MONTEREY >> High school mountain bike teams from Clear Lake, Kelseyville and newcomer Middletown made their 2016 season debut last month at Fort Ord, a decommissioned U.S. Army base turned national monument just north of Monterey.
The NorCal League is so large (nearly 1,000 riders this year), it is split into two conferences and the season-opening race at Fort Ord took place over two days.
While the first day was filled with rain, the second day of competition saw nearly perfect riding conditions. The sandy soils the mountain bikers race on at Fort Ord drain well and provided some well-packed and smooth trails. Riders race two to five laps (between 10-25 miles) depending on their division. Each lap is 4.5 miles with 600 feet of climbing.
Although no Lake County riders finished in the top five of their respective divisions at Fort Ord, there were several standouts, including Kia Kohler of Kelseyville in the JV girls’ division, and Christian Lindsey and Justin Perez, both of Kelseyville and riders in the frosh boys’ division.
Kohler placed 12th out of 32 riders while Lindsey and Perez finished in the upper third of the 63 riders in their division.
For a couple of the more experienced county riders, it was a slower start. Now a varsity rider, Clear Lake High’s Jeffrey Morton placed 12th out of 25.
Also competing from Lake County were Solano Dominguez and Gabe Wind of Clear Lake High in the JV boys’ division, Tanner Morton of Clear Lake High in the frosh boys’ division, Zoe Cramer of Clear Lake High in the sophomore girls’ division, and Edina Balazs of Kelseyville High in the JV girls’ division. Balazs is a foreign exchange student from Hungary.
Lake County’s riders were back at it again March 19 during a race at Granite Bay State Park on Folsom Lake. Each lap at Granite Bay is 6.3 miles and involves climbing 700 feet. The course is fast and flowing with granite outcroppings and a treacherous sand pit among oak trees and grasslands.
Kohler finished ninth in the JV girls’ division and newcomer Rainey Vanoven of Clear Lake High placed 10th in the frosh girls’ division.
“It was so much fun,” Vanoven said. “I can’t wait to do it again.”
Fully recovered from the flu, Clear Lake High’s Dominguez placed 11th out of 71 riders in the JV boys’ division while Wind came in 34th. In the varisty division, Morton placed 12th out of 30 riders.
A couple of riders were slowed by mechanical difficulties. Lindsey broke his chain halfway through his final lap and ran the last two miles with his bike to finish 20th. Perez had to drop out after experiencing mechanical problems with his back tire.
Lake County’s riders returned to Fort Ord on Saturday.
For more information about the NorCal League, visit norcalmtb.org or visit Lake County High School Mountain Bike Teams on Facebook.
