The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.
With more than a month of focused training behind them, most of our HS and MS racers had some specific goals and race strategies in mind for their laps around the up/down/up/down 3-mile loop, repeated 2-4 times depending on the category. However - and no suprise - the high temperatures on race weekend made racing more of a game of smart survival, pacing and heat management and most goals were quickly forgotten in the atmospheric conditions.
Senior Charlie Blau started strong in his JV1 category but a slide-out crash re-injuring his hand cost him time and control, and was forced to finish a lap early after not being able to brake or shift with his right hand. Luckily, sophomore Allen Chen was right with Charlie and was able to finish 4 hard-fought laps in 82 minutes, finishing 41st. In the JV1 girls race, sophomore Elsa Absi knew a tough race was in store, finishing 3 laps in 69 minutes in 12th place, but improving on her lap times from last year and staying consistently-paced. Chen claimed the team's fastest lap of the day at 19:07 and Absi with a 22:05.
Sophomore Claire Dehner and Junior Adeline Miller were some highlights for the team in the JV2 race, with Dehner dropping multiple minutes compared to last year and finishing just seconds off the podium in 6th place, finishing 3 laps in 73 minutes, with Miller finishing a few riders back in 9th place.
Junior Aidan Harris and sophomore Charlie McNulty raced JV2 and Junior Basil Broemel in JV3. Aidan put in an amazing start effort, passing many riders in the first half-mile grass starting stretch and riding super consistently on the trails, finishing 3 laps in 64 minutes in 19th place. McNulty also dug deep and was almost able to stay on Harris' wheel, finishing 21st in 66 minutes. Basil Broemel suffered a dusty slide out crash in the first 1/4 mile of trail, which rattled him enough to play it smart and just finish a single lap.
Sophomores Brianna Castro and Clio Cherry-Pulay also pulled out all the stops, each improving on last year's race times by several minutes. Castro had a fall that required a quick front wheel quick release mechanical fix to get her back on track. They finished back to back in 16th/17th place in 53 and 56 minutes for 2 laps.
In the Middle School races, BMX crossover rider Emmett Cheney faced a very competitive 8th grade boys category, but managed a sub-21 minute first lap and finished 2 in 44 minutes, finishing 35th. 7th grader Sarah Absi had a challenging single lap race finishing 12th, and 7th grade boys Mateus Byndloss and Julian Schuetz Sevin were each able to ride 2 laps, with Byndloss claiming 29th place in 49 minutes and Julian a few spots back in 35th at 52 minutes.
Overall for the race, our small but mighty MS squad finished in 6th place out of 19 Division 2 teams for the race, moving into 8th out of 20 teams overall after 2 races. The HS team finished in 7th out of 9 teams in Division 1 based on the individual point totals below, and remains 7th out of 10 teams overall for the season.
Individually for the season as we look at the top 20 places overall in their categories after 2 races: Dehner sits in 6th place with Miller in 8th, Harris in 16th and McNulty in 20th. Absi the elder is placed 11th and Absi the younger 12th, and Castro/Cherry-Pulay side by side at 14th/15th.
We invite all Tiger mountain bike fans to join us at Lock 4 trails on September 27th for our 3rd race of the season. These trails are the closest we get to Nashville all season long, situated just outside of Gallatin on a lake peninsula, and we are all hoping for a true fair and fall weather day for some mid-season competition.
Full individual and team stats and times can be found at:
https://my.raceresult.com/422624/results
| 1 |
402 |
CLAIRE DEHNER |
Female |
JV2 Girls |
456 |
|
| 2 |
101 |
ELSA ABSI |
Female |
JV1 Girls |
454 |
|
| 3 |
401 |
ADELINE MILLER |
Female |
JV2 Girls |
434 |
|
| 4 |
729 |
BRIANNA CASTRO |
Female |
JV3 Girls |
390 |
|
| 5 |
709 |
CLIO CHERRY-PULAY |
Female |
JV3 Girls |
385 |
|
| 6 |
501 |
AIDAN HARRIS |
Male |
JV2 Boys |
375 |
|
| 7 |
526 |
CHARLIE MCNULTY |
Male |
JV2 Boys |
365 |
|
| 8 |
253 |
ALLEN CHEN |
Male |
JV1 Boys |
340 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3199
Total Points for USN - HS Div. 2
|
|