Young Alumni Spotlight

Alex Takoudes ’20 excels in collegiate mountain biking thanks to wheels that began turning in Lakeville.

Read the Fall 2024/Winter 2025 Hotchkiss Magazine

By Hannah Van Sickle

A week into prep fall, when Alex Takoudes ’20 bailed on thirds soccer to join the burgeoning mountain biking team, he dropped onto a track that would shape the trajectory of his future.

He was traversing new terrain and found a community with his teammates during meals in the Dining Hall. These connections were instrumental in helping him find his place at Hotchkiss and beyond. This October, he capped his college career with a win at the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference MTB Championships—a goal he set freshman year as a B racer getting lapped by A riders.

Takoudes attributes his love of cycling to his mother, Tamara, an accomplished triathlete, who had him on two wheels from an early age. He credits experiential learning in a stunning rural setting with inspiring his love of outdoor education. Before becoming a Hotchkiss student, he spent four weeks studying environmental science in the Hotchkiss Summer Portals Program. After that, he knew he would follow in the footsteps of his father, George Takoudes ’87, P’20,’22.

Once enrolled, courses with Science Department Head Christopher Oostenink P’17,’20, including environmental science and stream ecology, solidified his affinity for the field. In fact, he received the Van Santvoord ’08 Environmental Prize during his senior year in recognition of his demonstrated concern, aptitude, and accomplishment in studying the natural environment and humankind’s relation to it.

“A shift in location and mentality, coupled with being fully independent for the first time, really brought out my leadership skills,” recalls Takoudes. As a lower mid, he enjoyed biking while modeling a progression of skills for an influx of new riders. Takoudes was named captain of the mountain biking team the following year, which was the team’s first as an officially recognized varsity sport.

“Mountain biking quickly became all I wanted to do,” says Takoudes. He thanks Head Coach Michael Fitzgerald for helping him fine-tune the technical skills that were essential to his experience.

“Alex was instrumental in expanding our program and in setting the stage for the success we see in our league today,” says Fitzgerald of the strong, highly skilled rider who competed fiercely in races and modeled what a team leader could be. “Alex’s enthusiasm was infectious, and he was always ready to help even the most inexperienced riders learn new skills, encourage them through tough training sessions, and fully embody what it means to love the sport.”

Following graduation, Takoudes took his passion for environmental science and mountain biking to Middlebury College in Vermont.

“The well-rounded experience I got at Hotchkiss prepared me to excel in college, where I arrived talking, writing, and contributing differently from many of my peers,” says Takoudes, who credits his time spent in Lakeville with making him a deep thinker. Outside of the classroom, he has served as past president and current advisor of student-run Middlebury Club Cycling and sits on the board of the Addison County Bike Club.

“The one community I consistently come back to is the mountain biking community,” says Takoudes. At Middlebury, he has given back to the nonprofit organization responsible for maintaining the trails where he and his teammates train while connecting with an inspiring web of local Vermonters. He compares it to taking a victory lap.

Takoudes ended up at this year’s championship race quite by accident. With nationals slated for the following weekend in the mountains of Asheville, NC, the original plan was to sit this race out. When Hurricane Helene hit, washing away the intended course and postponing the season-culminating race, Takoudes had a change of heart and headed to the championship in Pennsylvania.

“I showed up at that race feeling great, easily in the best shape of my life,” Takoudes says. He trailed the leader for most of the 90-minute race. After pre-riding the course, his strategy was simple: don’t crash and don’t pop a tire (the Keystone State is notorious for sharp rocks). On lap four of six, his closest competitor did just that while Takoudes pedaled to victory—a whopping 4:57 ahead of the second-place finisher. In November, Takoudes and his team traveled to Bentonville, AR for nationals. He then enjoyed a three-week break, bike-free.

“We call it rest, reflect, and reset,” Takoudes said. He hiked with friends and enjoyed the last of the fall foliage. It’s a fitting end to his college athletic career. In February, Takoudes will complete his B.A. in earth and climate sciences at Middlebury. His sister Elizabeth Takoudes ’22 is not far behind. She attends Colby College, where she plays field hockey and majors in environmental policy.

“Getting skills coaching from Mr. Fitz changed my whole attitude about mountain biking,” says Takoudes, whose early frustration at not knowing how to properly maintain his first “real” mountain bike turned to pure joy under Fitzgerald’s supervision.

Both on and off his bike, Takoudes has grown to thrive in his community—a root he traces back to Hotchkiss. Looking ahead, his sights are set on bigger things than winning bike races (although that’s not out of the question).

“The goal is to continue being a pillar of whatever community I join next because, in the end, making genuine connections with others is what keeps me going.”