Mountain Bike Team Does Well at Provincials

Mountain bike racers from Salmon Arm Secondary, Jackson, and Shuswap took on a challenging technical course at the B.C. High School Provincial Mountain Bike Championships in Squamish on May 23-24.

Due to the popularity of the event, each race section was capped at about 400 riders. They took on a challenging course which featured technical terrain, steep sections, wet coastal roots, and some slab rocks with unofficial results showing local senior girls’ riders, Teagan Currie and Aida Mills finishing in the top three of the enduro and cross country, respectively.

Unfortunately, timing issues at the event affected some of the enduro and cross country races. Therefore, all results are still listed as unofficial.

Coach Chris Stromgren commented that the trip was successful, and he was proud of his team for successfully taking on and completing the challenging course. He also thanked all the parent volunteers who helped make the season and trip possible. “I would like to thank all my wonderful assistant coaches for their efforts this season: Dave Major, Kyla Sherman, Mike Jamieson, Dave van Bergeyk, Steve Williams, and Richard Millard.”

Because of the cap on racers, many of the local mountain bike team were unable to race. However, some of them and their families travelled to Squamish to camp and support their fellow racers.

Enduro
In the Enduro section of the championships, riders are only timed during three downhill sections of the race. The timed portions are mostly downhill but can vary in steepness, length, and difficulty depending on location. Between each stage, there are untimed “transfer stages” that are mostly uphill; however, there is an overall time limit in which the rider must finish the whole course.

In the bantam boys’ category, Dusty Pukas of Shuswap Middle School competed. In the junior boys’ category, Walter Buller, Mattias Vandergrift, and Keegan Millard took part. In the senior boys’ category, Max Calkins finished 14th, Coen Gill was 21st, followed by Jon Breugem and Ben Milne.

In the senior girls’ event, Teagan Currie was 3rd, and Aida Mills was 10th, with Jayda Meerta and Peyton Major also participating. In the junior girls’ event, riders included Autumn Saville, Brooke Inglis, and Bethany Henrie.

Cross-country
During the cross-country race, riders take part in a mass start and complete the entire 14 km loop as quickly as possible. The final placings for cross-country riders are not yet known, however, Aida Mills finished second in senior girls’ category, and Toryn Sherman finished around 16th in the senior boys’ race. In the senior boys’ category Ian van Bergyk, Jesper Stromgren, and Lucas Hansen also competed. In the junior boys’ event, racers included Dreysen Sherman, Reef Paetsch, and Oliver Broadwell.

In the senior girls’ category, Aida Mills finished second, with Teagan Currie, Jayda Meerta and Peyton Major also participating. In the junior girls’ event, riders included Autumn Saville, Brooke Inglis, and Bethany Henrie.