Asa
Vermette
United States
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MTB
Date of birth | January 24, 2007 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Durango, CO |
Age | 19 |
Nationality | United States |
Career start | 2023 |
Discipline | Mountainbike Downhill |
UCI Mountain Bike Junior World Champ, United States Elite national champion, a historic Red Bull Hardline UK victory, four UCI MTB Junior World Cup wins and Pro Enduro national champion are just a few of Asa Vermette's long list of accolades as a mountain bike racer.
The American has quickly proved he's one of the fastest talents in racing, and the most exciting part? The teenager is just getting started.
Falling in love with biking at a young age
His parents, both avid mountain bikers, had him on a motorbike at three years old and then a strider bike at four. "I've been riding on two wheels ever since," he reflects, not knowing anything other than a life with biking.
Growing up in Durango, Colorado – a world-renowned cycling haven – only deepened his love for riding. Asa spent most of his childhood outside, often out on moto rides, and later picked up mountain biking at the age of seven. He loved the sport immediately.
At 14, Asa tried his hand at racing and was hooked after the first event. He competed in a race at his local bike park, Purgatory Mountain, and finished third. It was the catalyst to pursue racing further.
He started racing across the West, competing in both downhill and enduro, but his first national championship title proved a turning point – it confirmed his knack for speed. At the race, he was on an enduro bike, whereas most competitors were on downhill bikes, and despite snapping his chain in the run, Asa pushed through and won the event.
Excelling as a junior
In 2024, Asa competed in his first season of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup, racing in the Junior category. "Just to be racing all the tracks I've spent years watching was one of the coolest parts about racing the World Cup," he explains.
Asa’s home bike park, Purgatory Mountain, is where he built his foundation as a rider. He argues that the terrain at his home mountain mirrors the style of World Cup tracks in Europe, which helped prepare him for this level of racing.
In his debut season, he made his mark by winning four races, including the Junior World Championship title in Andorra.
A natural all-rounder
While downhill is his primary focus, Asa doesn't like to stay confined to one kind of mountain biking. He’s competed in enduro, whip-off contests and loves hitting dirt jumps.
In 2025, he added 'freeracer' to his resume, competing in Red Bull Hardline Tasmania for the first time. Asa narrowly missed victory there, but soon went on to score a historic win at Red Bull Hardline UK in Wales, becoming the youngest-ever winner after beating Charlie Hatton by 1.681 seconds.
Kicking off his 2026 season in record-breaking fashion, Asa charged to victory at the third running of Red Bull Hardline Tasmania to become the youngest-ever two-time winner of the sport's toughest racing series.
Asa's even open to competing in Red Bull Rampage one day if the opportunity presents itself. "If there’s an extra race and we can make time to do it – it doesn’t matter what discipline it is, I'll try to fit it in," he says.
Victory on his World Cup debut
Stepping up to the Elite class of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup in 2026, Asa made the transition look easy as he overcame a line-up full of seasoned veterans to claim victory in South Korea.
de with him into his first Elite Men’s season, making history in early 2026 by winning his debut at the opening round of the UCI Downhill Cup in South Korea – all before he was legally an adult in his home country.
Reflecting on his hugely impressive victory, he said: "Watching video footage of Korea afterwards, there were sections where it was ripping, [but at the time] it felt like I was like just like cruising. It was my first time really experiencing this flow state where you just focus on what’s ahead.”
You can see Asa discuss his debut victory and much more in the video below:
One Elite World Cup season = One Elite World Cup title
At 19 years old, Vermette became only the second rider in history to win the Men’s Elite overall title in their debut season, following French legend Nicolas Vouilloz, while being the first American to win the Elite Overall Championship since Aaron Gwin in 2017.
Vermette entered the Lake Placid finale with a 96-point advantage over Jordan Williams in the overall standings. After a challenging qualifying session saw Vermette progress through Q2, the American held his nerve in the final to secure the overall Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup title after a breakthrough debut season to remember.