STEAMBOAT SPRINGS - The Nederland High School Mountain Bike team raced on September 7 in Steamboat Springs at The Showdown at the Boat, fighting hard and taking third place in Division Two. 

The Steamboat course is known for its long uphills and twisty descents, with 51 grueling downhill corners in all. And even though the climb to the top of the famed Howelson Hill was brutal, the day was perfect for the Nederland riders, with a light rain early in the morning helping tame the dusty course. 

The girls showed up strong again this week. Amika Begin raced fast to stay on the podium, grabbing 5th in Junior Varsity girls, and Maddie Perry was close behind her in 11th. Cody Waldron moved up two places to land in 10th for sophomore girls.

Jonny Moss, despite being sick, had another amazing race. He started in 25th place in sophomore boys and dug deep to land in 6th place, one spot away from that podium. Finn Fitzer raced for the first time since breaking his collarbone, showing a lot of grit on this challenging course.

The freshmen boys are getting stronger and more confident with each race. Felix Miller started out in 71st, as he wasn’t able to race in the season’s first race to get ranked. He passed 50 other riders to come in at an impressive 22nd place. Tyler Begin took 15th and Legend Teller was hot on his heels in 16th. 

Overall, it was a great race and the Nederland riders all met or exceeded their goals. There were some crashes and many valuable lessons learned, which will help them as they move forward to their next race, in Eagle on September 20. 

Thanks again to our generous sponsors, Nederland Veterinary Hospital, Eldora, Justin’s, Rudy’s, Fitzer Electrical Contracting, and Tin Shed Sports.