When Garrett Willie crossed the finish line at his first mountain bike race in 2022, he didn’t yet know it would be the start of something much bigger than a personal victory. By the next year, as a Decorah High School sophomore, Garrett wasn’t just racing—he was leading. That’s when he founded the Decorah Area Mountain Bike Team, now known simply as DIRT (Decorah Iowa Racing Team).
“I’d just won a state title through the Iowa Scholastic Mountain Bike League, and teams from surrounding areas started asking if I wanted to join,” Garrett said. “But I thought, ‘Why not start something here?’”
So he did.
From One Rider to a Movement
DIRT launched in 2023 with about a dozen young riders, ranging from grades 6-12. With support from his mom, Peggy Willie, who stepped up as team manager, and early coaching help from local rider Brandon Blake, Garrett found himself balancing school, racing, and the unexpected role of team founder.