When I first put out the word to my friends and contacts in the cycling world that I was interested in profiling a mountain biker, the response was swift and decisive. I simply had to talk to two riders: Sofia Hamilton and Victoria Yoham. 

About half of the people I spoke to knew them and the other half had heard of them and wanted to hear more. What made this all so intriguing is that my friends and sources are all adults, and Sofia and Victoria are still in high school. These two young ladies have apparently made quite an impact on the cycling community and I was eager to meet them.

So a few weeks ago, I sat down with them at the Whole Athlete studio in San Anselmo, a coaching center that both girls race for in addition to their high school teams – Sofia is a senior at Drake, and Victoria a senior at Marin Catholic. It didn't take me long to see what all the fuss is about.

Across the table from me sat two of the most confident, humble, polite, and enthusiastic young women I have ever met. During our chat, I realized that what they are accomplishing on mountain bikes is just a small part of who they are and what they will accomplish in life.

Both Sofia and Victoria have been mountain biking for years and competing on their high school teams since they were freshman. In fact, Victoria is not only the sole girl on the team at Marin Catholic, she is also the team captain - not to mention one of the school's Homecoming Princesses. Sofia not only went to Junior Worlds this past year for mountain biking, she also serves as team captain at Drake, and is currently in a close race with one other student for Valedictorian.

Thinking back on it now, I am lucky these two had the time to meet with me at all. Graciously, they did, and I learned that, while accomplished, they are both still in awe and flattered that they are on so many radars.

PATCH:  How does it work that you race for both the Whole Athlete team and your high school teams?

SOFIA:  They have the same season, but they are different leagues. The high school league is much more low key - there are five races for the NorCal Mountain Biking League, one of which is State Championships, and they are more relaxed and fun. Then we keep racing longer on the national level with Whole Athlete. Those races last all summer and we travel to them.

VICTORIA:  It's a little complicated, because the coaches each want you to put their team first, so it's really where does your own priority lie? Since I dedicate so much of my fall training and all summer to national level races, I feel like for the few months that we have the high school league I need to give that my attention. Plus, I'm the captain, so I have to be there and I feel that responsibility.

PATCH: So, not only are you balancing teams, you also have academics and school life. What does a typical day look like for you when you are immersed in your training and school year?

VICTORIA:  I like a lot of rest, so I get eight to ten hours of sleep. Then, all during the school day I constantly snack – when I'm fully training I need to just keep the food coming. I get home from school around 3:30 p.m. and school is exhausting enough, but then I have to get motivated to ride. I usually get home from training around 7 p.m., then eat dinner, then about three hours every night of homework. I have a lot of AP classes, and so does Sofia, so that's a lot of work too.

SOFIA: And I like to spend time with my family, so I'm lucky if I can start my homework by 8 p.m. That's December all the way until the summer.

PATCH: OK, I am exhausted just thinking about it all. Be honest with me: with everything you've got going on, how often are you tempted to just skip the training on certain days?

SOFIA: I'd rather skip the homework! Honestly, when it is pouring rain and cold and I have intervals, it is hard, but I usually just force myself. And I know that even if I feel dead from school, I will feel better after the training, so I know it's good for me.

VICTORIA:  It usually sets in after a few months of the heavy training. It starts to get repetitive: you're cold, you're wet, and you just want to go home. But you have to remind yourself that it will all be worth it. When the racing starts it gets hard too. Every weekend you have to motivate yourself: travel to the race, do well. Then you get home late Sunday, you have to do your homework, recover, go to school, train, and then do it all the next weekend.

PATCH: How do your parents feel about all this?

SOFIA: I've always been the person that wants to do so much, squeeze it all in.

VICTORIA: Yeah, I always put the pressure on myself.

SOFIA:  I see those parents at the races, talking strategy, analyzing and telling their kids to go harder and faster. My mom just yells, "Yay!" But she is the one that has trouble sleeping the night before a race!

VICTORIA: My mom is just happy I'm out there. I put pressure on myself to do well, not her. I think I have really just found something that I love and am passionate about, and people can see that, so it makes them happy too.

PATCH: Who do you look up to in the mountain biking world?

VICTORIA: I really like Willow Koerber, because I feel she is an emotional rider like me. She seems like a really cool girl and like she tries to be a good person.

SOFIA: I feel like all the pros in the sport are so cool, because they aren't like superstars.

VICTORIA: Yeah! I feel like mountain biking isn't tainted, because it doesn't have all the media and money. People are doing it because they love it and that shows.

PATCH: It seems clear to me that both of you can take this sport as far as you are willing to go. What are your long-term goals with mountain biking?

SOFIA:  I want to keep racing in college, but I'm not really planning on going pro. I don't see myself being an athlete as my job. I wouldn't necessarily say no if the chance presented itself, but I don't know if I would still enjoy it as much if I were doing it at that level.

VICTORIA:  I want to look more into Super D and maybe go in that direction. I entered my first downhill race at Nationals last year and got fourth, so I want to work on that. Definitely I want to race in college too, but I don't see it as a career. It's a nomadic lifestyle and I really think I want to settle down and be around people. I'm a people person and I want to use my brain, so I am thinking about going into the medical field, maybe for sports injuries. But I will definitely always ride and race, at some level, for as long as I can.

PATCH: Finally, what do think about the fact that so many people, accomplished riders and racers, told me that I just had to profile you two?

VICTORIA: It's crazy – I feel so honored. We've just been doing our thing and I haven't gotten a ton of credit for it, which is fine because I do it because I love it. The fact that people out there recognize our efforts just makes me feel so good.

SOFIA: And if I can inspire the younger riders, that is just the coolest.