By Amy Jespersen
The Carbon Mountain Bike Team had an eventful and successful outing at the final region race of the season, held on the challenging Eagle Mountain course last Saturday. The 5.87-mile course, with 548 feet of elevation gain, tested the endurance and skills of all riders.
The day began with the Varsity Boys tackling four laps. Tacoma Smith continued his strong form, securing 2nd place once again. The real drama unfolded as Andrew Loveless closed a 1.5-minute gap in the final lap, overtaking rival Carter Manwarring in a thrilling sprint finish, winning by just 0.6 seconds. Garrett Murray also had a solid performance, finishing 13th after four grueling laps.
The JVA Boys followed, with Monson Loveless holding steady to claim 4th place. The course’s dusty and rocky terrain caused several issues for the team, including flat tires, breathing challenges, and crashes.
In the JVC Boys race, there were some shake-ups on the podium. Cole Arthur achieved a major milestone by taking 3rd place, his first-ever podium finish. Ryker Christensen faced a tough race, dropping a few spots to 11th, closely followed by Dresden Miller in 12th. However, Grant Mathis maintained his winning streak, securing another 1st place finish in JVC Boys.
The JVC Girls also had strong showings, with Brynlee Tullis taking 9th, Briella Hatch finishing 10th, and Bailee Christensen placing 19th. All three riders have now qualified for the state championship.
In the Girls Single Lap Rider category, Madison Clark finished in 15th place. Tyler Dalpaiz continued his impressive run, finishing 3rd, while Teagan Robinson came in 9th.
As the day wore on and temperatures soared, the Freshman Boys A race saw Michael Loveless finish 6th. In a tough turn of events, Christian Fox crashed during his final lap but still managed a 9th place finish.
Despite the mechanical issues and crashes, the Carbon team had an overall successful day. Next up, the team will compete at the state championship in Cedar City on October 17-18, where they hope to carry this momentum forward.
The team’s resilience and determination were on full display at Eagle Mountain, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the season.
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- Photo by Amy Jespersen
