Shop Friends: Dan English

Features

February 20, 2025

Dan English is a Bay Area-based cross country mountain bike racer, currently signed to Trinity Racing’s Under 23 development team. He’s harbored a passion for bike racing since he was five years old, and has been steadily making his mark in the sport leading to a breakout season in 2022. He’s been a friend of the shop for the past couple years, and has a nice collection of ILE bags that he travels the world with.

We recently caught up with Dan before he hit the road for a full slate of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races this season. Check out our interview below to learn more about Dan and how he utilizes his ILE bags:

Dan, tell us a bit about yourself, what you do for a living, and your interests outside of work.

My name is Dan English, I am 19 years old, and I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I am a cross country mountain bike racer, currently signed to Trinity Racing which is an Under 23 development team based in Girona, Spain.

Mountain biking is not quite a hobby and not quite a “job” yet either, although I do spend almost enough time doing bike stuff every week to make it full time. When I am not training for cycling, I am a student at Diablo Valley College, a bike mechanic at Castro Valley Cyclery, and a photographer when there is something cool in front of me.

Although a lot of the training I do can feel like work, I really enjoy the process of training for a season of racing and I make sure to mix in plenty of fun rides and jump sessions to keep the vibes high at all times!

How did you get started in bike racing? What has your journey been like leading up to this point?

I started going to local Bay Area cyclocross races with my dad when I was around five years old. I have always loved the atmosphere at bike races and the incredible sensations that racing brings. I transitioned from a cyclocross focus to more time on the mountain bike after having a breakout season in 2022. Since then, I have been primarily targeting UCI mountain bike races.

What's on the radar for this upcoming season?

This season I will be targeting all ten stops of the cross country UCI Mountain Bike World Cup with races in nine different countries. 2025 is my second of four years racing in the U23 age category. Last year was incredibly difficult as I was on the young side of the age group. The learning curve is sharp in World Cup racing and I am super excited to make improvements and put up a stronger fight this year.

Aside from the World Cup, I will be targeting the National and World Mountain Bike Championships this summer along with a few lower class UCI mountain bike races. With all this racing, I will be spending plenty of time training in both the United States and Europe which I am super excited for.

What ILE pieces are you carrying? How do they complement your daily life?

My current lineup of ILE bags includes the Race Day Bag, Apex Mini, Arid Duffle 52L, and Tool Roll. I have had my Apex Mini and Tool Roll for two years now, and they come with me to every race. Although I do have a mechanic at most races, I like to travel with my own set of tools in the Tool Roll just for safe measure. My Apex Mini is bright orange VX25 XPAC and everyone is always asking about it. It is super small and simple, perfect for taking around town or out for the day!

When I travel I always use my Race Day Bag and Arid Duffle, which I have had for just over a year. The Race Day has been a great carry-on––I throw in all my school work, camera gear, and random stuff that I might need for months of travel. The Arid Duffle 52L has been to countless countries and has been thrown around by airport staff in rain and shine. I pack all my clothes for months of travel and I pretty much live out of it for most of the season!