To end an exciting and fantastic regular season for the Pagosa Springs DUST2 mountain bike team, the team attended its fourth race of the year in Fruita, Colo. (5,073 feet) last Saturday.
This was the first time that the Colorado High School Cycling League used the North Fruita Desert Classic course for a race venue, and all of the riders were excited to ride something new.
Starting and finishing in the campground of 18 Road, north of Fruita, many parts of the course were visible for spectators to view riders throughout races. The course started on a gravel road and quickly funneled into a windy singletrack with fun rollers and berms. Punchy uphills were spread throughout the 5.9-mile loop, adding up to 335 feet of climbing per lap.
With dusty conditions, the racers made sure to maintain control and strategize in order to maximize their energy. The temperatures reached the high 80s on Saturday, so the riders also made sure to hydrate really well, stay out of the sun as much as possible and soak themselves with cold water before, during and after their races to stay cool.
Thirteen DUST2 riders raced last weekend.
Thrilled to race first in the coolest part of the day, the JV girls, totaling 23 participants, started off the day of racing at 8:30 a.m., with three DUST2 racers.
Racing two laps in the smoke and dust, Adelyn Hittle (sophomore) raced through the finish first for the team with a time of 55:02. Placing third in the JV girls category, Hittle contributed 521 points to the team score. Sophia Alexander (sophomore) charged across the finish line shortly after in fourth with a time of 55:22. Alexander raced with a cast on her right wrist and added 512 points to the team. Kaylee Hensle (junior) sprinted in next for the team in 16th position with a time of 1:04:40 and contributed 430 points to the team.
The freshmen girls started 10 minutes after the JV girls at 8:40 with 23 total participants. DUST2’s lone racer in this category, Gianna Shaeffer, raced across the finish line with a time of 1:02:48, and placed 10th. Shaeffer added another 427 points to the team total.
In between races, the Colorado High School Cycling League honored all of the seniors racing with a senior sendoff in the middle of the venue. DUST2 honored the two seniors present: Rylie Carr, considered a legacy rider for racing all four years of high school, and James Jolley.
The next category to roll out were the sophomore boys at 11:20 a.m., with DUST2’s largest representation of six riders.
Racing two laps in the increasing heat, Eric Smith finished first for the team in 21st with a time of 53:47 (365 points). Next to come in was Aaron Sowle in 30th position with a time of 55:56 (329 points). Sowle is recovering from a shoulder injury. Racing in shortly after was Justin Sewell in 34th position with a time of 56:33 (317 points). Van Halterman took 35th right after Sewell with a time of 56:45 (314 points). With a hard push, Heath Leentjes came in 59th position, timing 1:04:43 (277 points). Jackson Chaney pulled himself from the race after one lap because of an injury, but continued to support the team the whole day. There were 66 riders in the sophomore boys’ category.
With conditions increasingly becoming warmer and more dusty, JV boys started next at 12:45 p.m.
DUST2 had two racers in this category of 96 participants. Also racing two laps, Weston Phillips (junior) finished first for the team, placing 18th with a time of 51:05, even with a shin injury. He added 420 points to the team total. Jolley finished his last race of high school strongly in 67th position with a time of 58:54. Jolley added 309 points to the team.
The last and hottest race of the day was the varsity girls’ category. Racing at 2:10 with three dusty laps, Carr came in 11th position with a time of 1:25:22. Carr is the team’s only varsity rider and was awarded the slingshot award for her performance at this race. This means that Carr increased her placement from the last race more than any other girl at the race. Carr increased seven spots from her previous placement.
With it being the last race of the regular season, and the racer’s last chance to qualify for state, everyone raced hard and did their best, with fantastic results.
Also, since it was the last race, regional awards were presented for the season. Hittle placed third overall for the season in the JV girls’ category.
The team ended the day with 4,130 points, placing sixth in Division 2 for the day and fifth overall for the season.
All of the team is thrilled to compete at state in Glenwood Springs on Oct. 19-20.
