SoCal Cycling 2017 Season-Ender

Foothill High School and Hemet High School share the podium – Photo by Jordyn Watkins

Division Two competition was perhaps the most exciting it has been all season long. The category was upset by Murrieta Valley High School who stepped up for first the first time this season to take 1st place D2 team on the day. Woodcrest Christian High School, the Series Overall winner, was close behind, taking the 2nd place podium spot on the day by a margin of only two points! Making things even more interesting we had our first podium tie of the season with Foothill High School and Hemet High School both taking 3rd on the day.

Head Coach Dave Perry told us that “the day went well for Woodcrest, way beyond our expectations. We had watched our lead slowly dwindle over the season and Temescal Canyon got ahead of us after a tough race at Vail. We thought our chances to win the season were remote at best. When they called us as the 1st place team for the season we were in shock. Temescal brought some strong competition every race and as usual it was a super close season with only a 11 point spread for the season between 1st and 2nd place. We didn’t realize that the team results are posted now before awards. It was a total shock to our entire team when we took 1st for the season. There was a huge eruption of excitement from the kids, coaches and parents not to mention a few jaws that hit the ground.”

Hemet’s Head Coach Gail Polvoorde told us a bit about their season saying “we knew going into Tehachapi that we were pretty far out of 2nd, but Foothill was only 111 points behind us. We trained hard over the three weeks and we had riders that had their best finish at Tehachapi. Foothill told us before the awards that they had some riders that really stepped up also. It was great to find out that we tied with Foothill for 3rd place and shared the podium with them. We knew with the tie, that we got the 3rd place spot for the Season Overall. We are thrilled with our results. Jared Schlenker led our team this season with a 1st or 2nd place finish every race. Our girls all finished in the top 15, with Julia Monroe finishing 7th overall. We have no seniors this year so we are looking forward to a strong team next year, with hopefully all our riders returning. We have three riders, Jared Schlenker, Ben Browen and Tyra Palma going to States and we are excited to see how they do. The team and the coaches love Tehachapi. The course is fun and the venue allows for big team pits and great camping.”

Foothill’s Head Coach Rick Larsh commented on his teams season saying “a great season and though no podiums this year, all of our riders consistency and training paid off to allow Foothill to tie team scores with Hemet High for 3rd team at Tehachapi, and 4th overall Division 2. Tehachapi is a great host and the course was challenging and fast. The long open start through the first climb really created some great racing and the Varsity Boys finish could have made ESPN’s sport highlights for the day! SoCal should give the northern teams a run for the money! Great season!”

On the Composite side Redlands Composite and Corona Composite remained locked in position with Redlands taking 1st on the day and in the Series Overall and Corona taking 2nd. Carmel Valley Composite had their best showing yet taking 3rd on the day and joining the two top teams on the podium for the first time this season.

Team Directors Woody Woodruff and Zach Thorp were proud of their team saying “you never know what will happen on the day but we prepped and trained for everything we could think of and the kids really took everything to heart, which they have been doing all season. We are so proud of all our riders. They have all transitioned from just riding bikes to being able to really race bikes. Going into States we are just going to continue with our same focus, do your best. We have trained hard all season and laid the groundwork for great fitness which we think gives us the best chance to race to the best of our abilities – which is all we as coaches ever ask of any of the kids on our team. We had so much fun watching the kids race at Tehachapi. From the Freshman & Varsity Boys drag racing to the line, to watching other riders who struggled to finish team rides at the beginning of the season who now have enough fitness and skill to race their bikes, we are very proud of all of our kids.”

Trevor McCutcheon bombs though the rock garden with Conway on his heels – Photo by Ryan Landis

Varsity Boys

The Varsity Boys had their hardest fought race of the season. Tehachapi’s typically blustery winds were rather calm in the lead up to their race but just as the boys rolled up to the line a light breeze began to build into a not so breezy headwind. Extra climbing, distance, and the fact that both the Series Overall Leader Jersey and series team points were on the line meant that everyone in the field had to turn it up to eleven, and that is exactly what they did. In a head to head race that ended in one of the most spectacular sprint finishes we saw all season long Trevor McCutcheon from Great Oak High School took 1st on the day to win the Series Overall over Turner Conway(2nd) from Redlands Composite. Khalo Chitraroff from Murrieta Mesa High School was 3rd and Travis Claypool from Murietta Valley High School came in at 4th. Tyler Weyman from Newbury Park High School joined the others on the podium taking the 5th place spot.

When asked about his season Kahlo said that “taking the win at Keyesville was an amazing experience I will never forget. It was the only win I ever had in all 4 years of the high school series. I thank God for all my success this year. Taking a podium at every race was nothing short of a blessing, especially with no major mechanicals this year. Being able to race with one of my best friends, Jonah Sanchez, in the Varsity field together was a super awesome experience! For State Championships, I’m planning on staying on the podium and focusing on having a good time racing. Sometimes I tend to get caught up in the whole racing mindset, so keeping it lighthearted and fun is always something that helps me do well. I’m stoked be heading to NorCal to race somewhere I’ve never been before. Tehachapi always proves itself to be a different type of course! The wind plays a major factor in strategies for this course, especially on the backside. It’s really interesting how much climbing there is but how little I realized it. It was a super smooth course compared to last year, thanks to the Tehachapi trail work team!”

Gibson with Bemis in pursuit – Photo by Motovation Sports

Varsity Girls

It’s been a real pleasure watching the Varsity Girls race this season. All of the ladies who have graced the front of the pack are not only top notch athletes but they are also unrivaled when it comes to sportsmanship. Coming into Finals we knew it was going to be another great day for spectating the field and these incredibly fast young women proved us right. In the lead up to Finals Gwendalyn Gibson from Ramona High School knew that she needed to take 1st at Tehachapi in order to firmly grasp the Series Overall. Her closest competitor Madiline Bemis from Corona Composite was also gunning for the Series Overall but had the advantage of receiving bonus points which Gwendalyn would not for attending every race. Not surprisingly we saw both Gwendalyn and Bemis pushing the pace right out of the gate on Sunday but in the end it was Gwendalyn who managed to escape with the Series Overall taking first on the day. Bemis rolled in only seconds behind in 2nd. Meade Plum from Buttermilk Academy was 3rd and 4th went to Jordyn Watkins from Redlands Composite. Micah Mason from Tehachapi High School was on the podium as well taking the 5th place spot.

When asked about her race and the season in general Gwendalyn said “I’m really happy with how I was able to race especially because it is my last SoCal Finals ever, as a Senior! It has been super fun racing in the SoCal League for four years and I’m so grateful I had this opportunity to discover my passion for cycling. It was a great race, I definitely road out of my comfort zone and put it all out there. Knowing that the Series Overall would be decided at this race was extra motivation as well and I was so excited to come away with it after being last in points all season.It’s a team effort at every race so I want to thank my family, friends, sponsors, and of coarse everyone behind the SoCal League who make it happen! Going into States I’m feeling strong and I hope I can represent SoCal well and defend my State Champion title from last season.”

Bemis gave some great insights into the battle that took place for 1st on Sunday saying “I usually don’t get too nervous, but for League Finals I knew there was a lot at stake. On the start line Gwendalyn was staged right behind me and said that her heart rate was already 125. I looked down at my Garmin. Mine was the exact same. 3…2…1…go! Soon enough we were strung out with Gwen and I leading the pack. Throughout the race we traded positions. She would grow a gap on the descents since she raced her full-suspension, and I’d close it on the climbs with my hard tail and Lauf fork. I ended the day with a satisfied second knowing I left it all out there on a challenging course. Racing Gwendalyn throughout my high school career has been a pain in the butt, but I know each of us are stronger for it. Congrats to everyone on a fantastic season. I know I’ve learned so much, and am grateful to family, coaches, teammates, sponsors, and NICA for helping me do so. Unfortunately I will not be attending States this year, but Marjimus Maximus will be so be sure to cheer twice as loud for her! It’s time now to focus solely on 24 hr worlds. May will be a crazy month as I wrap up high school and board that plane to Italy, but I’m feeling good.”

For underclassmen boys and girls coverage, visit www.socaldirt.org