Tag Archives: MN High School Cycling League

Calvin Sandberg, Prior Lake, Varsity Boys leads the hill climb | Whitetail Ridge 2018 | Photo Credit: tmbimages.com

Minnesota High School Cycling League, Race #5 highlights from Whitetail Ridge

From the MN High School Cycling League Race Report

The MN HS League headed over the border into Wisconsin for race #5 at Whitetail Ridge on October 7th. With temps hovering between 40 and 50 degrees, over 700 mountain bike racers from MN, Western WI, SD, and ND converged at Whitetail Ridge, for the fifth of the seven-race series. A fan-favorite race venue for the league; racers were thrilled to be back at Whitetail Ridge to take on the 4-mile course of endless climbs and rolling hills.

Throughout the day, horns, bells, and cheering could be heard coming deep from within the forest. As a wave of racers would head to the finish line, spectators would spill out of the forest and rush to the finish line and watch the racers cross the line. With racing taking place from 8 am until 4 pm, it was a thrilling day of racing at Whitetail Ridge.

Thank you again to the St. Croix Composite Team and their volunteers who worked tirelessly weeks before the race to ensure the course and the infield were ready for the race.

RACE #5 – RACE RESULTS AND PHOTOS

With the bye week schedule in place, the number of racers on the course is reduced from 1,500 to 700. In addition, with a different mix of teams at each race, students get to compete against different racers, and a variety of racers are on on the podiums.

RACE RESULTS
View Full Results

PHOTOS
View Race Photos. Photo Credit: Todd Bauer and David Markman – MN League Official Photographers.

LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE
Bob Burrows, covered the event for River Falls Journal. View News Story

RACE HIGHLIGHTS

In the Middle School D1 competition, Stillwater and Prior Lake were once again battling for the first place finish. Prior Lake pulled ahead with top finishes from Jack Tocko and Alex Krawza to secure the first place trophy. Stillwater took second and Washburn held on for third place.

Get ready to see which teams take the Middle School D1 podium in Race #6 on Sun. Oct. 14. Stillwater, Prior Lake and Washburn, who have taken the top honors the last few races, will all be on a bye week.

In the D2 Middle School Team competition, New Prague Composite pulled ahead to take the first place trophy over St. Croix Composite by just six points; with Elk River Composite taking third place.

In the High School Team Competition, Division 1: It was a close race for the top three spots, with Stillwater securing the first place trophy over Hopkins. Edina was close behind to take the third place trophy. Division 2: St. Croix Composite, on their home turf, beat out Mpls. South for first place in the team competition. Chaska took the 3rd place trophy.

Learn more

If you would like to participate or volunteer check out the Leagues web site:   www.minnesotamtb.org/

Zoe Camp, Southwest Mpls, Varsity Girls leads the start | Detroit Mountain 2018 | Photo Credit: tmbimages.com

Minnesota High School Cycling League, Race #4 highlights from Detroit Lakes

From the MN High School Cycling League Race Report

The MN HS League headed to northwestern Minnesota for Race #4 of the season on September 30th. A new race venue for the league racers were thrilled with the new course. Detroit Mountain was a flowing and challenging mountain bike trail system with a healthy dose of climbing. Spectators enjoyed the hospitality at the chalet and took advantage of the gorgeous winding trails surrounding the course to cheer on the racers. It was an epic day of racing.

With the bye week schedule in place, the number of racers on the course was reduced from 1,500 to 700. In addition, with a different mix of teams at each race, students get to compete against different racers, and a variety of racers are on on the podiums.

RACE #4 – RACE RESULTS AND PHOTOS

RACE RESULTS
View Full Results

PHOTOS
View Race Photos. Photo Credit: Todd Bauer – MN League Official Photographer.

LOCAL TV COVERAGE
Andreas Farrell, covered the event for WDAY News. View News Story

VIDEO HIGHLIGHT REEL
Detroit Mountain put together a sweet video to highlight the racing excitement of the day. View Video

RACE HIGHLIGHTS

Weather again was a factor at the race, instead of blistering heat, racers were met with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees. As the day progressed, the clouds parted to offer a brisk and beautiful day of racing.

In the Middle School competition, Alexandria Area decisively took the D2 first place trophy; with Mankato securing second place and Northwest Composite taking third place based on a strong finish from their 7th and 8th-grade girl racers.

Stillwater and Prior Lake were once again battling for the D1 first place trophy. Washburn and Burnsville were close behind and almost nudged them out with big wins in the 7th and 8th-grade girls races. However, with Stillwater taking the top 4 spots in the 8th-grade boys race, Stillwater secured the first place trophy at Detroit Mountain. Prior Lake earned the 2nd place trophy and Washburn took third.

In High School competition, the finish line offered a number of photo finishes. In the Varsity Boys race, five riders charged to the finish in a tight pack. Braeden Anderson, Crosby-Ironton pulled ahead at the last second to just beat out Calvin Sandberg, Prior Lake. Freshman Boys D1 race held a similar finish with Nico Alexander, Washburn beating out Cooper Camp, Southwest Mpls by 1 second!

In the High School Team Competition, Division 1: Southwest Mpls. nudged Stillwater to take the first place trophy with Hopkins and Duluth East, not far behind in points. Division 2: Highland Park beat out Crosby-Ironton for first place in the team competition. Chaska and Cuyuna-Lakes were tied for the 3rd place trophy.

The MN HS League headed to Southern MN for Race 3# of the season. Battling high temps and dusty wind gusts, September 16, mountain bike racers from across the state arrived in Gamehaven to test their skills in the third race of a seven-race series.

Minnesota High School Cycling League, Race #3 highlights from Rochester

From the MN High School Cycling League Race Report

The MN HS League headed to Southern MN for Race #3 of the season. Battling high temps and dusty wind gusts, September 16, mountain bike racers from across the state arrived in Gamehaven to test their skills in the third race of a seven-race series. Here in the photo are Freshman Boys in their D2 Race at Gamehaven | Photo Credit: tmbimages.com

The Gamehaven Trail on the Boy Scout Reservation just south of Rochester, MN is normally open to the public. The trail offers a mix of singletrack and rolling hills; with a bit more elevation, increasing the level of trail difficulty as the season progresses.

RACE #3 – RACE RESULTS AND PHOTOS

With the bye week schedule in place, the number of racers on the course drops from 1,500 to 700. In addition, with a different mix of teams at each race, students get to compete against different racers and the league is seeing a variety of racers on the podiums.

With temperatures over 90 degrees at the height of the day, many of the racers were not only challenged by the trail, but by the heat. Each racer gave it everything to cross the line.

In the Middle School competition in Race #3

Here there are two teams which dominated the podium. Stillwater and Prior Lake. 8th Grade Boys D1, Stillwater had the top 6 spots and in 7th Grade Boys D1, Prior Lake took 4 of the top slots. However, with strong finishes in other MS categories, Prior Lake edged out Stillwater to take home the first place team trophy.

In High School competition in Race #3

Division 1: Stillwater took the first place trophy with Duluth East and Prior Lake, not far behind in points. Division 2: Highland Park, St. Paul beat out Crosby-Ironton for first place in the team competition. Alexandria Area took home the 3rd place trophy.

RACE RESULTS
View Full Results

PHOTOS


View Race Photos. Photo Credit: Todd Bauer and David Markman – MN League Official Photographers.

RACE #4 – Scheduled for next weekend

The next race in the fall Minnesota High School Cycling schedule is Detroit Lakes, September 30th. See more here http://minnesotamtb.org/events/2018-race-4-detroitmtn-2!

Learn more

If you would like to participate or volunteer check out the Leagues web site:   www.minnesotamtb.org/

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”- Albert Einstein. Motivational Monday is upon us again.

Bike Pic Jan 2, To Keep Your Balance a Moving Quote From Einstein

Keeping your balance on the first Monday of the New Year! With that said here is a quote you should remember throughout the year. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”- Albert Einstein.

Here in this photo Minnesota High School Cycling League Director, Gary Sjoquist is out on the trail in a official capacity at a high school meet on the the Jail Trail, near St. Cloud, MN, this last Fall.

See more places to explore in the new Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide and remember to register for the Root River Bluff & Valley Bicycle Tour.

Thanks for viewing Today’s Keep Your Balance and Stay Moving Bike Pic

Now rolling into our 10th year as a bike tourism media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike and have fun. While highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more place to have fun we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. As you scroll through the information and stories we have posted, enjoy.

Do you have a fun bicycle related photo of yourself or someone you may know that we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to: [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each), of who is in the photo (if you know?) and where the picture was taken. Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we do use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continues to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your next bike adventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 8th year of producing the guide.

So bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure. Please share all our picks with your friends and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the next corner with one of our camera’s ready to document your next move while you are riding and having fun. We may capture you in one of our next Pic of the Day posts.

Have a great day!

Here in this Great Biking Day photo we caught a Penn Cycle team member making tracks on last Thursday mountain bike at Buckhill, near Lakeville, MN.

Bike Pic Sept 3, Another Great Biking Day to be Out Riding

 

Here in this Great Biking Day photo we caught a Penn Cycle team member making tracks on Buckhill, near Lakeville, MN, at the last Thursday Evening mountain bike event there for 2016.

Each year, since 2011, the Buckhill Thursday Night at the Races brings together beginner, intermediate and advanced mountain bikers for some fun times. This family friendly event is also a great opportunity to get the younger ones into mountain biking with a free kid’s race after the adult races.

See more places to bike and fun events in the new Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. 

Thanks for viewing the Great Biking Day Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking. 

Now rolling into our 10th year as a bike tourism media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike and have fun. While showcasing all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more place to have fun we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. As you scroll through the information and stories we have posted, enjoy.

Do you have a fun bicycle related photo of yourself or someone you may know that we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to: [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each), of who is in the photo (if you know?) and where the picture was taken. Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we do use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continues to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your next bike adventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 8th year of producing the guide.

So bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure. And don’t forget to smile, while you are riding and having fun. We may capture you in one of our next photos that we post daily.

Have a great day!

MN High School Teams Compete On New Trail

Brand new to this year’s selection of great courses and tracks in Minnesota, to mountain bike on, is Austin, where the Minnesota High School Cycling Leagues second race of the season was held. With beautiful skies and perfect riding weather the 2015 – Schindler Classic on this new trail offered some cool features including an exciting elevated bridge over a narrow span of water. With a course distance of 3.2 miles the new trail also offers a mix of fast straight-aways and twisty corners. As with any newly cut track, race participants experience a few added bumps and challenges on this new course that added to the fun.

A group of boys at the starting line, ready for their race, in Austin, MN. (photo Rydor Facebook page)

A group of boys at the starting line, ready for their race, in Austin, MN. (photo Rydor Bike Facebook Page)

To see race results from this last Sunday, click here.

The Minnesota High School Cycling League was organized in 2012 to provide competitive mountain biking programs for students in grades 9 to 12. With the cooperation of local race organizers, many partners and sponsors they are able to provide a high quality mountain racing experience. They believe that mountain biking is the ‘T-Ball’ of cycling and several League alumni athletes are now racing on professional teams at events like the Tour of California and the Sea Otter Classic. Due to the rapid growth and participation, the MN League has expanded to now allow middle school aged students to race.

A group of boys out in front after riding their bikes under the start/finish line, in Austin, MN.

A group of boys out in front after riding their bikes under the start/finish line, in Austin, MN. (photo Rydjor Bike Facebook Page)

Regardless of ability level, the Minnesota League is committed to providing a positive experience for all high school and middle school aged student-athletes.

More girls riding together in their race in Austin, MN.

More girls riding together in their race in Austin, MN. (photo Rydjor Bike Facebook Page)

If you are interested in visiting Austin, MN, In addition to new mountain bike trail system, checkout their new artwork center, many wonderful restaurants, the Spam Museum soon to be open in the downtown area, or even the theater and the Rydor Bicycle Museum.

See their website here for more information on the new trail and visiting Austin, MN.

See more photos here, from Rydor Bike shop.

MN High School Cycle League Expands

“Season four, for the MN League is shaping up to be an exciting year,” said Josh Kleve, MN League Director. “Existing teams are expanding, new communities are coming on board and our middle school program is growing steadily. Last year at our first race, we had just over 100 middle school kids registered to race. This year, as of July 12, we are already at 100 registered Middle School racers.”

Hillside race stirs up a little dust between school teams. photo from MN High School Cycling League.

Hillside race stirs up a little dust between school teams. photo from MN High School Cycling League.

Before Minnesota schools let out for the summer, many new and existing teams held team information meetings to recruit new riders. If you missed a meeting, don’t worry, teams will continue to recruit riders over the summer, even though the pre-summer meetings were very well attended. Or contact the MN League and let them know of your interest.

Click here for teams in Minnesota to date.

The MN League operates on five principles: to be equal, inclusive and to build a strong body, mind and character through cycling. The all-are-welcome philosophy combined with the opportunity for an individual to make an impact supports why the MN league has quickly grown.

Let’s get #MOREKIDSONBIKES.

“Be sure to follow the MN League on Facebook or Twitter for updates.