Photo Story: Not Your Typical High School

Words by World Class Academy MTB

On May 5th, 2022, World Class Academy MTB celebrated its first graduating class. This marked the end of a successful first year for the traveling, mountain biking high school. During the first semester, the school traveled throughout the PNW and the US Southwest. The school then packed their bags and readied their passports as they traveled to Europe for the second semester. In search of the best winter riding destinations, the third quarter took place in Portugal and the fourth quarter was spent in Italy and France.


World Class Academy is a far cry from the typical high school. World Class Academy is a fully accredited, private high school that combines academics with athletics, travel, and cultural immersion. WCA is a college-preparatory high school for grades 9-12 that mixes students’ passion for biking with an academic model that mixes international travel with hands-on learning from teachers who are also coaches and mentors. As students travel to the world’s top mountain biking destinations in the world, they do so while gaining an unmatched academic experience. Students travel with their teachers and classmates to these high-caliber MTB destinations. During the week, the team holds classes during the day and rides after class. Education and experience are intertwined at WCA, as traditional course content is oriented toward daily experiences and surrounding environments. Small classes led by motivated teachers provide an individualized approach focused on active student participation in the educational process. On weekends, the school rides all day. The school is first and foremost an academic institution, but the entire school shares a passion for mountain biking and traveling.


World Class Academy was founded in 2001 and has four different programs: the Kayak Academy, the Climbing Academy, the Kiteboard Academy, and the MTB Academy. The MTB Academy is the newest program to utilize WCA's unique education model.


10 students enrolled for the second semester. These students came from all over the globe- Massachusetts, British Columbia, California, Oregon, Washington, Kansas, Wisconsin, Peru, and even Germany. Along with a staff full of unique backgrounds in education and cycling, the table was set for a fantastic school year. The second-semester destinations in Portugal, Italy, and France proved to be ideal for both riding and learning.




World Class Academy MTB landed in Lisboa, Portugal in late January to kick off the third quarter of the second semester.

For the first three weeks, the WCA team was based in the quaint civil parish of Colares in the municipality of Sintra. The team stayed in a large, rented house in Colares that had plenty of room for classes and was close to the trails. Sintra is a downright remarkable area. This is a common summer getaway in Portugal due to the proximity to Lisbon, the mountainous landscape, the nearby beaches, and the historical sites. The Sintra mountains separate this area from the nearby population centers of Lisboa and Cascais. These mountains slope down westwardly towards the Atlantic Ocean and jut out into the sea forming the Cabo da Roca- the westernmost point of the European continent.




Sintra is also full of cultural and historical sites. One day after classes, the school took a rest day from riding and went and exploited the Palacio Da Pena and the Moorish Castle - classic sites of Sintra.


Stationed in Colares, the team quickly discovered that Sintra is a rider’s paradise. The Sintra Mountains are home to an incredible mix of trails that have something to suit everybody. The team would pedal up the grueling climbs every day after school, and save some shuttle days for the weekend. Trips to the beach were also common, as some of Portugal’s famous beaches were a quick pedal away from the house.





The team pedaled up the Sintra mountains from the house almost every day. The climb is steep and grueling and whipped the group into shape. Luckily, the trails that go down the mountain are well worth the climb up. Most are quite steep and have sections of technical rock gardens, roots, and tight corners. Some our favorite trails were Kamikaze, Rochoso, Level 11, Morango, 16 Psyche, Home, 17 Paus, and Burros. Burros is a special trail. Starting at the westernmost peak of the Sintra mountains at the site of an old convent, the trail winds its way down an arid hillside and ends at a beach. The long trail transformed throughout the ride down from a bumpy rock garden, to flowy jump lines, to sandy, loose turns, and ended at a picturesque beach that was appreciated by all. On some of the weekend shuttle rides, the team made the most of this one-of-a-kind trail.






After three weeks in Sintra, the team packed up the entire school and moved to Lousã. Famous for the World Cup Downhill races there, Lousã is a true gem. The WCA team spent two weeks there, riding all of the trails Lousã had to offer. The town of Lousã is small and quaint, without too much going on besides mountain biking. Unusually dry winter conditions did not slow the team’s stoke down for the steep and fun terrain found at Louzanpark. While in Sintra, the team mostly pedaled to the top and shuttled occasionally; in Lousã–the team shuttled almost every day and pedaled up occasionally. LouzanMTB hooked the team up with a great shuttle service and ensured that laps were repeated and downhill skills improved.


The trails in Lousã at Louzanpark were steep, demanding, and dry. Every trail we rode had a steep, technical section, a fast loamy section, and some jumps. The team did their best to explore every trail. The top of the mountain - Terros de Bruxios- had slightly less steep and fast sections that made for quick laps. From Terros to the bottom, the most commonly taken track was the World Cup Downhill track. There was also an “enduro” trail that is used for the Fox Enduro race every year. Both of these tracks were very steep and full of difficult corners, technical sections, gaps, drops, and jumps. The WC race track was a favorite of a lot of the team. Being able to get lap after lap of these demanding and fun trails resulted in some serious progression over the two weeks there.












World Class Academy was not the only team visiting Lousã! While the school was there whole teams from Trek, Scott, Commencal, and Raaw, along with Finn Illes, Lewis Buchanan, and other racers were there ripping up the Lousã track and enjoying the nice weather. This was a memorable experience for the students- seeing the pros ride right in front of their eyes!




After Lousã, The WCA team headed back to Sintra for the final 2 weeks of the quarter. Back in familiar terrain, the team took advantage of the opportunity to finish the quarter’s big projects for school, and ride optimal conditions.



In early March, the team departed for Spring break. In late March the team reconvened at Milano Airport in Italy. From there, the team spent three weeks in the Mediterranean enduro paradise of Finale Ligure.

Italy treated World Class Academy exceptionally well. The region of Liguria is a special place. This area is where huge, sprawling mountains meet the Mediterranean sea. Arriving in Finale, the sign welcomes you to The Outdoor Capital of Italy. Finale has certainly earned this reputation– in addition to a seemingly infinite number of bike trails, the area is also home to numerous climbing crags, some of Italy’s best surf breaks, paragliding sites, and more. Finale is also home to mouthwatering gelato, savory focaccia, pesto, and a litany of other Italian culinary delicacies. The food and cultural experiences of Finale rivaled the bike trails in making it a perfect World Class destination.




Finale Ligure has been an iconic mountain biking destination for a long time now. Originally home to some of Italy’s early downhill races in the 90s, it has since been a recurring stop on the Enduro World Series for the last several seasons. Over the initial three weeks there, WCA rode many of the EWS stages from the past 5 years. When the team shuttled, they started at Base Nato- an old, decommissioned Nato Base- a relic from the Cold War. The views from the Nato Base were incredible. Looking north one could see the snowcapped Alps. Looking south, many kilometers below one could see the town of Finale and the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea. It always felt surreal, “Are we really going to ride all the way down there?” 





The sheer amount of trails, and the variety of riding within, truly make Finale one of the best places for Enduro-style mountain biking. There are hoards of mountain bikers in Finale at this time of the year. At the trailheads, cafes, and gelaterias– bikes, helmets, and riders are sprawled out all over the place. This is the only place the team has been so far where a group of 12 bikers simply blends in with the hundreds of other traveling bikers. For a cyclist, Finale is one of the places to be.


However, World Class Academy tries to never become comfortable in one place, and in Mid-April, the team packed up and headed 4-5 hours north to Dignes-les-Baines, France. The cuisine and riding terrain here varied greatly from Finale. The focaccia was traded for baguettes and the steep tech was traded for machine-built flow. Dignes-les-Baines is home to EVO Bike Park– one of the best bike parks in all of Europe. EVO proved to be well worth the travel to get to.



What the park may lack in terms of the number of trails is more than made up for in the quality. These are well-designed, well-cared-for, high-quality trails with options for every type of rider. From fun, flow trails– to steep, technical gnar, the park had it all. The trail WCA rode the most- “Whip It” was one of the favorites of the entire school year. The jumps were sizable but perfectly built, flowing from one jump to the next, as the trails weaved their way down the mountain. “Slate Line” was another popular trail for the group- with a more technical descent that eventually popped out onto a steep, treeless ridge with black earth– or Terre Noir– that this area is known for. Lap after lap at the park almost always resulted in lots of hoots and hollers and exclamations that it was “the best lap yet!” The trails and community being created at the EVO bike park are certainly a positive force in mountain bike culture. WCA is proud to be able to be a part of such an incredible community for two weeks this school year. 






But Dignes might want to consider adopting the slogan “come for the bike park, stay for the other trails” for marketing campaigns. On the days that the bike park was closed, WCA explored Dignes’ enduro trails– which also proved to be incredible. It was a fairly long climb to the top from the campsite (about 10 miles/16 km) but the trails down were well worth it. The first trail the team would usually descend– Cretes de Saint-Jean– is likely one of the most unique trails in the world. The trail starts in a pine forest, but then suddenly breaks out onto a narrow ridge that is made of soft, black dirt. It feels akin to riding a ridge on the moon! The trail weaves in and out of the forest and onto grey, slate rock, oftentimes marked only by cairns (reminiscent of trails in the US southwest). The trail alternates from fast and flowy to steep and technical. It was a proper backcountry experience as well– far from roads or civilizations, until the end of the trail popped back out into the outskirts of Dignes.  




The combination of an outstanding bike park, alpine adventure riding, and baguettes made for an incredible lifestyle. Dignes-les-Baines is certainly a place that World Class Academy MTB will return to for years to come. 



Then the team headed back to Finale for the last week of school and Graduation. Final projects and exams were taken and the last bits of pizza and gelato were eaten. It had become time to wrap up the school year. Graduation is a special time at every World Class Academy. However, the first graduation of the MTB academy was especially so. Families traveled from far and wide to celebrate the graduation and end of the school year. Teachers gave heartwarming speeches about the students, and graduating seniors spoke about their life-changing experiences from the school year. For World Class Academy, this graduation marked the end of the first year of the MTB program. After such a successful first year, this will be the first of many years to come.





World Class Academy MTB is on the hunt for students for the 2022-23 schoolyear! We have many students enrolled already, but we are looking for a few more! The team will be traveling to British Columbia, Spain, New Zealand, and France.

For more information, check out worldclassacademy.com

Or email info@worldclassacademy.com or riley@worldclassacademy.com for more information!

If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining our team, please reach out to us!

Also, follow us on Instagram for more updates!