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2013 SoCal High School Mountain Bike Racing Series ROUND FOUR
Cruise the Keys, Lake Isabella, CA
By Phil Beckman, PB Creative
Contact: Matt Gunnell, matt@socaldirt.org
(818) 415-1133, www.socaldirt.org
Lake Isabella, Calif. — To say the fourth round of the 2013 SoCal High School Cycling League season was a little windy would be like saying a Great White is a little fishy. Flags were whipping straight out. Tents rolled around like tumbleweeds. Awnings, pets and small children needed to be bolted to the ground. Plus it was drier than week-old popcorn. By the end of the day most of the volunteers, supporters, coaches and staff had less skin moisture than King Tutankhamun.
But this is mountain biking, folks, and dealing with adverse weather is what mountain bike folks do best. A bit of horizontal air velocity was not going to keep 330 tenacious student athletes from 26 teams away from the exhilarating terrain on offer at the highly shredable Keyesville Special Recreation Area.
“Keyesville always turns into an epic weather race for us,” Matt Gunnell, the Executive Director of the SoCal High School Cycling League, reminded us. “Last year it was freezing rain and this year it was howling wind. But conditions like these just turns the dial to 11 in terms of memorable racing in one of the most scenic venues in all of high school mountain biking. The course combined with the wind really stretched the riders. Everyone who finished knew they had been to battle and come out victorious. That’s how memories are made and stories become legends.”
Gunnell was pleasantly surprised by the way the idyllic meadow used for this race had filled up, “Due to the distance of Keyesville from most of our League riders I was expecting a large drop off in ridership at this event. But that was not the case at all. It’s been clear from the first race we held in Keyesville in 2011 that people really love the course and the camping festival vibe. I heard from many families that they look forward to the race every year and make it an extended weekend. Judging from the number of new motorhomes and trailers that filled our venue, many of which I’m told were purchased just for high school mountain biking, I think I should have gone into the RV sales business!”
Teams
Yucaipa High School found itself at the top of the Division 1 team charts for the third time in four events this year, narrowly edging the previous round winner and defending champion, Hemet High. Woodcrest Christian rounded out the top three.
Yucaipa Head Coach Mike Bagg gave special recognition to Jacob Dechellis, Zandon Smith and Rebecca Israel for their scoring contributions, but pointed out that the team only had one win for the day, from Christina Mann. “Overall, when you have a big, deep team that trains hard, you can still pull it off. We had a good day and we’re very thankful. It’s fun,” stated Bagg.
Crescenta Valley High School likewise captured its third win of the season among the smaller Division 2 teams, in similar fashion as Yucaipa. “My Varsity and JV riders had a tough day, and they usually put up the most points for our team,” said Head Coach Jim Rowton. “But we’re deep enough and strong enough that our other riders were able to take up the slack. We have riders who continue to achieve their best rides ever, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
Ramona High School and El Toro High School finished second and third at “Cruise the Keys,” respectively.
For the season, with only one event remaining, the Division 1 database shows Yucaipa on top of Hemet and Woodcrest. In Division 2, Crescenta Valley leads South Orange County Composite and Corona del Mar High School. In team competition, all five races of the series are scored for the year’s championships.
Varsity Boys
Jarred Jordan (Murrieta) made a loud and clear statement that he deserves to wear the Leader Jersey in this class. Following a four-lap, 24-mile battle with Wyatt Myers (Victor Valley) and early leader Sammy Bello (Independent), Jordan had just enough power left to slip away in the final moments and seize his first Varsity triumph by ten seconds. Myers and Bello went 2-3.
According to Jordan, “It was a rough race, dealing with the wind. It was a whole different thing to think about tactically. Other than that, the race went pretty good. I put in a hard effort right before the finish; it was now or never. I’m pretty excited about my first Varsity win, which extends my points lead a little more. It was good competition today.”
Bello now moves into second in the point standings, followed by Alex Bagg (Yucaipa), Sean Bird (St. Francis) and Garrett Gaither (Ramona). For individual competitors, the best four out of five races count for final season laurels.
Varsity Girls
As expected, defending champion Hannah Rae Finchamp (Maranatha) led this class from start to finish to record her ninth Varsity Girls win in a row. Not even a hot, windy XTERRA West Championship in Las Vegas the day before — where she won her age group with a time that would have put her in sixth place in the pro women’s field — could keep her off the top step.
“On Sunday morning I was feeling pretty tired but with a lot of prayer and positive thinking I was still able to have a good race,” Finchamp reported. “It basically came down to the fact that I love mountain biking and no matter how the race goes I am just blessed to be out riding my bike.”
Emma Klingaman (Hemet) snared second place about two minutes behind, having overcome a strong challenge from Dalma Felenyi (Rim of the World). As Klingaman described it, “Dalma was ahead of me for awhile and had a pretty good gap. It took me awhile to catch up. I was able to make the pass on the second lap, just before one of the singletracks. It was a good race overall.”
Finchamp holds a commanding lead in the standings ahead of Klingaman, Morgan Zurborg (Woodcrest), Megan Bradley (Rim of the World) and Dalma Felenyi, who held on for her best Varsity finish yet for third at Keyesville.
JV Boys Division 1
Despite repeated attempts to break away from this highly competitive class, Imeh Nsek (Independent) had to wait for just the right moment to make it stick. “The wind was a huge factor in the race,” he told us. “It made the race a sufferfest if you were out there alone. It was part of the reason that the first lap was slow; it made it a very tactical race in which nobody wanted to lead. On the last lap, Micah Swinhart [Woodcrest] was leading, with me right on his wheel. He made a mistake on a narrow, off-camber hill and I capitalized on it and made it around him. From then on I was alone.”
Randy Graham (Murrieta) and Zandon Smith (Yucaipa) finished second and third. In the standings, it’s now Nsek ahead of Michael Lansing (Woodcrest) and Graham.
JV Boys Division 2
The streak had to come to end some time. James Pflughaupt (Corona del Mar) had racked up an impressive string of victories dating back to the previous season, but the streak was snapped at Keyesville when Sean Bell (El Toro), who had been lurking at every round, broke through for his first high school mountain bike win.
“I was always right there in the other races, never too far behind, but today I just felt really good and went for it,” Bell beamed. “Daniel Johnson and James Pflughaupt and I were together for most of the race, as we usually are. On the last lap I attacked on the final climb and got about a ten-second gap that I was able to hold to the finish. It’s awesome. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Pflughaupt and Johnson (South Orange County) were separated by only four seconds at the line to round out the top three. The series’ Leader Jersey remains on Pflughaupt’s shoulders in one of the most compelling stories of the season, with Bell and Johnson keeping it close.
JV Girls
Going four-for-four in this class for 2013 is Ema Suarez (Independent), enjoying another decisive victory at Keyesville. She assumed a comfortable lead shortly after the start but may have regretted it. “The wind in the first lap was decent but in the second lap it was much stronger and I had to fight it alone, with no help. I would love to thank my coaches, Deyaniro Guerrero and Alex Estrada for always helping me and trying to get the best out of me; my family and friends that always support me with everything they can; and for SoCal High School Cycling League for permitting me to race and making this happen.”
Alexis Marques earned second this weekend ahead of Hemet teammates Arcelia Mercado and Hayleigh Kirkham. In points, Suarez is pulling away from Marques, Kirkham and Mercado, in that order.
Sophomore Boys Division 1
“I owe my win to him,” said Geoffrey Bartz (Independent) of consistently close competitor Dillon Gamache (Yucaipa). “We worked together the whole race. My thanks to Dillon; he made it a good race.” It was the second consecutive win for Bartz, who hails from nearby Bakersfield.
Bartz claimed that the wind wasn’t an issue. “I’ve been riding in these conditions for the past three weeks so I wasn’t too fazed. It’s definitely a home course advantage for me here.”
Gamache finished second to remain in the points lead but Bartz is closing in. Hayden Ramsay (Yucaipa) had a tough day and finished sixth, but holds a close third in the standings. The final event for the SoCal Series will be a shootout between these three.
Jacob Dechellis (Yucaipa) was third at Keyesville, after a race-long duel with Bailey Eckles (Independent); they were separated by only two seconds at the line in what would be season-best finishes for both.
Sophomore Boys Division 2
Alexander Deroche (Crescenta) continues to impress. This thoughtful young man scooped up his third win of the season with room to spare. Caden Gruber (Corona del Mar) finished alone in second while Tobias Iven (Crescenta) rolled in for an unchallenged third.
“It went well,” understated Deroche. “I think I played the right moves in the beginning and got myself to the front at the climb, then built a lead. I tried to imagine that there was someone right behind me. It’s not good to ease up when you’re winning. The wind was a problem. There were lots of people walking these hills, and one actually blew into me. I want to make a callout to Montrose Bike Shop. They are really generous sponsors and get our bikes prepared to win.”
Deroche extended his points lead ahead of Gruber and Parker Maccianti (Santa Ynez), who was tenth at Keyesville but will have home court advantage at the series finale.
Sophomore Girls
Score four for Christina Mann (Yucaipa). Unbeaten in this class all year, she pulled another disappearing act to win by well over eight minutes. Hello, Varsity class…
For Mann, this was a bit of redemption. “This is definitely a tough course, so I was a little nervous at the beginning. I was worried because last year I got lost and it ended up being my worst race of the series,” she related.
Runner-up once again was Kaitlin Washburn (Eastlake). Tia Moore (Yucaipa) had to dig deep for third, barely outpacing teammate Lauren Small to the finish line.
Mann’s victory solidified her points lead over Washburn and Small.
Freshman Boys Division 1
It was another nail-biter in this large class. After a leading group of five was reduced to two on the second and final six-mile lap, Patrick Liddy (Independent) was able to outsprint Kyle Legge (Newbury Park) for his second win in a row. Jake Legge (Newbury Park) grabbed third.
As Liddy remarked, “I attacked on the last corner down there. I got about a five second gap on Kyle and pulled off the win. It was really close and we were both super-tired. The wind was terrible. At one point I was blown about three feet off the trail. It was ridiculous, but the course was awesome, my favorite so far.”
Liddy moved to the top of the standings ahead of Jacob Jordan (Murrieta), who was recovering from a fall suffered two weeks prior and finished fourth at Keyesville. Third is occupied by Kyle Legge.
Freshman Boys Division 2
Talk about rubbing it in. Jack Tucker (Corona del Mar) powered to his fourth straight win in this class, and then reported, “I’m pretty sick, so I got lucky. It’s a bad cold. I felt like I had no power at all. The first climb started and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to hurt,’ but I put in a little effort — not really an attack — and just broke away. It split up and I held it from there. It felt good to win when sick.”
Evan Williams (Big Bear) put in a capable ride to trail Tucker by only 18 seconds; Evander Hughes (Great Oak) was a solo third.
The top three in the point standings did not change after Keyesville: Tucker leads Hughes and Mikael Rodgers (South Orange County), who was seventh here.
Freshman Girls
Remember this name: Hannah Eckvahl (San Gabriel Valley) notched her third win of the season, in the process turning in one of the fastest of laps of all the gals racing at Keyesville (a 27:44). The soft-spoken Eckvahl admitted that she was using the classes that started in front of her as motivation, but insisted that she was not trying to make a statement. “I just like to win,” she said. “I’m just very competitive.”
Brenna Pratt (Crescenta) finished second by about a minute and a half, but had an identical second lap time as Eckvahl. Rebecca Israel (Yucaipa) rode alone in third out of a field of 20.
Eckvahl leads the standings handily, with Pratt in second and Israel third.
Felt Bicycles Essay Contest
A special podium presentation took place during the awards ceremony recognizing the winners of the Felt Essay Contest. The topic of this essay was, “Why should my little brother or sister (or cousin, or niece, or nephew, etc.) join a high school mountain bike team?” A total of 35 essays were submitted and judged by Felt and SoCal League staff.
The winner was Ty Dawkins (Redlands Composite) who scored a new Felt mountain bike. Second place went to Ellis Cobb (Crescenta Valley) and she earned free race entries for the entire 2014 SoCal League race season. Four third place award winners received tires and jerseys; they were Amanda Blau (Dos Pueblos), Chris Perez (St. Francis), Elizabeth Jackson (Rim of the World) and Thomas Omori (South OC Composite). Write on!
Upcoming series events:
May 5: Cow Pie Classic, SG Dirt Club, Los Olivos
May 19: State Championships, Stafford Lake Park, Marin County
