The Nederland High School Mountain Bike Team rode hard at the State Championship race in Glenwood Springs this past weekend.

Amika Begin had an epic ride for her very first state championship race. During the start, she got a foot in her spokes and was knocked into the fence, breaking the fence and twisting her handlebars. She had to fix her handlebars and then finally started the race in last place (86th). She ended up passing 55 girls to get back to 31st.

Overall fitness was a determining factor in the racers’ success as the course was filled with lots of flat sections and no big descents. Our riders really found their flow when they reached the technical sections of the course, as they are used to riding the rocky trails surrounding our Nederland community.

Each rider accomplished their own personal goal and came away from the race happy and motivated for next season. Coach Alison Powers said, “State is such a great experience because you get to race against all the regions (there are four) and it challenges riders to bring their ‘A’ game, motivating them for what can be possible next year.”

Our top three finishers were Laila Waldron for Varsity girls, Amika Begin in Freshman girls, and Halle Peiffer in Sophomore girls. Overall, the Nederland team came in 11th place out of 44 Division Three teams.

The team is growing fast and they hope to advance to Division Two next year, which requires a minimum of thirteen racers. If you have any questions about joining the middle or high school teams next year contact Sean DePaula, the Athletic Director for Nederland Middle and Senior High School at sean.depaula@bvsd.org.

Great racing, Panthers, and we can’t wait for next year!