By Shannon Lukens. (Photo of Eva Minotto, Anna Rhodes, and Mary McLarnon courtesy Jeanne Mackowski.)
The Colorado High School Cycling League was Sunday in Frisco. Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athletes competed, with 25 racers representing Steamboat Springs High School and Steamboat Mountain School. The team took first place in their division.
Some of the top finishes were Mary McLarnon winning the girls varsity race, with Eva Minotto in second. Both girls are sophomores.
Aidan Haack took second place for varsity boys.
Ryan Montgomery was fourth for JV.
Whitney Warnke won for freshmen girls.
The Colorado League has more than 160 high schools. The Steamboat Springs Team compete in the Yampa region. The next competition is in Steamboat, Sept. 9-10. Volunteers are needed, if you can help.
Press release from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Aug. 28, 2023.
Success for Steamboat High School Mountain Bike Team in the first race of The Colorado High School Cycling League Series
Five top-three finishes for Steamboat High School Mountain Bike Team athletes and Division 2 team win
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team took home four podium finishes, and the team was 1st place in Division 2 at the first race of The Colorado High School Cycling League series on Sunday, August 27, in Frisco, Colorado. The Steamboat High School Mountain Bike Team is facilitated by the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. A total of 25 racers from Steamboat Springs High School and Steamboat Mountain School raced either one, two, or three laps of a 5.9-mile course, including a mix of singletrack, double track, and dirt roads. Mary McLarnon won the varsity girl’s race, and Eva Minotto was 2nd; both girls are sophomores in high school and race varsity. Aidan Haack was 2nd place for the varsity boys in a sprint finish to the line. In the junior varsity category, Ryan Montgomery narrowly missed the top three, coming in 4th, and Whitney Warnke won the freshman girls category.
Racing started early on Sunday, with the sophomore boys racing first at 8:15 a.m. The weather started out perfectly with sunshine and cool temperatures. The four sophomore boy racers had solid finishes: Luke Bedell was 7th, Mason Kemp was 20th, Elliot Nance was 40th, and Jackson Sloop placed 71st after a misfortunate flat tire, but he persevered, fixed the tire, and finished the race. Anna Boness raced her first high school mountain bike race and finished 20th for the sophomore girls. Next up were the varsity boys and girls – Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team’s largest category with a total of 11 riders. In addition to Haack coming in 2nd for the boys and leading for most of the race, Thomas Miller was 17th, Primo Famiglietti was 18th, Kyan Strong was 25th, Curtis Zanni was 26th, and Jace Rebesa was 28th. In the varsity girls category, in addition to McLarnon and Minotto holding the top two spots for the entire race, Wren Capra was 7th, Jesse Weaver was 16th, and Liz Lipscomb was 17th. The junior varsity boy’s race was cut short due to lightning, and scored after only the first lap. Ryan Montgomery was 4th, Ian McLarney was 19th, Samuel Thomas was 46th, Stovin Briggs was 48th, and Xavier Knott was 87th. For the freshman boys and girls, the first race of the year is always an individual time trial, and the Steamboat riders had stellar performances, with Whitney Warnke winning the freshman girls race, Allison Reznicek in 10th and freshman boys, Rowan Hanaughan was 7th, and Oscar Libin was 8th. FULL RESULTS HERE.
The next race in the series for the Yampa and Platte regions will take place in Steamboat on September 9-10 with the Steamboat High School Mountain Bike Team racing on Saturday, September 9. The Colorado High School Cycling League is looking for community volunteers to help put on the race. Areas of need include race venue and course set up on Friday, September 8, and course marshals and other opportunities on September 9 and 10 including take down and clean up. Volunteer opportunities are available HERE.
The Colorado League consists of more than 160 high schools. The 2023 race series has four regions: Yampa, Crystal, Piedra, and Platte. Steamboat Springs High School students and Steamboat Mountain School students race in the Yampa region. The Colorado League facilitates the development of interscholastic mountain bike cycling teams for grades 9 – 12. The program promotes positive youth development through interscholastic mountain biking for high school students in Colorado, southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and Spearfish, South Dakota.