Chase Riggs didn’t see the massive crash coming during the 2026 Fox US Open. Thanks to the vitality of youth, the 16-year-old bounced but didn’t break. He spent several hours in the hospital, undergoing tests and x-rays before getting the all-clear to race in the men’s 15-16 divisional qualifiers for the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series the next day at Deer Valley resort in Utah
“It was definitely a challenge. I could hardly walk,” recalls Riggs of Bend. “It was pretty hard, but I liked riding my bike. That was the least painful time for me.”
In whip-offs, cyclists race downhill, gaining significant speed before hitting a large jump or drop. While catching air, they must twist their bikes to make the rear wheel swivel sideways, ideally twisting the bike so it’s perpendicular to the track they’re on, before whipping the rear tire back into line and landing straight and clean. Riders get points for hangtime, for how far they whip to the side and, of course, for style. A whip-off challenge usually occurs before the qualifiers and finals for downhill mountain-bike races.
Crashing in a whip-off isn’t typical for Riggs, who garnered international acclaim by winning the men’s 2026 North American Whip-Off Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Québec, Canada in September. Earlier this year, in March, he finished second overall at the prestigious Crankworx Rotorua 2026 Whip-Off competition in March, beating several veteran competitors at Skyline Rotorua in New Zealand.
For Riggs, crashing in the whip-off meant his whole U.S. Open weekend was in jeopardy, which in turn meant the goal he’s been chasing for several years also was in peril. Riggs turns 17 on Feb. 6, 2027. Per World-Cup racing rules, at 17, he’ll finally be able to compete against the best racers in the world. To successfully compete on the World-Cup circuit, Riggs said attracting the notice of cycling teams that will sign him is crucial. But, he says, you can’t do that from the hospital.
“I didn’t feel great, but that race was super important,” he explained. “It was one of the most important races I’ve ever done because it was at the end of the season, and next year, I can turn pro. It was really important for me to get a good result so I could show teams I’m good. When you hit my age, getting on a team is the main goal.”
He mounted up on that Saturday, and raced his way into the finals, where he finished third in the nation.
“I think there was just so much adrenaline flowing when I went into it,” Riggs recalls of his qualifying race, where he shut out the pain and focused on making the finals. “I was just trying to make it down and make it to the next day. And then when I started (in the finals), I thought, ‘This is pretty good save.’”
Indeed, it was, as Riggs finished the weekend as third in the nation in the men’s 15-16 age group, no doubt catching the eye of cycling-team managers as he prepares to immerse himself in the world of professional international racing. Fortunately, he’s had a little respite in Bend, also home to one of his sponsors, Between Evergreens. He’s been relaxing and hanging out with friends, golfing and cycling for fun. But now, he’s gearing up for several months of travel as he chases his dreams.
The Riggs family heads to Spain in early November, where they’ll remain until January, when they go to Zealand for three months before heading to Europe. Chase Riggs will be training and competing throughout those locales until July, his mom says. At that point, the family will come home to Central Oregon. Chase then heads back to Europe in August. He’s planning to race in six World-Cup events in 2027 and also in a few smaller international races. He’ll also compete in Canada and at the U.S. national championships in Big Bear, California.
Supporting Chase’s bid to get signed by a team is a family affair that includes his mom and dad, Grant Riggs, 49, a former professional motorcycle racer, and his younger brothers, twins Buck and Carson, 14. The family moved to Bend in 2017, and it was at Mt. Bachelor that Chase Riggs solidified his passion for downhill mountain biking. He entered his first race at the age of 10, at Idaho’s Tamarack Resort, finishing third. He was hooked.
However, the local and regional racing circuit is a far cry from the World-Cup level to which Riggs is ascending next year, says his mom.
“The World Cup is so competitive. It’s so different because it’s all in Europe. There’s only one race in North America,” said Katie Riggs, 47, a former TV reporter. “We’d go to these local races with him, and he’s winning his age group and we’re like, ‘Okay, maybe he’s pretty good.’ But then to put him on the world stage this coming year? It’s just so competitive.
“I went to watch my first my first World Cup race last month in Whistler, and it’s just, like, ‘Wow.’ I can’t imagine being one of those racers in the start gate. I wouldn’t even be able to breathe. There’s so many people watching, and the vibe is so high. But Chase is sitting there, and he said, ‘I can’t stand to watch this. I can’t believe I’m not racing. I just have so much FOMO. I need to be racing.’ Hopefully he gets to race World Cup. We’ll give him every opportunity to do so. He has the passion; he has the drive. He’s on an intense workout program and is so focused. As long as he pushes hard and stays healthy, he should have a good season.”
The young cyclist initially went to Seven Peaks Middle School when the family moved to Bend, but to support his burgeoning racing career, his parents enrolled him at World Class Academy, a traveling high-school academy for student athletes in biking, skiing and kayaking, among other sports. Riggs traveled to Canada, New Zealand and Scotland with the academy before transitioning to Laurel Springs School to be fully online and able to travel wherever and whenever necessary to race. He’s a junior at Laurel Springs, which his younger brothers also attend.
The decision to switch the boys into online school and travel the world was pretty easy, Katie Riggs said, explaining how she and her husband, who dated in high school and reconnected several years after graduation, have always spent every wedding anniversary taking a bike trip to a foreign destination.
“They all kind of bought into the lifestyle. We explained to them that ‘We’re in Switzerland, riding our bikes in October. Do you really want to be sitting inside of classrooms?’” Katie Riggs said. “There’s so many life lessons along the way. I mean, we travel with seven bikes, multiple bags, through multiple airports. Just the logistics are a learning lesson in itself. It’s like becoming a citizen of the world, and that’s really kind of where the learning is. There’s so many challenges for learning the language, making friends, talking to people without using Google Translate. There’s so many lessons learned along the way that we figured if we had the opportunity to give them this gift, we should.”
For Chase, that gift means he’s able to single-mindedly focus on racing the toughest downhill tracks in the world. It’s a far cry from his first race in Idaho, which he remembers fondly. It’s what sparked his passion for the sport taking him around the world.
“I remember coming into the bottom of the course, and there was a small, little jump. Looking back, there probably wasn’t that many people there, but I just saw a row of people cheering for me, and it was the best thing ever,” said Riggs, adding that he can’t wait to test himself against the best in the industry. “You never really know how good you are until you race against them directly. Anyone could win. The results will tell the story.”
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
