Mountain biking: Kentfield’s Marotto looks to build off big win at Leadville 100
The trails of Mount Tamalpais have treated Matthew Marotto to a life of opportunity and pain.
The 18-year-old from Kentfield has ridden up Marin County’s Sleeping Lady at least 300 times over the past few years to attain championship form for high school, national, and international mountain biking races.
“One of my favorite things to do is essentially ride my bike up and down Mt. Tam in as many different ways as possible,” says Marotto. “I’ve found a lot of different ways to make it a bit more painful.”
In his latest grueling endeavor, Marotto won his age group at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Colorado on Aug. 10. The legendary 105-mile race features a peak elevation of 12,600 feet with 12,000 feet of elevation gain amid the majestic Rockies.
Marotto completed the course in 6 hours, 42 minutes, marking a 31-minute improvement from the previous year. He also finished 30th overall in a field that included pros from throughout the world.
“Last year was more like a seven-hour survival class,” says Marotto. “This year it felt much more like an actual race — one with tactics — not just how do I get to the finish line. To be able to put together a good race this year meant a lot to me.”
High school champ
The 2024 Redwood High graduate has dominated high school mountain biking for the past two years. He won the 2023 NorCal Interscholastic Cycling League championship and helped Redwood claim the Division I coed title this year at Six Sigma Winery in Lower Lake. (The Giants’ Scout Wellmeier was first in the varsity girls race; Marotto was leading the boys race when his chain broke and still managed to take fourth.)
Even though high school races are only 20 miles, Marotto says they’ve been critical in helping him prepare for endurance events such as the Leadville 100.
“It is another skill to be able to win races,” says Marotto. “You don’t get to practice winning often. Learning how to win races and control a race is something that comes with more racing.”
Marotto comes from a family of champs. His younger sister, Jordan, won the MCAL tennis singles title last fall and helped Redwood capture league and North Coast Section team championships. His mom, Dana, was the No. 1 singles player for San Marin for four years and led the Mustangs to their only MCAL girls team title.
He confesses that he never liked any racket sports and was only slightly interested in mountain biking before COVID-19. His early rides were short, weekend jaunts on an entry-level bike with his dad, Dan.
New bikes, new training
As Marotto’s interest and potential were quickly revealed, he began to update his equipment and training regimen. During hard training weeks, Marotto rides between 300 and 400 miles and 20-25 hours.
His notoriety as an up-and-coming star helped him receive an invitation to the Waite Endurance developmental team based in Colorado. With virtual individualized coaching from Kathy and Cody Waite, Marotto has taken his training to an optimum level.
“His dedication and diligence to his cycling training are unparalleled,” says Kathy Waite. “He is naturally gifted as a cyclist and his commitment to all the details accelerates his success.”
Waite says Marotto’s ability to identify his strengths and weaknesses, and then strategically maximize both, has set him apart from his peers.
“I believe he will have a long and successful career in the endurance cycling world,” says Waite.
Next stop Dartmouth
Next month Marotto will leave Marin to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.
Dartmouth’s mountain biking and cycling teams are quite active and should be able to help Marotto keep the wheels spinning. He has his sights set on the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in October at Ride Rock Creek in North Carolina.
“He would be an awesome addition to the team based on his resume and experience,” says Dartmouth team manager Marcus Walker. “Dartmouth also has a cycling team that Matthew might be interested in as well.”
Marotto doesn’t expect to declare a major until next year but is interested in studying economics, statistics and history.
For an endurance-oriented rider like Marotto, the two-hour college races are still kind of short but at least longer than the 90-minute high school races. Even the Olympics aren’t long enough for Marotto since the Summer Games was won in less than 90 minutes. Marotto says the Olympics are probably out of the picture for him unless a marathon-type event is added.
Ride on!
It’s a safe bet Marotto will get in a few exhausting rides up and down Mt. Tam before he heads to New England.
His favorite trail is Eldridge Grade, and he’ll probably add bonus mileage like a descent to Muir Beach, then a climb up Deer Park Fire Road, connecting back to Eldridge Grade before looping around to Mill Valley and then up Railroad Grade.
Growing up in the birthplace of mountain biking, Marotto embraces all that Marin’s trails have taught him.
“That’s one of the big things I’ve taken away from racing the past few years — that I’m extremely fortunate to have been raised here my entire life and have the opportunities to get outside and ride my bike for quite a number of hours a week. It’s a massive advantage that I don’t want to waste.”