By Eric Mace, Special to Larson Newspapers
It was a great opening race weekend for the Sedona and Mingus School Mountain Bike Club with a strong start in the five-race Arizona Cycling Association series.
The crisp air and cool temperatures of Flagstaff welcomed more than 1,000 middle and high school riders from across the state. Some riders showed up to dominate the series, some came to try out racing and test their new skills and others came just for the fun of the mountain bike community and camping alongside their teammates in a welcoming environment.
The race course was a 5.8-mile trail loop at Fort Tuthill. Racers completed a series of laps ranging from one lap for middle-schoolers up to four laps for varsity riders. This course featured fast, flowy sections with some technical rock gardens and a lot of opportunities to pass competitors.
In the boys varsity field, Mingus rider Greyson Stevens, who petitioned up to the category as a sophomore, took an eighth-place finish after holding steady in the top five for the first three laps. The boys in the Junior Varsity 1 race had a great showing, with Quincy Mabery landing on the podium in fourth place. Logan Jankowski and Braxton Malapanes both came back strong after missing much of the previous race season, securing 10th and 14th place, respectively.
In the boys Junior Varsity 2 division, Talon Mandeville excelled. Two years ago, he started in the noncompetitive first-timers race. Since that time, he has ridden his bike more than 600 consecutive days. Racing on his birthday, he took his first podium spot with a fifth-place finish. First time racer Tyne Brady finished strong in 22nd place.
Danae Dearden was on track for a fifth-place finish in the Junior Varsity 2 girls division, showing off the results of dedicated training during the offseason. Unfortunately, she suffered a pedal strike and fall that cost her that podium spot, but she vows to come back strong in the next race.
The freshmen boys category had the largest group of riders from the team, with some serious podium contenders aiming for the top positions. These riders didn’t disappoint. Sedona/Mingus racers ended up taking three of the five podium spots, with Cormac Kincheloe in second place, Noah Nelson in third place, and Vincent Pugliano in fourth place. New team member Joseph Weiss had a great first race, finishing in 17th place.
In the seventh-grade boys race, veteran rider Jaxson Campbell had a strong 10th place finish and newcomer Hunter Brady took 37th place, with one of the biggest smiles of the day. Rowyn Mandeville debuted with a 13th place finish in the seventh-grade girls category.
An exuberant group of new riders had a successful first race in the sixth-grade boys category, with Korbin Nelson finishing in 11th place, Max Holton in 17th, Anish Ali in 23rd, and Theo Wilkins in 31st place. It has been so fun to introduce the middle school riders to mountain biking and our team values.
The team camped out at Fort Tuthill for the entire race weekend, with the support of the amazing volunteer coaches and families that make it all possible. Team members had the chance to immerse themselves in the youth bike racing community and learn about healthy food choices, race preparation, and good sportsmanship.
As always, we focused on fun, inclusivity, respect, equality, and equity, and instilled our team ethics of strong bodies, strong minds, and strong character. If you are interested in joining in on the fun and becoming a member of the team, please reach out to me at (928) 254-7496.
Eric Mace is the head coach of the Sedona and Mingus School Mountain Bike Club.
