Russell Finsterwald probably could have been a pretty good golfer if he'd have stuck with family tradition. His grandfather, Dow Finsterwald, is a former PGA champion and is a Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame inductee. But Russell wanted to race his mountain bike.
"Cycling took up so much time and I had so much fun doing it, I never wanted to do anything else," he said.
Good choice. Less than a year after graduating from Coronado High School, the blond-headed 19-year-old is the top ranked U23 racer in the U.S. And he's currently No. 10 among all the elite men riders.
Finsterwald is beginning his second season on the powerful Subaru/Trek team, racing alongside 10-time U.S. champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. He raced in the Pan American Mountain Bike Continental Championships last week, though he is recovering from a separated shoulder and didn't place well.
A freshman studying communications at the University of Colorado, Finsterwald will return home on Sunday to race in the Mountain States Cup series opener at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. He carved out a few minutes to field our questions.

You are the top-ranked U23 rider in the U.S. How is that working for you?
It feels good to have that going for me and reflects my consistency in races. I was surprised to be able to climb through the rankings that quickly last year being that  it was my first season racing as a U23. I don’t feel much pressure to keep that but instead I feel more pressure from myself to meet my goals for the season and win some races.

You have some cool sports history in your family. How has your family history shaped your riding career and what did you learn from your grandfather?
Having my grandfather as an icon in the golf world has definitely influenced me throughout my time racing. While the two sports are totally different there are a lot of similarities including the dedication you must show. He’s told me stories about when he was my age - working towards making it a profession - that I can relate to. Knowing that he’s been in my shoes and made it as a golf icon gives me hope that I can make it as a professional mountain biker.

Subaru/Trek is packed with talented riders. What have you learned riding with the likes of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski?
Being teammates with such accomplished athletes is one of the best parts of being on the team. Every race I go to I learn so much. Both JHK and Sam (Schultz) have raced as a U23 so hearing their stories about the ups and downs is really encouraging. JHK has pretty much accomplished everything you can think of on a mountain bike, so hearing about his experiences and what he’s learned throughout his career teaches me a lot. Sam and I spend a lot of time together since we’re always roommates at races. Sam helped me learn the ropes on a new team and he constantly passes down knowledge to me. I think we are pretty similar to each other in terms of our racing ability and experiences at the same age, so I can closely relate to a lot of what he says.

What are your racing goals for 2011?
I’m planning on 2011 being an even bigger year than last year. Last year I placed third at the U23 National Championships, but this year I’d like to step up onto the top step and take the win. This year there was big change in the World Cup and there is now a U23 field. I would like to finish in the top 10 at one those races. Coming into the season, I wanted to focus on getting good results in the Pro XCT series, but with my shoulder injury I’ve shifted my focus a bit to riding really strong at the end of the season and putting up some solid international races.

How did you get into mountain bike racing?
I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike, but I got into racing after my aunt convinced me to race the Middle School State Championships in Colorado Springs. I finished somewhere mid pack in that race but from that point on I was hooked on racing and spent every dollar I could on upgrading my bike. I rode every opportunity I had and raced the whole Mountain States Cup that next season and went on to win the overall that year.

What do you consider your best race and why?
I can’t really think of any races that standout as being my best race. I had an awesome season last year and a few of those races come to mind as being my best. I was in Germany for a few races last year with the US National team and one of our races was incredibly muddy and stacked with some of the top guys in the World Cup. The first couple laps I was riding steady in the top 25 and then the last few laps I found my second wind and moved up to 12th. I consider this one of my best races not only because of how I finished, but also because of how well I was able to ride in the mud, which is normally a weakness for me. I also consider the Colorado Springs Pro XCT one of my best races as it was my best Pro XCT to date as well as my first pro podium after finishing fifth in the time trial.

For its proximity to a mid-sized or large city, we're thinking that Colorado Springs may have the best single track trails system in the country. Do you know of any other that compares?
Colorado Springs definitely has some amazing riding. I currently live in Boulder and the trail system up here is a nightmare. There are so many user conflicts that occur and that is something we don’t have that makes Colorado Springs special. Everyone is really friendly and the trails are awesome. We have a little bit of everything which is something most cities don’t have. Palmer Park is technical, the Falcon Trail is fast and buffed out and Cheyenne Canon adds both long climbs and long downhills. I honestly don’t think anywhere else compares.

Where are you favorite places to ride in Colorado Springs?
This really depends on what type of training I have for the day, but a majority of the time I find myself in Cheyenne Canon. The long climbs are perfect for intervals and the downhills are a sweet desert at the end of a workout. In the winter, Palmer Park is one of my favorites as it seems like it doesn’t get much snow and it’s good to work on those technical skills in the winter.