The North Tahoe Mountain Bike Club is gearing up for next season and will be teaming up with one of the best in the sport.

Off-road gravel and endurance pro Peter Stetina announced he will be the new title sponsor of the North Tahoe high school team for its upcoming season.

“When I was growing up I would have loved this scene so much, but it didn’t exist,” said Stetina in an Instagram post. “I had an idea this spring: What if I could help the next generation in a more direct way? Tahoe is the perfect location for the next (two) wheeled stars to hone their skills and I want to help how I can.”

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Stetina announced he will help provide some funding to the team through his Privateer program. He also said he’ll help the team with workouts, drop in on a few practices, and share tips on what he’s learned from decades of racing.

“This a huge deal for our team and a really unique situation,” said North Tahoe Coach Jessi Ernst in an email. “We’re hoping that by getting this story out it will inspire other pros to reach out and sponsor their local youth cycling programs.”

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Stetina has been a staple in the area’s biking scene, previously hosting gran fondos in Truckee. Last month he organized the mixed terrain Paydirt bike race in Carson City.

Stetina is an accomplished road cyclist, having competed 10 years on the World Tour. He’s completed all three of the Grand Tour races. The Grand Tour is Europe’s three major cycling events, and includes the Vuelta a Espana, the Tour de France, and the Giro d’Italia. In recent years he’s been racing gravel, and in 2020 set the fastest known time on the White Rim Trail in Moab, Utah.

Beginning this season, the North Tahoe Mountain Bike Club will no longer be a Tahoe Truckee Unified School District affiliated team. The club takes incoming sixth through 12th graders that go to North Tahoe High School or North Tahoe School or other North Lake schools that don’t have their own team.

For more information, visit ntmtb.weebly.com.

Justin Scacco is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jscacco@sierrasun.com