Sandpoint Trailblazers open NICA season with six podium finishers
Sandpoint Trailblazers | Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 10 hours, 3 minutes AGO
Sandpoint Trailblazer riders are pictured from the left: Noelle Altmus, Maddie Van Stone, Iona Tuohy, Emiliana Dussault, Olivia Coffman and Mattie Lynch.
Photo Courtesy SANDPOINT TRAILBLAZERS
BOZEMAN — The Sandpoint Trailblazers cross-country mountain bike team participated in the first NICA event of the season in Bozeman, Mont., last weekend.
Six riders had podium finishes, with multiple riders on the cusp of fifth place. On the first day of the doubleheader, the participants raced on a longer course with a tough single track and fun downhill. The second day, racers had a slightly shorter course with mostly fast double track.
Conrad Michael, an 8th-grade racer, came home with a 4th-place medal this weekend after completing the Crosscut Classic Short-Course race on Sunday.
“The course is really well set up, and it feels like a pro event,” Michael said of the course. “The downhill was very fun.”
Michael mentioned that thinking about getting a podium helped him accomplish his top five finish on the second day of the double-header race.
A JV 1 racer, Iona Tuohy, also finished in the top of her division, placing 4th for both races.
“Doing a lot of long rides and just enjoying being on my bike has really helped me become a better rider,” Tuohy said. “The second lap was my favorite part because it's a lot of fun to see if you can catch someone in front of you, and you can really make up time on other racers.”
She encourages other riders that “even if your first years don't go so well, if you keep at it you will get better.”
Overall, 18 Sandpoint Trailblazers completed the Crosscut Classic race, all racing in categories from 5th grade to varsity.
CROSSCUT CLASSIC (Race 1, Saturday) — SANDPOINT COMPOSITE RESULTS
Varsity Girls — 15, Mattie Lynch, 1:03:31.2 JV1 Girls — 4, Iona Tuohy, 41:04.1; 7, Olivia Coffman, 44:24.7 JV3 Girls — 2, Madison Van Stone, 47:34.3 7th/8th Comp Girls — 10, Emiliana Dussault, 43:30.7 6th Grade Girls — 22, Noelle Altemus, 32:24.6 JV1 Boys — 8, Levi Coffman, 51:40.8; 18, Roman Presta, 54:46.5; 19, Kane Van Stone, 54:50.2 JV2 Boys — 11, Miles Burns, 37:27.4; 14, Sione Fisher, 38:24.7; 22, Paul Lynch, 39:33.0; 25, Everett Raiha, 40:12.7 6th Grade Boys — 4, Lochlan Tuohy, 20:48.6 7th/8th Comp Boys — 6, Nolan Tuohy, 37:34.4 8th Grade Boys — 4, Maximus Altemus, 19:10.6; 10, Conrad Michael, 19:51.7 5th Grade Boys — 7, Orion Michael, 26:20.3
CROSSCUT SHORT COURSE (Race 2, Sunday) — SANDPOINT COMPOSITE RESULTS
Varsity Girls — 15, Mattie Lynch, 38:09.9 JV1 Girls — 3, Iona Tuohy, 24:26.7; 7, Olivia Coffman, 26:05.7 JV3 Girls — 1, Madison Van Stone, 27:42.3 7th/8th Comp Girls — 7, Emiliana Dussault, 25:05.5 6th Grade Girls — 20, Noelle Altemus, 37:34.1 JV1 Boys — 6, Levi Coffman, 31:13.3; 12, Roman Presta, 32:03.4; 15, Kane Van Stone, 32:22.5 JV2 Boys — 6, Miles Burns, 21:45.0; 13, Sione Fisher, 22:34.2; 25, Paul Lynch, 23:26.4; 27, Everett Raiha, 23:57.9 6th Grade Boys — 4, Lochlan Tuohy, 26:28.6 7th/8th Comp Boys — 13, Nolan Tuohy, 23:25.1 8th Grade Boys — 3, Maximus Altemus, 23:48.1; 4, Conrad Michael, 24:06.2 5th Grade Boys — 4, Orion Michael, 14:28.0.