Monday, May 2, 2011

Vail Lake - Final SoCal League Race of 2011

The St. Francis Golden Knights mountain bike team recently competed at Vail Lake for the final round of the 4 race SoCal high school mountain bike series. It was another successful weekend of competitive racing for the Golden Knights.

In the Freshman Boys Division 1 class, Sean Bird battled with the overall series leader and held on for a strong 4th place finish. Sean’s 4th place result secured his 5th place overall in the 4 race series. Hunter Nalley rode strong to 10th place securing a 7th overall in the race series. Also competing in the Freshman class and doing well were Michael Greenberg in 11th, JT Ingram in 16th, and Keenan Koch in 26th.

Our Sophomore Boys Division 1 team also had a podium finish. Scott Marshall dug deep to secure his first podium finish in 5th place. Matt Kubly who was not able to attend the race secured a solid 7th place overall in the series. Colby Koklas had a crash on the first lap but got back on his bike to finish in 21st.

The temperatures started heating up, and so did the racing as the JV Boys Division 1 team headed out for their race. Matt Misetich and Christian Breitschwerdt dueled side by side as they have done all season, finishing in 6th and 7th place. Their results also placed them in 6th and 7th overall for the JV boys. Connor Hass rode to another well deserved top-10, finishing in 9th place. Cameron Aubert and Steven Ayoob have steadily improved all season and finished in 12th and 16th.

Our sole Varsity rider, Eddy Kronfli, had his work cut out for him. The Varsity class is filled with pro level riders, and Eddy has worked hard all season to be the best that he can be in a very competitive class. Eddy’s #1 goal this season has been to qualify for the State Championships so that he can represent St. Francis as our first Varsity rider. Going into the race, Eddy knew that he needed to finish in 12th position or better. On the last lap, after 16 miles of racing in 90 degree temperatures with a little more than 5 miles to go, Eddy was battling neck and neck with another rider for that 12th position. With all of his coaches and teammates cheering him on, Eddy raced smart and succeeded in holding off his rival to finish in 12th and qualify for States.

Many of our riders have qualified for and will be competing against riders from all over California at the State Championships on May 15th in Los Olivos.

Well done Golden Knights!

Our secret training meal - Peeps on the camp fire the night before the race.

Sean Bird got a great start in the Freshman race.

Colby battling with a Woodcrest rider.

"Thanks Dad" - Connor getting a much needed water bottle in the feed zone.

Cameron Aubert has worked very hard this season and the results prove it.

Christian Breitschwerdt in full race mode.

Eddy in his final lap battle for the final State Champ spot.

My favorite picture so far this year.
Our Team Can Cheer on Our Riders Better Than Your Team!

Matt & Christian. 6th & 7th Overall, JV Boys.

Sean & Hunter. 5th and 7th Overall, Freshman Boys.

Scott Marshall's first SoCal League podium.
5th place, Sophomore Boys


Another great video from Coach Nick!

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