Team Bulldog/Campmor Hosts 3rd Annual New
Jersey State High School and Middle School Mountain Bike Championships
(with Kids’ Races)
The 2”
of rain on Friday, did not dampen the spirits of the 70+ kids who came
out and raced their bikes at Team Bulldog’s 3rd Annual High School and
Middle School Championships and Kids’ Race on Saturday, May 10, 2008.
The rain broke overnight and the racers and promoters were greeted with
overcast skies and a course that was in great condition. The varied
terrain of Kittatinny Valley State Park in Andover New Jersey allowed us
to create five different courses
The event kicked off with the Middle School B-Men and Open Women heading
out onto the 1 mile course for 25 minutes of racing. Nicolas Conklin
from Hardyston lapped the field to take home the top honors. Dylan Oliva
and Billy Liamero from Florence and Jefferson Township, respectively,
rounded out the podium for the opening event. The competition was much
tighter in the Middle School Open Women’s race, but ultimately Veronica
Caster from Lounsberry would pull off her 7 laps the fastest. Second
place was taken by Erin Stickle from the Imaculate School in cheese, and
Jessica Kruse from Black River Middle School earned the bronze. Both
Veronica and Erin race for Black Bear Cycling, and Jessica rides for
Cycle Craft. Incidentally, all three young ladies would have scored in
the top 3 for the men!
Next to starting grid were the Middle School A-Men who would do their
battle over a longer and more technical course. Defending champion
Dillon VanWart from Maple Road School was challenged this year by Trevor
Kahl (Macopin Middle School) and Peter Spinks (St. Joseph Regional).
After the 30 minutes of intense competition, the three top riders would
finish within 1:40 of each other and it was Kahl, followed by Spinks
with Vanwart in third.
Onto the “big” kids…
The High School B-Men would be treated with yet another course, this one
adding some more elevation gain which would of course add some fun
downhills. These young racers would face challenging terrain over 35
minutes to see who would reign victoriously. Tim Bumpus (West Morris
Central) was able to complete 5 laps for a solid third place performance
in the biggest class of the day. Tommy Wachtler (Lakeland Regional) was
able to sneak in for 6 laps and the silver medal. And it was Steven
Tuedt (Hunterdon Central), riding for Colavita in his first mountain
bike race ever who would be crowned High School B-Men Champion. Steven
is an avid road racer and used his fitness to pull away on the hills and
ride smart through the tight singletrack.
Finally, our premier event, the High School A-Men and Open Women would
roll out for 45 minutes of racing over our longest and most technical
course of the day. Our female High School field was rather light, and it
was defending champion Mikaela Koch from Kittatinny Regional High School
who would be crowned the two-time champion. Mikaela would have finished
fourth in the Men’s A Race. We saw a repeat performance in the Men’s A
field as well, as the 2006 High School Champion Erik Kristiansen (High
Point Regional) received the cup yet again. He took off from the start
(on his dad’s bike as his suffered a mechanical as he was warming up)
and never looked back. Over the first four of six laps his lead
continued to build until he settled in and rode steady to victory. Erik
races for Black Bear Cycling and is one of the top junior mountain bike
racers in the region. Second place was awarded to James McCabe
(Bridgewater) who rides for Colavita who put a similar gap on the third
place rider. Daniel Kelly (Vernon Township) was that third place rider
who competed in the B Category last year and did a great job getting on
the podium this year in the A’s.
Upon completion of the High School Race, the “real” premier event began
with the elementary school children, from Kindergarten up to fifth
grade. These youngsters were on a course especially designed for them.
They rode their tiny little bikes, one even with training wheels (not
recommended, but he did it!) over the grass, dirt, three rocks, roots,
and gravel with the skill of a veteran racer. The cheers from the
parents could be heard echoing off the hills of Kittatinny Valley State
Park. It was truly a sight to behold.
Team Bulldog/Campmor would like to thank our title sponsor, Campmor, for
their continued support and great swag for the race. Additioanlly, we
would like to thank the folks at Kittatinny Valley State Park for
providing us with a great venue for this awesome event.
This was such a wonderful event and Team Bulldog/Campmor
is looking forward to holding it again next year. Help to do your
part to get more kids involved in the great sport of mountain biking!
For more information and a complete list of results, visit:
www.teambulldog.com.
Submitted by Brian Lariviere, Team Bulldog
President/Manager
