By Dave Holzer
The Carbon Composite mountain bike team has performed strong in its first two races of the season ahead of their home race in Price on Sept. 17. After an impressive opening round in Manti on Aug. 20, the team was on the road at Snowbasin on Sept. 3 where the riders once again showcased their skill and endurance.
The Snowbasin course is a challenging, five-mile loop with over 650 feet of elevation gain, primarily in the first three miles, and technical rock gardens and fast downhill switchbacks throughout. Individual races ranged from five to 15 miles by category and those competing in the afternoon found themselves in over 90-degree heat despite the high mountain elevation.
Early in the day, the Junior Devo category podiums were Carbon heavy with Carson Taylor and Betty Olson securing their second wins of the season in Intermediate 8th Boys and Intermediate Girls, respectively. Malia Smith moved up from the beginner group to take fourth in Intermediate Girls this round. Michael Loveless (3rd, Beginner 7th) and Monson Loveless (2nd, Intermediate 8th) rounded out the team’s Junior Devo podium positions.
As temperatures rose, the high school riders took to the course and provided some heat of their own, earning another five podium positions, including wins from Andrew Loveless (JV B Boys) and Max McCourt (SLR). Other high school podiums included Tacoma Smith (3rd, Freshman A), James Tullis (2nd, Freshman B) and Teagan Robinson (3rd, SLR). Boyd Bradford, the team’s sole varsity rider, recently returned to action from injury and placed ninth in his first race of the season.
Individual results from Snowbasin were as follows:
Beginner 7th Grade Boys: Michael Loveless, 3rd; Caden Steele, 10th
Beginner 8th Grade Boys: Michael Weber, 8th
Beginner Girls: Maggie Madrid, 16th
Intermediate 7th Grade Boys: Spencer Hawley, 11th
Intermediate 8th Grade Boys: Carson Taylor, 1st; Monson Loveless, 2nd; Cole Arthur, 8th; Grant Sherman, 12th
Intermediate Girls: Betty Olson, 1st; Malia Smith, 4th
SLR Boys: Max McCourt, 1st; Teagan Robinson, 3rd
Freshman A Boys: Tacoma Smith, 3rd’; Garret Murray, 12th
Freshman B Boys: James Tullis, 2nd; Zander Holzer, 12th
JV A Boys: Nathan Engar, 20th
JV B Boys: Andrew Loveless, 1st; Sean Stromness, 16th; Ryu West, 22nd; Spencer Tullis, 36th
JV E Boys: Will Clark, 6th
JV B Girls: Ruth Olson, 6th
Varsity Boys: Boyd Bradford, 9th
The Carbon team returns to action in Price on Sept. 17 at the Butch Cassidy Trail, located north of 800 North from Cedar Hills Drive. Junior Devo races begin at 8 a.m. and high school races begin with varsity racing at 10 a.m. Riders will be on course throughout the day, concluding with the freshman races at 4 p.m. Spectators are welcome, come support the riders!
