Who Is Jacob Downey - Clark Kent?? Software Engineer by Day, DH National Champ by Night

My name is Jacob Downey and I am a 25 year old full time Software Engineer that races enduro and downhill level at the Professional level all across the United States!

My obsession with mountain bikes started when I moved to Seattle, Washington to work for a summer. Right before leaving I realized Seattle was only 5 hours away from one of the best bike parks in the world, Whistler, so I made a last minute decision to pack my mountain bike that I only rode once or twice a year. I planned to make one weekend trip to Whistler that summer, but after that first weekend I was hooked and didn’t spend a single weekend in Seattle after.

When I moved back to Southern California my obsession only grew when I found the mountain bike racing community (Fontana, Vail Lake, Big Bear, and Bootleg). I switched from riding the same bike park every week to traveling anywhere and everywhere that had an enduro and downhill race I could enter. It was around this time my ride frequency, duration, and technicality really increased and I began improving rapidly. This led me to having one of my best racing years where I won the Cat 1 U.S. National Downhill Championship, the Cat 1 Sea Otter Downhill, and ultimately got my USA Cycling Pro License to start racing in the Pro Category.

Moving to the Pro Class in 2021 was definitely tough for the first couple years, it always felt like everyone else had just about everything more dialed and more figured out then me (hint: so many mechanical issues which led to much less practice). However, in 2023 I permanently moved to Costa Mesa, California and found a great local bike shop, Pro Bike Supply, and with it some great riding buddies! They were always able to keep my bikes running smoothly leading into the races and I started to have the extra layer of confidence which definitely helped me get my first Pro Podium (Pinkbike Article) and Secure a top 5 overall at the California Enduro Series.

In 2024 I am still racing but have shifted my focus more towards completing bigger backcountry rides and exploring all the great trails we have around us in Southern California. I still love racing, but I have found that I have a lot less stress and more overall fun when I just go out and spend a bunch of time on my bike hitting the coolest trails I can find. Throughout this year I have been completing a lot more trail work, doing lots of adventuring, and always striving to link together all my favorite downhills in a single ride.

My latest project, with the help of Pro Bike Supply, has been to start an annual Trans Santa Ana Enduro Ride / Race (@transsantaana) that takes place in the “Santa Ana” mountain range in Southern California. Most people have likely ridden “The Luge” which is part of this mountain range, but there are dozens of other great trails to be explored. 2023 was the first year of the event and we had over 20 people come out and ride some great trails. 2024 we doubled the riders and made two awesome routes (A & B length routes) that everyone had a blast on. Looking forward, community events like this are what really have me most excited about mountain biking, sharing the experience of riding great trails with others.