COBB MOUNTAIN >> Boggs Demonstration Forest on Cobb Mountain has been described by many in the NorCarl Mountain Bike League as the butter on your toast. Toast can be plain and dry, but butter makes it taste better.
The Clear Lake and Kelseyville mountain bike teams hosted more than 500 other student-athletes from 33 other mountain biking teams on their home course April 25. Rain the night before left the forest floor with tacky and grabby dirt, which is ideal for racing. The 6.2-mile Boggs course features 900 feet of elevation gain per lap (riders compete for two to four laps depending on division).
The 10 local riders in the field were led by Clear Lake High School’s Jeffrey Morton, who finished third out of 65 riders in JV Division 2. The high finish helped Morton place third out of 87 riders in the season’s final point standings.
“It was fast and nice to have the home course advantage,” Morton said. “The rain the night before made the track the best it could be as far as traction.”
Competing in the same division as Morton, Jadon Lindsey of Kelseyville High School placed 11th in the race and ninth in the final point standings.
While mountain biking is about winning just as in any other sport, it’s also about camaraderie. Just ask Gabe Wind of Clear Lake High and Craig Andre of Kelseyville High, who haven’t let the fact that they compete for rival schools get in the way of their friendship. Andre, a senior, closed out his fourth mountain biking season with a 25th-place finish, three places ahead of Wind (28th). However, it was Wind who placed higher in the final point standings — 28th to Andre’s 29th.
“The rivalry was beneficial for both of us because we each wanted to do better than the other, so it gave us a little extra push,” Wind said. “Neither of us actually won the competition but we both came out winners.”
Unfortunately, another top-placing finisher on the season, Solano Dominguez of Clear Lake High School, didn’t fare quite as well at Boggs. Suffering from lingering back pain, Dominguez had to pull himself off the course after lap two. Since a rider’s lowest race score is dropped from the overall points finish, he did place ninth overall out of 64 in the sophomore Division 2 category.
On the podium for the first time this season was Kelseyville High School sophomore Kia Kohler. She placed fifth at Boggs and finished 10th overall in points for the season.
“Kia’s goal this season was to place in the top five and it was exciting to see her accomplish that,” coach Tami Cramer said. “Her mom and I jumped up and down while hugging, we were so thrilled.”
Said Kohler, “It was definitely the hardest course of the year. I had to push to keep climbing on the second lap, but it was well worth it. Coach Dave (Garzoli) didn’t lie when he told us, ‘You get out of it what you put in.’ Thanks for pushing me Dave.”
Among other local riders, Clear Lake High School freshman Zoe Cramer placed 22nd at Boggs and 20th in the overall point standings. Another Clear Lake freshman, Taylor Buchholz, finished 23rd at Boggs and 21st in the overall standings.
A handful of Clear Lake and Kelseyville riders are taking part in the State Championships on Sunday at the Dirt Club in Los Olivos (near Santa Barbara).
For more information about the NorCal Cycling League, visit its website at www.norcalmtb.org
To contact local coaches Tami or Jeff Cramer, call 263-3344 or email: ride@bicyclesonmain.com
