came third in the Squamish Enduro U17 short course.
In May, Dennis travelled to Hardwood, Ontario, to race Canada Cup U17 expert XCO and XCO short track, and came in the Top 10.
She followed that up later that week with the BC School Sports Provincial Championships, where she came first in cross country and ninth in enduro.
This year, the two-day event was held in her hometown, on Squamish trails.
Dennis and her whole family travelled to Canmore in June to compete in the 2024 Canmore Canada Cup, which was held at the Nordic Centre Provincial Park.
She won all three of her races.
It is no surprise that that is the standout event for Dennis so far this year.
“That one went super well, where I was able to win all three of them,” she said. “ And that really rose my standings in the Canada Cup points, which makes me now currently the leader of the Canada Cup races. That was the race [event] to kind of put me there.”
Asked what put her over the top in Canmore, Dennis said it was a combination of things.
“The field of girls was a good field that kind of challenged me to keep pushing forward. And I just felt like my legs were working well in that race and everything. I had a good warm-up,” she said.
“It is super fun up there.”
She had raced the Canmore trails before, as well, so she felt comfortable.
Her mom, Amy Sylvia, tells The Squamish Chief that Dennis works hard balancing school work during the year with training six days a week, which can include anything from one-hour intervals to three-hour rides.
At the Whistler Canada Cup held on Blackcomb Mountain in late May, she earned the B.C. provincial championships title. With another win and her combined points, she is the reigning U17 female leader for the Canada Cup National Mountainbike series.
Soon, she will be wearing the leader jersey to Dieppe, New Brunswick, for the Mountain Bike Canada Cup, which begins July 12.
From there, she will travel to Nationals in Kentville, Nova Scotia.
When she returns at the end of July, she will take a well-earned break from racing, but will train before the cyclocross races start again in the fall.
During her time off, she will also spend some time with a teammate from her Charge BC - XC Racing team.
Love of the sport
Dennis, who has been riding most of her life, loves the physical and mental aspects of mountain biking.
“I really like just being outside and getting to ride different trails and everything,” she said.
“ But also going up hills and being hot and sweaty; that I'm working hard and everything. It feels super great. Not as much in the moment because it feels really awful,” she said, with a laugh. “Afterwards, it feels super amazing … It is a personal reward after as well.”
Overcoming
Dennis has been open about her struggles with anxiety. The biking helps with that, she said.
“When I'm racing on my bike, that's almost kind of the relief from anxiety,” she said.
What has worked for her is to try her best to plan well, for example, having a good breakfast and working through her warmup.
“If I have that kind of plan, and I believe and think that it works, that seems to really help lower my stress and anxiety before the race,” she said.
*Please not that this story has been corrected to clarify that Dennis will train before the cyclocross season this fall.
