Local kids win mountain bike series

Submitted by James Carrillo

 On Sunday, May 3rd, the Newport Beach Composite Mountain Bike racing team clinched the team title in the inaugural season of the new SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League.  The 2009 SoCal League had 15 high-school teams with over 100 racers that competed in races at Vail Lake, Warner Ranch, Lake Arrowhead, culminating in last weekend's finals in beautiful Los Olivos. 

The Newport team benefited from consistent and outstanding performances by all members during the 4 race series.  In the overall points standings for the series, Harbor senior Matts Hanssens finished 3rd overall in Boys Varsity division.  Leila Carrillo and Rachael Somerville dominated the Frosh/Soph girls division by finishing every race in first and second place.  In the Frosh/Soph boys class, CDM's Peter Morris battled several other strong riders all season to finish 3rd in the overall points series including a victory at Warner Ranch.  Jesse Carrillo and Shane Somerville also raced in the tough Frosh/Soph class, turning in consistent performances to bolster the teams' point lead. 

The team will be traveling to the State Championships at Boggs Mountain in Northern California to compete against the more established NorCal league on May 17th.  The competition and course will be the most challenging of the year. The riders will proudly represent the Newport-Mesa area and the team sponsors: The John Wayne Cancer Foundation http://www.teamduke.org and Two Wheels One Planet bike shop.  To join or find out more information about the Newport Beach Composite team, please visit http://cdmmtb.com.

The SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League was organized to provide a well-defined race season for junior racers and to promote the formation of teams at public and private high schools. With the cooperation of local race promoters and sponsors, they put together a first-class series of races designed for high-school aged riders. The League is working to make high school racing the easiest way for juniors to get involved in the challenging and exciting world of competitive cycling. For more information about the SoCal Interscholastic Cycling League, please visit http://socaldirt.org.  For a complete listing of results, please visit http://socaldirt.org/race/results.htm