<p>Grass Valley, CA -- Nearly 500 student athletes from northern and southern California competed on the custom trails at Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley, California, as the second meeting of the NorCal and SoCal high school mountain bike racing leagues met in as many years to determine the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) California state champions.</p><p>
</p><p>
The 5.8-mile course mixed steep fire-road climbs, plenty of single track, and swoopy, well-burmed turns, as the mostly tree-covered course eventually sent riders around a quarter-mile horse track before winding through the Loma Rica Ranch, seated in the heart of Sierra Nevada Gold Country. With nearly 70 student athletes from the SoCal League mixing it up with the host NorCal League, there were several exciting finishes throughout the day, as 96 girls and 398 boys rode their hearts out for points and a shot at the California state champions jersey in all four categories: Varsity, JV, Soph and Frosh.</p><p>
</p><p>
Several bike industry VIPs attended the event, including Easton Sports Development Foundation's Jim Easton, Specialized Bicycle Components owner Mike Sinyard, plus several NICA, NorCal and SoCal board members.</p><p>
</p><p>
"Ive been involved in the SoCal League since October 2009," said Hart District head coach Paula Rogers. "My son Jesse was racing cyclo-cross and downhill, and I wanted him to keep riding his bike, so I built this team around him. He has Aspergers Syndrome. Kids like him are awesome athletes; its just that when they get off their bikes you have to have somebody there to take care of them. Next year well have four more riders with Aspergers. We're recruiting them, some from my sons Aspergers program, and were also involved with the Special Olympics in Santa Clarita because they recently lost their cycling program. Our team is certainly not just for challenged kids like these, however. We want kids of all kinds. Next year well have 30 riders from five high schools. The more kids we can get on bikes, the more theyll stay out of trouble and be healthy and green. This is the future of our sport, of the cycling industry."</p><p>
</p><p>
NorCal League director Vanessa Hauswald echoed Rogers' enthusiasm.</p><p>
</p><p>
"The State Championships is always my favorite race of the year due to the energy and enthusiasm that everyone brings to the event," Hauswald said. "I especially enjoyed watching the kids from both NorCal and SoCal line up and race together so respectfully and with such sportsmanlike behavior. I learned a lot this season and had a great time working with all the League athletes and coaches. We're already looking forward to the 2011 season!"</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Race Results</b></p><p>
<b>Varsity Boys</b></p><p>
San Rafael senior Will Curtis ended his high school racing career by winning the 23.2-mile Varsity Boy's race in 1:41:53, narrowly beating SoCal Hemet High senior Zach Valdez by two seconds after racing wheel to wheel the entire event. Tony Smith (Marin Catholic) finished third, nearly two-and-a-half minutes behind. Cody Kaiser (Trojan Composite) and Riley Predum (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Forty-six Varsity boys competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Varsity Girls</b></p><p>
Sophomore Shayna Powless (Independent) returned to her winning ways after her unbeaten streak was broken by Drake's Sophia Hamilton at Fort Ord on May 2. Powless won the 17.4-mile Varsity Girl's race in 1:32:52, while Hamilton finished 3:16 later for second on the day. Victoria Yoham (Marin Catholic), Christine Weir (Nevada Union) and Lauren Catlin (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Twenty-four Varsity girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>JV Boys</b></p><p>
In the JV Boy's Division 1 event, Berkeley High's Isaiah Rapko took top honors in 1:22:12 over the 17.4-mile course, more than a minute ahead of Redwood High's Taylor Smith and Folsom's Sam Wamhoff. Brandon Blakely (Yucaipa High) and Steven Baldock (Nevada Union) rounded out the final podium. Seventy JV boys raced the Division 1 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the JV Boy's Division 2 race, SoCal independent racer Casey Williams won the 17.4-mile event in 1:18:59, beating Tamalpais High's Spence Peterson by nearly a minute. Santa Cruz teammates Jacob Albrecht and Tobin Ortenblad finished a couple minutes later, followed by Jefferson's Brandon Dillard. Fifty-six JV boys raced the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>JV Girls</b></p><p>
Branson's Kate Courtney kept her season-long winning streak alive and well, taking the JV Girls 11.6-mile race in 1:03:40, beating runner-up Sofia Gomez-Villafane (Wildcat Racing) by more than three minutes. Emma Arata (Nevada Union), Renee Salva (Trojan Composite) and Rainee Chandler (Salinas) rounded out the final podium. Thirty-five JV girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Soph Boys</b></p><p>
In the Soph Boy's Division 1 race, Newport Beach's Alex Milewski won the 17.4-mile event in 1:28:19, beating Drake's Mitch Calder by 32 seconds. Devin Eastman (Redwood High), Steven Larson (Salinas) and John Morehouse (Casa Grande) rounded out the day's final podium. Sixty-eight Soph boys raced the Division 1 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the Soph Boy's Division 2 race, Branson's Eliel Anttila won the 17.4-mile event in 1:24:30, nearly a minute ahead of independent runner-up Cody Phillips. Bob Siegel (Tamalpais), Nick Price (Jefferson) and Charlie Cone (Novato) rounded out the final podium. Thirty-four Soph boys competed in the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Soph Girls</b></p><p>
San Ramon's Emily Lawrence won the Soph Girl's 11.6-mile race in 1:19:17, beating her teammate Kaitlyn Elvidge by a hair under three minutes. Emily Anderson-Merritt (Berkeley), Hanne Andersen (Miramonte) and Libby Caldwell (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Seventeen Soph girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Frosh Boys</b></p><p>
In the Frosh Boy's Division 1 event, Drake's Lucas Newcomb finished the 11.6-mile course in 0:58:37, nipping runner-up Jonathan Kaufman (San Rafael) at the line one second ahead. Daniel Szawarzenski (Drake), Alex Bagg (Yucaipa High) and John Newcomb (Drake) rounded out the day's podium. Sixty-five Frosh Division 1 boys raced the event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the Frosh Boy's Division 2 event, Tamalpais High's Alex Howard won the 11.6-mile event in 0:57:00, with only one second separating independent racer Ryan Stevens and Lawrence Smith (Marin Catholic) a minute later for second and third. Howard's Tamalpais teammate Skyler Taylor finished fourth, just two seconds ahead of independent racer Jack Keane. Forty-nine Frosh boys competed in the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Frosh Girls</b></p><p>
Redwood High's Josephine Nordrum won the Frosh Girl's 11.6-mile race in 1:15:37, beating independent racer and Dominique Vanden Dries by a shade over two minutes. Elizabeth Maguire (Casa Grande) finished third, while Annika Hoy (Drake) and Isabella Breen (San Rafael) rounded out the podium. Twenty Frosh girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
For co and took over the lead in the sprint competition after the downtown Bend criterium. The 50 minute criterium saw TIBCO's Jo Kiesanowski take the win over Webcor's Joelle Neumainville. Leah Kirchman (Keller-Rohrbach) rounded out the podium in 3rd.</p><p>
</p><p>
The pace was kept high throughout the race, as attacks were launched by the Team VBF women and Colavita-Baci. "The sprint competition was still wide open," said team director, Lisa Hunt. "So we decided to go for the sprints and Carla's got a great kick." Swart took 2nd place at both the Sunny King Criterium and the Tour of the Gila criterium. Swart easily won the first two intermediate sprints, but missed out on getting points on the final intermediate sprint. "It got a bit confusing as to when the final sprint was happening," said Swart. "I was keeping track of the laps they had the sprints on, and the last sprint was supposed to be lap 25. We were on lap 21 and then they said there were 3 laps to go in the race." With Swart's two sprint wins, she was able to secure the jersey. "It's still a tight competition between Megan Guarnier (TIBCO) and me, but we're going to go for the sprints tomorrow." said Swart.</p><p>
</p><p>
Despite constant attacks throughout the race, the field was all together with one lap to go. A crash on the final turn created a gap for the first 5 riders, and Brooke Miller (TIBCO) set up her teammate perfectly for the win. All of the Team Vera Bradley Foundation women finished safely and Alison Powers maintained her 4th place position on GC. "We all wanted to race aggressively, but most importantly, stay out of trouble," said Powers. "Tomorrow will be a great day for us." Tomorrow, the riders face the challenging Awbrey Butte Circuit Race -- 3 laps of a 17 mile loop that features the steep 2k climb up Archie Briggs.</p>
More...
</p><p>
The 5.8-mile course mixed steep fire-road climbs, plenty of single track, and swoopy, well-burmed turns, as the mostly tree-covered course eventually sent riders around a quarter-mile horse track before winding through the Loma Rica Ranch, seated in the heart of Sierra Nevada Gold Country. With nearly 70 student athletes from the SoCal League mixing it up with the host NorCal League, there were several exciting finishes throughout the day, as 96 girls and 398 boys rode their hearts out for points and a shot at the California state champions jersey in all four categories: Varsity, JV, Soph and Frosh.</p><p>
</p><p>
Several bike industry VIPs attended the event, including Easton Sports Development Foundation's Jim Easton, Specialized Bicycle Components owner Mike Sinyard, plus several NICA, NorCal and SoCal board members.</p><p>
</p><p>
"Ive been involved in the SoCal League since October 2009," said Hart District head coach Paula Rogers. "My son Jesse was racing cyclo-cross and downhill, and I wanted him to keep riding his bike, so I built this team around him. He has Aspergers Syndrome. Kids like him are awesome athletes; its just that when they get off their bikes you have to have somebody there to take care of them. Next year well have four more riders with Aspergers. We're recruiting them, some from my sons Aspergers program, and were also involved with the Special Olympics in Santa Clarita because they recently lost their cycling program. Our team is certainly not just for challenged kids like these, however. We want kids of all kinds. Next year well have 30 riders from five high schools. The more kids we can get on bikes, the more theyll stay out of trouble and be healthy and green. This is the future of our sport, of the cycling industry."</p><p>
</p><p>
NorCal League director Vanessa Hauswald echoed Rogers' enthusiasm.</p><p>
</p><p>
"The State Championships is always my favorite race of the year due to the energy and enthusiasm that everyone brings to the event," Hauswald said. "I especially enjoyed watching the kids from both NorCal and SoCal line up and race together so respectfully and with such sportsmanlike behavior. I learned a lot this season and had a great time working with all the League athletes and coaches. We're already looking forward to the 2011 season!"</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Race Results</b></p><p>
<b>Varsity Boys</b></p><p>
San Rafael senior Will Curtis ended his high school racing career by winning the 23.2-mile Varsity Boy's race in 1:41:53, narrowly beating SoCal Hemet High senior Zach Valdez by two seconds after racing wheel to wheel the entire event. Tony Smith (Marin Catholic) finished third, nearly two-and-a-half minutes behind. Cody Kaiser (Trojan Composite) and Riley Predum (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Forty-six Varsity boys competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Varsity Girls</b></p><p>
Sophomore Shayna Powless (Independent) returned to her winning ways after her unbeaten streak was broken by Drake's Sophia Hamilton at Fort Ord on May 2. Powless won the 17.4-mile Varsity Girl's race in 1:32:52, while Hamilton finished 3:16 later for second on the day. Victoria Yoham (Marin Catholic), Christine Weir (Nevada Union) and Lauren Catlin (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Twenty-four Varsity girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>JV Boys</b></p><p>
In the JV Boy's Division 1 event, Berkeley High's Isaiah Rapko took top honors in 1:22:12 over the 17.4-mile course, more than a minute ahead of Redwood High's Taylor Smith and Folsom's Sam Wamhoff. Brandon Blakely (Yucaipa High) and Steven Baldock (Nevada Union) rounded out the final podium. Seventy JV boys raced the Division 1 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the JV Boy's Division 2 race, SoCal independent racer Casey Williams won the 17.4-mile event in 1:18:59, beating Tamalpais High's Spence Peterson by nearly a minute. Santa Cruz teammates Jacob Albrecht and Tobin Ortenblad finished a couple minutes later, followed by Jefferson's Brandon Dillard. Fifty-six JV boys raced the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>JV Girls</b></p><p>
Branson's Kate Courtney kept her season-long winning streak alive and well, taking the JV Girls 11.6-mile race in 1:03:40, beating runner-up Sofia Gomez-Villafane (Wildcat Racing) by more than three minutes. Emma Arata (Nevada Union), Renee Salva (Trojan Composite) and Rainee Chandler (Salinas) rounded out the final podium. Thirty-five JV girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Soph Boys</b></p><p>
In the Soph Boy's Division 1 race, Newport Beach's Alex Milewski won the 17.4-mile event in 1:28:19, beating Drake's Mitch Calder by 32 seconds. Devin Eastman (Redwood High), Steven Larson (Salinas) and John Morehouse (Casa Grande) rounded out the day's final podium. Sixty-eight Soph boys raced the Division 1 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the Soph Boy's Division 2 race, Branson's Eliel Anttila won the 17.4-mile event in 1:24:30, nearly a minute ahead of independent runner-up Cody Phillips. Bob Siegel (Tamalpais), Nick Price (Jefferson) and Charlie Cone (Novato) rounded out the final podium. Thirty-four Soph boys competed in the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Soph Girls</b></p><p>
San Ramon's Emily Lawrence won the Soph Girl's 11.6-mile race in 1:19:17, beating her teammate Kaitlyn Elvidge by a hair under three minutes. Emily Anderson-Merritt (Berkeley), Hanne Andersen (Miramonte) and Libby Caldwell (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Seventeen Soph girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Frosh Boys</b></p><p>
In the Frosh Boy's Division 1 event, Drake's Lucas Newcomb finished the 11.6-mile course in 0:58:37, nipping runner-up Jonathan Kaufman (San Rafael) at the line one second ahead. Daniel Szawarzenski (Drake), Alex Bagg (Yucaipa High) and John Newcomb (Drake) rounded out the day's podium. Sixty-five Frosh Division 1 boys raced the event.</p><p>
</p><p>
In the Frosh Boy's Division 2 event, Tamalpais High's Alex Howard won the 11.6-mile event in 0:57:00, with only one second separating independent racer Ryan Stevens and Lawrence Smith (Marin Catholic) a minute later for second and third. Howard's Tamalpais teammate Skyler Taylor finished fourth, just two seconds ahead of independent racer Jack Keane. Forty-nine Frosh boys competed in the Division 2 event.</p><p>
</p><p>
<b>Frosh Girls</b></p><p>
Redwood High's Josephine Nordrum won the Frosh Girl's 11.6-mile race in 1:15:37, beating independent racer and Dominique Vanden Dries by a shade over two minutes. Elizabeth Maguire (Casa Grande) finished third, while Annika Hoy (Drake) and Isabella Breen (San Rafael) rounded out the podium. Twenty Frosh girls competed.</p><p>
</p><p>
For co and took over the lead in the sprint competition after the downtown Bend criterium. The 50 minute criterium saw TIBCO's Jo Kiesanowski take the win over Webcor's Joelle Neumainville. Leah Kirchman (Keller-Rohrbach) rounded out the podium in 3rd.</p><p>
</p><p>
The pace was kept high throughout the race, as attacks were launched by the Team VBF women and Colavita-Baci. "The sprint competition was still wide open," said team director, Lisa Hunt. "So we decided to go for the sprints and Carla's got a great kick." Swart took 2nd place at both the Sunny King Criterium and the Tour of the Gila criterium. Swart easily won the first two intermediate sprints, but missed out on getting points on the final intermediate sprint. "It got a bit confusing as to when the final sprint was happening," said Swart. "I was keeping track of the laps they had the sprints on, and the last sprint was supposed to be lap 25. We were on lap 21 and then they said there were 3 laps to go in the race." With Swart's two sprint wins, she was able to secure the jersey. "It's still a tight competition between Megan Guarnier (TIBCO) and me, but we're going to go for the sprints tomorrow." said Swart.</p><p>
</p><p>
Despite constant attacks throughout the race, the field was all together with one lap to go. A crash on the final turn created a gap for the first 5 riders, and Brooke Miller (TIBCO) set up her teammate perfectly for the win. All of the Team Vera Bradley Foundation women finished safely and Alison Powers maintained her 4th place position on GC. "We all wanted to race aggressively, but most importantly, stay out of trouble," said Powers. "Tomorrow will be a great day for us." Tomorrow, the riders face the challenging Awbrey Butte Circuit Race -- 3 laps of a 17 mile loop that features the steep 2k climb up Archie Briggs.</p>
More...