A series to share #smiles across our community through the achievements of our local youth, brought to you by Rendezvous Dental.
With only a few short weeks together, the local High School Mountain Bike Club had sweeping wins during the Tyler Draw XC Mountain Bike Race in Pinedale earlier this month. Their podiums included: 1st place x2, 2nd place x3, 3rd place x2 and a 4th place.
This is the first year for the High School Mountain Bike Club that was slated to be through Lander Valley High School. However, due to COVID-19, it is through the Central Wyoming College Outdoor Education Program since this is an existing for class college students. No college students signed up for the class this year so it became a high school only club. CWC BOCHES paid for the tuition and fees for each student, and they are able to earn high school credit.
Next year, the hope is to be through Lander Valley High School like originally planned, shared CWC Outdoor Education adjunct faculty and BICP Certified instructor Stacy Wells. There is no set ability or experience level required for a high schooler to join the club. However, they do need to provide their own mountain bike and helmet.
Since COVID has put a damper on events this year, there are not very many mountain bike competitions happening this fall. In turn, part of the class is competing with each other, Wells explained. They are all using the cycling app, Strava, to track things like mileage and elevation gains.
Looking ahead to next year, the club has organized its first fundraiser to get the team started for next year. On Sunday, September 27th, from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, you can Gambles in Lander for a bike wash. They are also offering things like minor repairs, lemonade, and bike diagnostics. Check out their Facebook event for more details.
Also on the horizon is forming a Wyoming National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) league, Wells noted. This sets the national standard of mountain bike teams, and with Lander starting their own team, there will finally be enough for Wyoming to have their own.
If anyone has any questions about the club you can contact Stacy by emailing [email protected] or calling (307) 349-2565.
