Press Release
Mountain bike racers from across Utah converged on the Desert Canyons trail system in St. George on Oct. 21-22 for the NICA Utah State Championship. There, top riders from each of the six regions contested for dominance on a long and rocky course.
Carbon’s freshman racers were up first on Friday morning with the Freshman A race at 9 a.m. and the Freshman B race at 10:10 a.m. It was a heartbreaking day for Tacoma Smith, who started near the front of the first wave and was looking strong in sixth place before suffering a flat tire, which ended his race just two miles in. Garret Murray found himself in an early crash as the 100-rider wave funneled down from road to singletrack, but he recovered well. Despite two additional small crashes during the race, Murray was able to finish in 51st. James Tullis and Zander Holzer encountered crashes and other incidents in the Freshman B race but were able to avoid those and finished in 39th and 117th, respectively.
Friday afternoon was a time to shine for sophomore Andrew Loveless in the JV B race. Loveless, starting on the front row after taking the region title three weeks prior, went out fast at the start. He rode hard but smart, staying in the top three throughout most of the two-lap race. With a half mile left, Loveless made his move into first. He immediately opened a small gap from the riders behind and followed with a sprint finish to seal the win and earn the state champion’s jersey.
Seniors Sean Stromness and Spencer Tullis finished their final season of NICA racing with 137th and 176th positions in the JV B group. Meanwhile, Ryu West brought home seventh place in the Senior Open group. All three riders had to contend with the rocky terrain of the St. George course and the absolutely madness of 100 riders per wave all starting at the same time. Despite those challenges, each managed to push through and around the tumult without any crashes of their own.
Saturday was a less busy, but far dustier, day for Carbon with just two racers competing. A storm brought in strong winds and dust, which left riders with just a few feet of visibility at times. In their final NICA races, seniors Nathan Engar and Boyd Bradford both performed well in crowded events and ended the day exhausted, but satisfied. Engar finished 93rd of 332 racers in the crowded JV A group while Bradford ended the day 25th out of the 173 varsity racers.
“As parents and coaches, we’re extremely proud of this team,” said assistant coach Dave Holzer. “Not just the riders who qualified for state but every one of these kids who’ve put in many hard hours of conditioning and practice. They have supported and lifted each other up throughout the season. The workouts and the races are hard, but they’ve made it fun and they’re building character and habits that will serve them throughout life.”
When asked to share a favorite memory or thought about the state championship races and their preparation, a few of the racers chimed in. Some were serious, and some were not, but this is mountain biking and it’s meant to be fun.
“Suuuuuuuu” – Boyd Bradford
“Send it ‘till you bend it.” – Andrew Loveless
“Pain is not the enemy, pain is the goal.” – Tacoma Smith
“It’s a lot easier to win a race when you don’t crash three times.” – Garrett Murray
“Push yourself or you’re not going anywhere.” – James Tullis
“My favorite part was that I got new sunglasses.” – Zander Holzer
“Sometimes you gotta close a door to open a window.” – Sean Stromness
“Where’s Sean staying?” – Everyone
“Who left all of these empty water bottles laying around?” – Head Coach Mark Jespersen
While the state championship race brought an official end to the season, you can still expect to find many of the riders and coaches hitting the trails through the winter and spring, not only in preparation for next season, but also because biking is fun! Registration for the 2023 race season will begin in April and remain open through the first week of June with practice beginning in July. Participation is open for all students between seventh and 12th grades. For more information, please visit www.utahmtb.org or inquire with head coach Mark Jespersen at Altitude Cycle in Price.
Individual results were as follows:
Freshman A Boys (14.5 miles, 195 racers): Garrett Murray, 51; Tacoma Smith, DNF (flat)
Freshman B Boys (14.5 miles, 187 racers): James Tullis, 39; Zander Holzer, 117
JV B Boys (14.5 miles, 201 racers): Andrew Loveless, 1; Sean Stromness, 137; Spencer Tullis, 176
Senior Open (14.5 miles, 183 racers): Ryu West, 7
JV A Boys (16.5 miles, 332 racers): Nathan Engar, 93
Varsity Boys (22.2 miles, 173 racers): Boyd Bradford, 25
