RHSMTB had more than two dozen riders in 2008, and more than 60 team events, thanks to the generous support of parents, siblings, friends, our fabulous sponsors, coaches, and Redwood High School.
16 of our students raced in the NorCal Mountain Bike Racing League this year, covering themselves in glory and dust. We had standouts in every category, and took 6th place in Division 1, despite being the smallest team in our division (one Div. 1 team had more than 50 riders!). Seniors Massimo Palumbo (10th in the highly competitive Varsity Boys category) and Susanna Nordrum (3rd in Varsity Girls) led the way, and our Fabulous Freshman, Bjorn Fox and Scott Roycroft, stood on the podium numerous times on their way to 4th and 5th place overall in the Freshman Boys division. Many of our riders also enjoyed tremendous improvement, such as JV Boy Erik Rademacher, who moved up from 38th in his first race to 19th in the Finals. All results are at: http://www.norcalmtb.org/race/results.htm.
But in the end, the most important achievement of our team was the fun, camaraderie, and respect for the sport that grew as our season progressed.We had a blast riding together, learning new skills, and conquering difficult challenges. We all gained a new appreciation for the magnificent beauty of Marin and Northern California.
Good luck to our graduating Seniors, and welcome to our incoming Frosh. See you out on there, and let's do it again next year!
Justin and Pete, dusty and triumphant after the Championship race.
Joined by our friends from the Branson High Bulls Mountain Bike Team and a couple of special guests, we scampered, slogged, and struggled our way up White's Hill Fire Road in our second go at a hill climb time trial under beautiful skies.
The Sunday Redwood ride crew
Julia gets the boys ready to ride.
Scott, Erik, Will, Bjorn, and Mass on the line.
They're off!
The whole gang.
The Pits
03/31/08 04:42 pm by Adminstrator
The secret of RHSMTB's success: a relaxed pit area (tents, carpets, lounge chairs, great food and drink) provided by our dedicated parents, supporters, and coaches.
Stacey and Susanna celebrate a great race with Bjorn.
George aims for style points.
Erik succumbs to a food- and Gatorade-induced coma.
RHSMTB Leads the Way at Race #3
03/31/08 08:54 am by Adminstrator
Another successful race for the team, with seven riders finishing in the Top 10, and the team claiming 5th place overall in Division 1. Especially noteworthy: Massimo Palumbo helped power the lead group of Varsity riders for nearly the entire race (24 miles and over 3500 feet of climbing), eventually claiming 9th. Karla Lopez climbed to 10th place in Fresh/Sophomore Division 1 in her first-ever bike race. Erik Rademacher continued to scale the improvement curve, finishing higher in every race this season, placing 26th in the Div. 1 JV event.
Here's Bjorn Fox (wearing the leader's jersey), Scott Roycroft, and Daniel Melvin grabbing the hole shot at the start of the Division 1 Freshman race.
Susanna Nordrum continued her outstanding season with a 2nd place in Varsity Girls.
Redwood once again rocked the podium at the second Norcal race at Granite Bay. Once again, a Redwood rider wears the leader's jersey, and the team continues to rank among the top 5 in Division 1.
Susanna Nordrum boldly surrendered her JV leaders jersey and upgraded to Varsity after just one race, but continued her podium placing with a 3rd on Sunday, just a minute off the lead. Bjorn Fox now wears the Division 1 Freshman leader jersey, after his convincing victory on Sunday and 2nd place last week. Scott Roycroft finished hot on Bjorn's heels, claiming a strong 2nd to go with last week's 3rd place.
Daniel Melvin continued his successful first season, moving up to 10th overall in the Freshman Div. 1, joined by Kyle Kreuger (16th on Sunday) and Spencer Beckman (18th in his debut Sunday race).
For the second week in a row, Luke Becker took one for the team, battling to the finish despite being sick. Justin Maxwell once again claimed valuable points with a 12th place in Div. 1 JV, followed by Peter Dickinson (23rd) and Erik Rademacher (28th).
Alanna Hanson and Stacey Aguilar continued their strong seasons, and now rank 7th and 11th (respectively) in JV Girls Division 1.
Massimo Palumbo fought through a highly-competitive field to claim a Top 20 spot in the combined Division 1/2 Varsity, while George Oggero was unable to compete for another Top 10 spot as he suffered a disastrous mechanical when he tangled with another rider during the frantic start sprint.
Peter Dickinson smiling through the mud.
RHSMTB 3rd in first race!
03/05/08 02:32 pm by Adminstrator
Redwood rocked the podium at the first NorCal race of the year at Fort Ord. Susanna Nordrum (1st JV in her first-ever bike race!), Bjorn Fox (2nd Fresh) and Scott Roycroft (3rd Fresh in his first-ever bike race!) led 13 Giants to a strong 3rd place team finish.
Despite having a fairly small squad for Division 1 and a few setbacks, the team fought hard for top placings across the board.
Jay DiFuria, Kyle Krueger, and Daniel Melvin all had successful first races. Stacey Aguilar, Luke Becker, Alanna Hanson, Justin Maxwell, Massimo Palumbo, George Oggero, and Erik Rademacher all placed well for the team.
Next up: Granite Bay on March 9. Karla Lopez and Spencer Beckman will make their bike racing debuts, and Peter Dickinson will bolster our already strong squad.
Susanna atop the podium!
Mental fitness
02/26/08 10:59 pm by Adminstrator
After the weekend storm blew our workout away, we got the opportunity to work on our mental fitness with a presentation from Marvin Zauderer. Marvin discussed one of the 5 Core Skills of Mentally Fit Athletes, "positive self-talk."
