NEDERLAND — The Nederland High School Mountain Bike Team started its season out strong at the Frisco Bay Invitational last weekend. Fifteen athletes competed on a new course that riders described as relentless, with nonstop pedaling and flat corners that offered little chance to recover.

Jonny Moss (far right) with a podium finish in his first boys' varsity race.

Photo Courtesy of Grace Moss

Jonny Moss had an incredible first varsity race. He started in 31st place and steadily worked his way up over the 18 grueling miles, climbing an impressive 26 places to earn his spot on the podium in fifth.

In their varsity debut, seniors Amika Begin and our team captain Madeline Perry fought hard through their first 18-mile race on the tough, unforgiving Frisco course. Perry says about the race, “A wonderful learning experience and great way to dive into the season! We really have a strong team this year and that is very inspirational.”

In another standout ride of the day, junior Rocco Steuck started deep in the field in 109th place and charged past more than 50 riders to finish 54th.

Our sophomore boys all had a great day, with the top finishers being Nathan Sibray in 13th, Tyler Begin (after an on-course crash) in 17th, Legend Teller right on his heels in 18th, and Felix Miller grabbing 24th in a competitive field of 88 riders.

Freshman Nora Shurr rode in the JV division, but with no previous races in the league, she started in 35th. She worked her way through the field and battled to an exciting sprint finish, ultimately taking second place. Junior Cody Waldron also clocked a fast race in JV girls, finishing strong in 7th place. Wyatt Dodge, our only other freshman on the team, had a great first showing in his time trial race, taking 17th out of 75 starters.

The team bonded throughout the day, cheering on their teammates all along the course, applying temporary tattoos for the Colorado Mountain League’s weekly contest (we should have won!), and celebrating together on the podium after their second-place finish in Division 2.

Team captain Maddie Perry finishes strong in Frisco.

Photo Courtesy of John Perry

A huge shout-out to our generous sponsors—Nederland Veterinary Hospital, Eldora, Justin’s, and Rudy’s—we couldn’t support this growing group of riders without them.

The team’s next race is the Showdown in the Boat in Steamboat Springs on September 13.