Middle Park mountain bikers battle rain and mud for second place at Showdown in the Boat
Varsity girls lead the way as the Mustangs secure second place on Emerald Mountain.
Sara Schroetlin/Courtesy photo
Steamboat Springs — The Middle Park High School mountain bike team finished second at the Showdown in the Boat, a cross-country mountain bike race held Saturday, Sept. 12, at Howelsen Hill.
Middle Park’s varsity athletes raced 18 miles of singletrack on Emerald Mountain, with 2,200 feet of elevation gain. All other athletes competed over 12 miles and climbed 1,466 feet.
The team’s top 10 finishers helped MPHS earn second place in the team standings.
Scattered clouds covered the area for most of the day, but the freshman boys raced through downpours and hail. Max Pardoe led the group with a sixth-place finish. Nico Berman moved up from 20th place to finish 12th, while James Lupica improved from 21st to 16th. Ryan Schroetlin finished 19th, and Cohen Barrett placed 27th. The freshman boys were coated in mud at the finish line.
Saylor Archie finished fourth in the freshman girls race, matching her fourth-place finish from the previous race.
In the junior varsity boys race, Owen McCay moved up from 29th place to 24th, while Boden Portinga improved from 50th to 43rd. Paloma Stokeld finished 20th in the junior varsity girls race.
Middle Park’s varsity girls were led by Avery Jacobson, who finished second. Luca Archie placed eighth, and Zanna Berman finished 12th.
The next race is the Haymaker Classic in Eagle on Sept. 27.
Daren Jacobson contributed to this report.
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