The high school mountain bike season started April 17 with the first race on the North Shore, and already Chatelech is positioning itself as a team to beat.
The senior girls team looks to be very strong again this season. Coming into this season as defending champions, Chatelech racers placed first, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth in the first race with Emily Duncan Hansen leading the way with her first-place finish. (See all the results in the sports ticker on page 42.)
"We have a large senior girls and a senior boys team and certainly our girls, as defending champs, will be strong again," said coach Dave Marquis. "I would expect similar results from the girls. They are all pretty strong riders."
Last year the high school race series ran while the teachers' contract dispute with the provincial government was in full swing, which meant many schools didn't field teams.
This season, according to Marquis, most of the schools are back and ridership appears to be on the rise.
"We will have another strong boys team too, but Whistler and Howe Sound from Squamish will also be tough," he said.
Other notable finishes from race one was a second-place finish from Sage Randle in junior girls, and a fifth-place finish from Jacques Martiquet in senior boys.
Race two in the series was at Sprockids Park in Gibsons on Wednesday. Results were unavailable at press time.
