What Parents Say:

 

“The RHS biking team was a great experience for the whole family. Having the opportunity to spend the day at all the beautiful venues, watching the exciting races and getting to know all the great families and coaches on our team and many of the other teams has been such a pleasure. And, of course, it has been a terrific experience for [our son] who has grown so much from the experience, both mentally and physically, and who I know will have a lifelong passion for biking. When kids become teenagers, especially late teenagers, it gets harder for parents to stay involved in their kid’s activities. The bike team needs lots of parent support so is a great way to participate in a fun and rewarding activity with them.”

 

“You coaches were awesome….I can only heap praise on all of you for doing what you do. My child was reluctant to ride cross-country this year, and yet, with encouragement and praise, and some dumb luck, ending up actually enjoying himself! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“We especially appreciate your support of each member of the team and the great way you relate to the kids and parents. The team as a whole supported each other, which was great to see.”

 

“You did a phenomenal job training the kids. I commend all the coaches for their expertise and level of fitness. The team meetings were great, [our son] learned a lot. Definitely keep it up. Great communication with riders and parents on what was upcoming, and what was expected.”

 

“This was a huge undertaking, and all you guys did a terrific job!! Friendly, helpful, willing to share experience.”

 

What Riders Say:

 

“It's a truly great experience which changes your life around in a positive way.”

 

“It was awesome. I can’t wait for next year!”

 

At the hot, dusty State Championship race, Redwood racers capped their seasons on the technically demanding Boggs Mountain course. Flashing singletrack skills honed at Tamarancho under the guidance of coaches Josh Snead,  Jackie Pereira, Ray Storm, Eddy McLeod, Julia Violich, and Ken White, team members met both success and adversity.

Varsity rider Davis Bentley, JV Bjorn Fox, and Soph Zander Slavitz claimed podium spots; while Sophs Jacob Stowe and Kyle Krueger had the air come out of their possible top ten finishes due to flats (Kyle swears a race volunteer bit his tube in half and tied off the ends in a bid to help him finish the race!). JVs Jason Andrews and Max Houtzager held on to top 10 finishes, and JV Erik Rademacher capped a scuccessful four years of racing with a 17th overall.

Devin Eastman, Will Dixon, and Chris Tucker hit high notes in the final races as well. Devin joined Max, Jason, Zander, Bjorn, and Davis as an invitee to the National Championship race! Overall,our team standing suffered due to absences, but those who were there rode hard and well.

Although their individual growth has been impressive, these young people have come together as a team, and learned to learn from each other. Varsity racer Davis Bentley (a Junior and road racing phenom) stood up at the team banquet and thanked JV rider Max Houtzager (a Sophomore and Downhill expert) for helping him develop his bike-handling skills. Max, in turn, has joined Davis' Whole Athlete team to ramp up his fitness training. Also at the banquet, Frosh Chris Tucker praised Senior JV racer Jason Andrews for his guidance.

In addition to fierce pride in their talents, these Redwood racers have developed humility and respect--for themselves, the sport, and each other. Great season, riders, parents, and coaches!

See you out there!

Here's Olivia--ready to race!

Despite not having a few of our racers there, and suffering from at least one mechanical, and one crash at the start, Redwood as a team got seventh place out of 33 teams. We are still in 5th place in the overalll standings. A day of learning for many, and a day of huge improvements for others. Overall, another great job.

 

The course at Folsom Lake was sandy and damp, with demanding single-track that favored technical skills, and some long straightaways for the strength riders. Each lap was 6 miles long with about 600 feet of climbing per lap. The day started out cool and breezy for the girls races, and turned to light on and off showers for the Freshman and Sophomore races. The sun came out again for the JV and Varsity races.

 

Results for the team are here. Some of these categories are very, very competitive. Our top two girls and top five boys are our point scorers. Since we had so few racers out there, almost everyone that finished secured team points!

The official results are in.  Redwood as a team got fifth place out of 33 teams!  What a great effort by all.

 

The first race down in Monterey, at East Garrison, was a very fast course, will not many hills.  The laps were only 4 miles long and very fast. The Varsity riders were completing laps in less than 14 minutes.  Although it was dry for the girls and frosh & soph, it was a little wet for the JV and Varsity riders.  Both our Varsity riders crash during the race, but got up, dusted themselves off and got back out there.

 

Here are the results of each rider.  Some of these categories are very very competitive.  We did fantastic.  It was the first race for a few riders, so next race, we know they will be moving up! Results are here.

 

This great photo of Davis Bentley from last week’s race demonstrates some of the riding position stuff we’ve been working on.

Nobody’s perfect, of course (Davis took a tumble during this race), but he’s doing a lot of things right in this picture. Here’s what you can learn:

Head up—Davis is looking toward his goal—not at his front wheel, but where he wants to go next.

Eyes forward—Davis is looking at where he is GOING, not where he IS. He’s looking toward the “exit” of the turn, where he’ll start pedaling and accelerating as soon as he can.

Using both brakes—although the bike is leaned over and the wheel is slightly turned, there’s still enough traction to use both brakes. This photo was taken before the apex (middle) of the turn, so Davis is still braking (hard). He’ll let go of the brakes as soon as he sees the “exit” of the turn.

Weight balanced over bike and compact—his center of gravity (the middle of his body) is directly over the bike and centered, and the rest of his body (arms, legs, head) are close to the center as well. Davis seems to be using his outside (left) arm to apply pressure to the bars and provide a little counterbalance as the bike arcs into the corner.

Weight driving through the corner; bike doing the turning—the bike is taking a wide arc while his body is taking a “straighter” inside line through the turn. This maximizes his momentum, and keeps him moving toward the next section of trail, rather than taking a “longer” (and slower) route of swinging out and back.

“Hovering” above saddle—Davis is not sitting, but keeping his weight low, and in an aggressive stance that will allow him to shift his weight easily and quickly if he needs to make an adjustment. Plus, he is poised to start pedaling hard as soon as he exits the turn.

Pedals in a neutral position—his feet are at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, and it appears he has significant weight on the outside pedal to help him keep traction. If he needed more grip, he could put his outside pedal at 6 o’clock and drive it harder downward to increase traction.

Big ring—Davis is pushing the right gear for this flat terrain.

Proper gear—his helmet is fitted properly and he’s wearing eye protection and…uh, dude, where are the gloves?

In the lead—he’s ahead of the next rider!

 Fashion first—is that a great-looking kit or what?

Yah, it's a cellphone pic. But you can tell it was a beautiful day for a ride with Devin, Kyle, Kyle, Chris, Max, Willie, Will…along with Jackie, Josh, Ron, Eddy and Ken.

Thanks to the leadership of Senior Erik Rademacher and the hard work of our crew of 8 riders and coaches, the water will now run off Wagonwheel Trail and the south side fireroad on White's Hill. Giving back is an important part of what we do....

We've had some fun rides this summer, and in the midst of all the back-to-school craziness, we're getting geared up for the 2009 season. Look for information soon on signups, the Parents Meeting, practice schedules, etc. In the mean time, contact us at info at rhsmtb dot com or stop by our table at Club Day, Thursday, September 18th in the Ampitheater at lunch time.

RHSMTB sponsor Rob Hess (of Rob Hess & Co. Insurance) and teammate Tom Guerin took the Redwood High jersey to a familiar location--the podium at Folsom Lake--in a different sport: adventure racing.

Rob and Tom claimed 2nd in the Masters Division and 9th overall in a race combining mountain biking (of course), trail running, and kayaking.

Must be the jersey!