Attendance was up for round two of the budding SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League’s 2009 race series, despite a wintry Sunday March 22. The event took place on the windswept high-desert setting of Warner Springs Ranch, 40 miles east of Temecula, California.
This year’s rain fall had given the rolling hills an emerald green hue, but rain falling in sheets on the day, driven by 20 mph winds, added to the day’s discomfort. The course featured multiple challenges, such as rocks and thickets of prickly pears that punctuated 4.5-mile course. Some riders said was improved by the rain. “It was a very fast course, lots of sprinting,” said Varsity Boys winner Zachary Valdez (Hemet, CA).
A solo rider traverses the dramatic landscape under stormy skies. “This was mountain biking at its finest,” said Quintin Easton, president of the SoCal League. “We’re 40 miles east of Temecula, but after word went around about the first round of the series we still had a 15% increase in rider numbers here – most notably in the girls fields, where we saw double the number over Round One. This is real mountain biking, not an indoor spin class. The weather didn’t stop anybody.”
The SoCal series is funded primarily by the Easton Sports Development Foundation. With two rounds of this four-race series remaining, there is much still to race for, and Easton knows of other teams that will be joining the league. “I had a call from a teacher in San Diego that is putting in a team, and there are riders I know of who just couldn’t make it to this round… and there are probably several schools that have yet to hear about us – SoCal is a big area, it takes time to get the word around. But so far we’re doing really well and all the parents and kids seem delighted.” he said.
Young riders from over 20 high schools and several independent riders competed on Sunday in Fresh/Soph, Junior Varsity, and Varsity categories.
Probably the most remarkable of all was the experience of riding alongside a herd of horses that were kept on this large property. Approximately 40 horses, clearly excited by all the race action, ran alongside the riders while the race was in progress. “At one point in the race, they were running at a full gallop only 20 yards from us,” said Frosh/Soph rider Ricky Riedl of the Palos Verdes composite team.
Leaders of all three girl divisions at the line. Teams
Thanks to a very strong Junior Varsity girl’s team, Hemet High School won the day with 1,556 points. Not far behind was the Newport Beach composite team with 1,507 to take second place. However, Newport still leads the series with 3,004 points to Hemet’s 2,571. Yucaipa High School now lies third with 2,457 points. The top three results drawn from both genders (one boy and two girls, or two boys and one girl) are used to calculate the team results at each round.
Varsity racer Zachary Valdez (Hemet) had an outstanding race in the harsh elements and took the win.Varsity Boys
Garrett Garcia (Independent) led the race in the opening mile or so, but took a header over the handlebars on a descent and was unable to get back to the leaders. He finished third, behind winner Zachary Valdez. “Garrett crashed right in front of me. I slowed to ask if he was OK, and he was, so I went on,” explained Valdez. Eric Landman (Independent) took the lead, but after drafting him for a couple of miles, Valdez attacked on the climb leading back to the start/finish area and just extended his lead all the way to the finish. The finishing time for Valdez in this four-lap race was 1:21:36, five minutes and thirty-eight seconds ahead of Landman, with Garcia coming in third, six minutes thirty-six seconds back. This result sees Garcia and Valdez tied for the series lead on 1071 points, with Landman close behind on 1070.
Nicolas Avellaneda (Independent) found his form today in the JV race. JV Boys
Colombian rider Nicolas Avellaneda (Independent) delivered on the promise he showed in round one (where a twisted chain on the first lap cost him several places), taking his second win in four races on US soil. His family moved to the USA in July 2008. With a long downhill from the start, Avellaneda waited only until the course started climbing and then attacked. “I broke away on the middle on the climb, then went very hard on the downhill and the flat,” he said. For the remainder of the three-lap race he was on his own.
The JV Boys galloping across the open space on their first lap. Series leader Quint Berkemeier (Rim High) retained his leader’s jersey, despite finishing third on Sunday behind Tucker Trotter (Yucaipa). His lead is now down to one point. Avellaneda is sixty points back, and thinks that the series win could be within his reach. “It will be hard to win the league, but not impossible. If I have no mechanical problems or injuries, I could do it.” Avellaneda fits in an hour of training most days after school, before heading to work as a cashier at Taco Bell.
Quint Berkmeier (JV, Rim of the World) in a tight race with Tucker Trotter (Yucaipa). Frosh/Soph Boys
Another intense battle played out in the Frosh/Soph category, and mechanical problems played a part in the outcome. Series leader Ricky Riedl took the lead when Peter Morris (Newport Beach Composite) slipped a pedal at the start. These two were accompanied by Brady Kiss (Yucaipa) in a small group that got away on Lap One. About two miles into this two-lap race, on a technical rocky climb, Riedl says his rear wheel fell out. “I must’ve caught the quick release on one of the downhill sections,” he explained. He estimates he lost more than a minute getting it back in, during which time around a dozen riders went past. Meanwhile Morris and Kiss took their opportunity and flew. Morris kept the pressure on and Kiss never got past him. “I plan to ride well and be well prepared for the rest of the series. At Round One I didn’t eat much in the morning and that could have affected my performance. Also, I dropped my chain and maybe pushed too hard on the first lap,” said Morris who is eyeing the series title. With 990 points he now has a nine-point lead over Riedl, with Kiss in third with 962.
Tiana Row (Varsity, independent) navigates a rocky section. Varsity Girls
Once again, Tiana Row (Independent) was the sole Varsity competitor, but she had some company from the JV and Frosh/Soph girls for part of the race, and towards the end of the first lap felt the presence of the talented Frosh/Soph rider Leila Carrillo (Newport Beach Composite). “The key moment was when (Leila) was behind me, and I pushed myself harder on the second lap,” she reported. As for racing in the SoCal league, Row said “It’s good, I like it. I can’t wait till next year, too!”
JV Girls
Amanda Duarte (Independent) once again dominated the JV Girls race, finishing more than 10 minutes clear of second-placed Jasce Goldsmith (Hemet). “From the start, I wanted to keep the other two girls (Row and Carrillo) in sight. Towards the end of the first lap “I lost sight of (Carrillo) when I stopped to clear some mud from my tire.” Duarte, who says she was inspired to focus on cycling by meeting Greg LeMond at the age of eight, comes from a family of keen cyclists. Six years ago her mother started a successful road cycling program for kids in San Diego County. Kelsey Johnson (Hemet) took third place. The strong presence of female riders in the Hemet team gave them sufficient points to take the lead in the team competition. Duarte hopes that even more riders will enter this category. “I can’t wait for some more ladies to start racing,” she said with a smile.
Leila Carrillo (Fresh/Soph, Newport Beach) toughs out the first lap. Frosh/Soph Girls
The talented Leila Carrillo (Newport Beach) once again outpaced all other girls except the sole Varsity rider, Tiana Row. “It was fun, it went fast. There were lots of new chicks out there, and good job to them! It was really cold and windy, but they sucked it up and they raced,” she said, adding, “I wish we’d raced three laps, but by the end of the second lap it was raining harder, it would’ve been a dreadful last lap!” Rachael Somerville (Newport Beach composite) took second place, with Marquel Vargas (Warner) third. Carrillo says the SoCal series suits her just fine. “I’m having a blast! Now I’m getting out more on the bike, it’s fun to meet new people.”
The SoCal racing program:
March 8, Vail Lake Challenge, Vail Lake Resort, Temecula, California
March 22, Warner Ranch Roundup, Warner Springs, California
April 5, Arrowhead Challenge, Lake Arrowhead, California
May 17, Cow Pie Invitational, Santa Ynez, California
www.socaldirt.org
About the Southern California Interscholastic Cycling League
The SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League was organized to provide a well-defined race season for junior racers and to promote the formation of teams at public and private high schools. With the cooperation of local race promoters and our sponsors, the League organizes a first class series of races designed for high school aged riders. The League is working to make high school racing the easiest way for juniors to get involved in the challenging and exciting world of competitive cycling. The SoCal League was founded with a generous grant from the Easton Sports Development Foundation II (ESDF II) and is supported by other generous sponsors such as founding national sponsor Specialized Bicycle Components, results cranked out by Shimano, Bike Magazine, CLIF Bar, Crank Brothers, Hincapie Sportswear, Tifosi, Trek, and WTB. For more information on the League, contact Quintin Easton at quintin@socaldirt.org and 949.285.0316 Website: http://www.socaldirt.org
posted by Ryan Cleek