The DUST2 Pagosa Springs Bike Team was thrilled to have nine racers at the state championship race for the Colorado High School Mountain Bike League (COMTB).
The race was held at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs over two days. It holds an excellent cross-country bike course with long climbs and technical descents.
The racers attending included senior Rylie Carr; juniors Kaylee Hensle and Weston Phillips; sophomores Sophia Alexander, Van Halterman, Adelyn Hittle, Justin Sewell and Aaron Sowle; and freshman Gianna Shaeffer. Eric Smith and Jackson Chaney qualified, but were not able to compete.
The first day of racing began with cloudy skies, but ended with sunshine and provided ideal racing temperatures.
Shaeffer raced first along with 87 freshman girls, and completed two laps displaying excellent technical skill. Shaeffer placed 48th with a time of 1:12, adding 288 points to our team score.
The junior varsity boys were the next to race two laps, with Phillips representing Pagosa Springs in a group of 154 racers. In this highly competitive group, Phillips placed 81st with a time of 57:51, and added 295 points to the team. Phillips was seen being handed a pancake in the Feed Zone and finished strongly with cheers from the team.
The next race was for the junior varsity girls, a group of 113 total racing two laps. Alexander was first to finish, placing 11th with a time of 1:02 and adding 460 points to the team score. Alexander raced with a casted right wrist, and again set a new record for the highest DUST2 individual placement at the state championship race.
Next to cross the finish line was Hittle, who pushed hard and won a sprint finish with another rider. Hittle placed 14th with a time of 1:03, and added 442 points to the team score.
Hensle charged to the finish line next, also in a strong sprint finish, and placed 73rd with a time of 1:15. Hensle’s performance was 18 minutes faster than her state race last year, and she added 303 points to the team score.
The second day of racing began early for the sophomore boys, with 146 racers total racing two laps. Halterman was first to finish for DUST2, placing 115th with a time of 1:06, moving up 22 spots from his call-up position, and adding 221 points to the team score. Halterman’s finish was in a sprint with two other riders, all a second apart, making the finish line exciting to watch.
Next was Sewell, who charged across the finish line with a time of 1:07 and placed 118th. Sewell crashed on his second lap, but pulled it together to finish. Sewell added 218 points to the team, and also won a sprint finish ahead of another rider.
Sowle sprinted to the finish with a time of 1:08, placing 122nd and adding 214 points to the team score. Sowle has been battling a shoulder injury for the last half of the season, but has persevered through it.
All the boys were covered in dust, but had smiles for their families and team cheering them on.
Carr raced last for the team in the varsity girls’ division, a group totaling 54 racers racing three laps, and is DUST2 team’s first racer to compete in the varsity girls’ division at the state championships. Carr placed 52nd with a time of 1:50 and added 359 points to the team score.
The DUST2 team placed 15th among all Division 2 teams with only nine riders (team scores can include 10 riders) and with a total of 2,800 points.
Coach Janine Emmets also won the Yeti Skills Course Female Coach award on the second day of racing, a timed course meant to test a rider’s technical skills.
It was a great weekend of bike racing, fun and disco-themed dance parties.
Overall, the COMTB State Championship race was a fantastic close to a great season of bike racing for the DUST2 team — and as the cross-country mountain bike season comes to a close, the racers thank their coaches and community for their support this year.
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