To continue the exciting race season, the Pagosa DUST2 high school mountain biking team attended the second race of the season in Eagle, Colo., (6,683 feet elevation) at the Haymaker Classic last Saturday.
The course consists of a 6-mile counterclockwise loop with 600 feet of elevation gain. The loop continually switches between winding uphills and crossing rough dusty fields, with fun rock rollers and bridges spread throughout. Once riders crested the last hill, they were shot into an exhilarating large slalom downhill that spectators could view from the finish line. With very hot and dusty conditions, the riders made sure to hydrate well and tried to stay cool.
DUST2 had 13 riders compete in the Eagle race.
The sophomore boys’ division started the day, racing two laps with 72 competitors. With six DUST2 riders, this was the team’s largest division. Pushing off at 8:30 a.m. with great conditions, Jackson Chaney came in first for the team in the 16th position with a time of 58 minutes. Next to finish was Van Halterman in 36th position with a time of 1:03. Shortly after Halterman, Justin Sewell rolled in at 39th position with a time of 1:03. After some mechanical difficulties, Aaron Sowle was next to come in with a time of 1:04 in 44th position. Despite mechanical difficulties at the start and a five-minute penalty, Eric Smith made up time to finish in 59th with a time of 1:11. Rounding out the sophomore boys, Heath Leentjes finished with a time of 1:19 to place 65th.
Racing at 9:55 a.m., the JV boys were next to start, with two DUST2 riders competing.
As the race wore on, it was starting to heat up, so racers tried to cool off one lap through by dumping water on themselves. Crossing the finish line first for the team was Weston Philips, junior, in 16th position with a time of 55 minutes. Philips earned 430 points for the team. James Jolley, senior, came in next for the team with a time of 1:09 with a finish of 74th out of 102 racers. Jolley gained 15 spots from his starting position in this race.
The next race was varsity girls’, racing three laps in the growing heat. DUST2’s only varsity rider, Rylie Carr, senior, started at 11:20 a.m. Carr raced three consistent laps and finished in 16th position with a time of 1:42. Carr contributed 465 points to the team.
The last races of the day, during peak heat, were the JV girls at 1 p.m. and freshman girls at 1:10 p.m., with four DUST2 racers.
Racing two laps, Adelyn Hittle, sophomore, came in third with a time of 1:02. Hittle contributed 521 points to the team. Next to cross the finish line was Sophia Alexander, sophomore, in seventh position with a time of 1:04. Alexander raced with a cast on her right wrist and earned 488 points for the team. Riding in shortly after, Kaylee Hensle, junior, came in with a time of 1:17 to place 14th. Hensle contributed 442 points to the team.
Starting 10 minutes after the JV girls, the freshman girls began their race in their first mass start. DUST2’s only freshman girl, Gianna Shaeffer, came in 10th with a time of 1:14 and added 427 points to the team.
DUST2 finished another amazing day of racing with 4,080 overall team points, placing sixth in their division. Everyone on the team had a fantastic race, even through the heat, dust, and mechanical difficulties.
All of the DUST2 riders are excited to attend the third race of the season in Colorado Springs at the Lazy B Ranch Rally on Sept. 22.
