Taos Composite Podiums at Nathrop Worlds
The Taos Composite High School mountain bike team raced back onto the Division 2 podium finishing in third place at the Conference Championships in Nathrop, CO. This race course has many similarities to some of our northern New Mexico trails and athletes call this race “Nathrop Worlds” in comparison to the MTB World Championships held around the same time every year. The weather was a bit windy, but otherwise conditions were good and the athletes are now reaching peak fitness for the season. This race weekend was generously sponsored by the Newton Family Fund.
The Freshman Boys warmed up in comfortable conditions for this time of year and started off the racing. Rio Johnson stepped back into the field , after missing the last race in favor of a trip to Gravel Nationals, and wasted no time getting back to the front of the pack. Rio quickly pulled off the front and confidently rode to his third win of the season, regaining the Leaders Jersey. Jaden Rand continued his charge near the front of the freshman field finishing a strong 6th. Gray Shepherd flew off the start with the front pack and secured his best finish of the season cracking into the top 10 by finishing in 8th place. Olin O’Reilly continued to show improvement slotting into a solid 29th. Olin needed one more good result to qualify for the State Championship and this effort secured that honor.
The Sophomore Girls started next and things were looking solid for getting two athletes onto the podium. Abby Thornton had her best result of the year landing in 2nd place. Unfortunately, after a super fast first lap, Bernice O’Reilly suffered a broken derailleur and had to finish her race with only her easiest gears. Bernice spun her way to 8th but maintained her overall 2nd place in the series.
The JV Girls race saw the triumphant return of Flora Mack. Flora was out for an injury and she showed just how tough she is by finishing in 29th. Eleanor Breier continued to show consistent form and had an especially strong first lap, finishing in 26th.
The JV Boys field showcased just how much our athletes have improved with Ryan Edmonds cracking into the top 10 finishing in 9th for his best result of the season. Silas Conn also cranked out his best of the season finishing in 18th. Jack McCutcheon continued to battle though the field and climbed his way all the way up to 31st. Rowan Higdon wrapped up his Senior year coming in 59th.
The Varsity races concluded the day with Keaton Verswijver stomping his way into 2nd place for his best of the season. Luke Rand has been battling a sore knee and yet he rode to a strong 14th. Jane English gambled a bit with a fast first lap and then went with the race leader off the front to start the second lap. She may have gone a touch too hard in those early stages of the race, yet she still finished a strong 6th place. Isla Chavez wrapped up the regular season of her Senior year in fantastic fashion coming in 14th, her best of the season.
The overall Conference podiums were also awarded based on the total score of the top 3 races for each athlete. Rio took the overall win for the Freshman Boys with 3 wins. Bernice and Abby were 2nd and 3rd on the overall podium in the Sophomore Girls division. Keaton finished 5th overall for the Varsity Boys. All of these results represent the best ever overall finishes for Taos Composite athetes in these categories. To have 4 athletes on the overall podium is outstanding for little Taos!
Taos Composite has 7 Senior athletes this year and this race weekend was a tribute to them and their dedication as we wish them well in their future endeavors. The Colorado League recognizes all Seniors with a Singletrack Sendoff at the Nathrop race. Thank you to our Seniors for sharing leadership, positivity, enthusiasm, and all-around amazingness: Isla Chavez, Ryan Edmonds, Rowan Higdon, Flora Mack, Jack McCutcheon, Luke Rand, and Keaton Verswijver.
14 Taos Composite athletes have qualified for the stand-alone State Championships which will be held in Glenwood Springs, CO from Oct 17-19th. All of the athletes have been working hard all year and it’s quite an affirmation to see the majority of the team finish the season with their best results of the 4-race series. On to State where Taos will surely be In The House!
