Jake and Nye are a lot like other American brothers on road trips.

They defend their back-seat territory by piling up pillows, books and anything else that will keep a brother from crossing into the other’s personal space.

The difference, of course, is that these brothers, at just 11 years old and 9 years old, are tearing it up on the national competitive mountain biking circuit, and their road trip will likely last 15,000 miles this year.

“The kids are real good at what they do,” says dad, Kevin Yackle.

Kevin explains that, raising the boys in Cortez, Colorado, they just wanted to get them outdoors early. When Jake was able to master Utah’s infamous Porcupine Rim trail at the ripe age of 6, Kevin says he knew the kid had potential. It wasn’t long before younger brother Nye was wowing fellow gearheads, too.

In 2010, Jake was the national champion in his class. Nye followed up with a silver in the same class last year. This year, both Yackle brothers are favorites in their classes for July’s national competition in Sun Valley, Idaho.

But, it’s more than just race after race for the Yackle brothers, and they’re quick to point that out. Mom comes along on the race trips, as well as dad. They even bring the family dog, an Australian shepherd. And at some races, such as their May jaunt to Durango, a dozen family members turned out to lend support along the race course.

“Yeah, it’s really nice,” says Jake. “I really like having everyone there cheering us on. It gets pretty packed, but I like that everyone and our dog can come along.”
But, just so long as there’s still that brotherly border in the back seat, that is.

A boy’s got to have his space, after all.

(Photos courtesy of Yackle Brothers Racing)