White Tanks Day 2 - AZ State MTB Championships

Day 2 of racing out at White Tanks was just as exciting as day one.  It was a winner take all state championship race, with a newly designed winners jersey on the line.  We, again, had 6 racers representing the Dynamix team.  This time, the girls outnumbered the boys, though.  For the girls we had Emma and Avery back for day 2 joined by Genevieve and Alana.  Liam and Barrett were back for day 2 racing in separate categories this time around.  The temperatures again soared well into the 90's making for a tough race.

The 11-12 boys and girls heading out

Up first was the 11-12 year old boys and girls.  Liam and Avery were off in this category racing strong.  Liam had another great start, getting the early lead.  He was passed on lap one and again held on for 2nd.  However, since the winner of the race was a non-resident, the top prize of the day went to Liam.  Avery had another solid performance, coming in 2nd overall in her category!

Barrett, Emma, Genevieve, and Alana were up next for the 9-10 category.  Emma got off the line and into the single track ahead of the entire pack.  She traded back and for with Genevieve for the lead for most of the first lap.  She was able to pass and hold on for the win.  Genevieve came in an impressive 2nd for her 2nd ever mountain bike race!  Her little sister, Alana, at age 7 was the youngest racer of the day.  This was her first shot at racing.  She made it through lap one in just 31 minutes, which is pretty impressive considering her age and size.  Barrett held strong for the entire race coming in a solid 2nd place, snagging a coveted podium spot.

9-10 boys and girls heading out

The final tally for the weekend:

8 podiums with 3 first place and 5 second place finishes
2 Arizona State MTB champions

Boys 11-12 podium

Girls 11-12 podium

Boys 9-10 podium

Girls 9-10 podium

We want to give a big thank you to all the parents who braved the heat to support our kids and to all of our amazing sponsors that make it all possible!  We couldn't do it without all the support!!  Next up...Arizona State Criterium Championships in April.  'Til then...

Dynamix Devo rockstars!

White Tanks Whirlwind - MBAA #4

White Tanks Whirlwind lived up to its name this weekend - truly a whirlwind of exciting races!  The team was out in full force this weekend, with races on both Saturday and Sunday.  The MBAA was up first with its 4th race of the series.  We had 6 racers on course for the Dynamix crew for the first race. For the girls, we had Avery and Emma racing in the 9-11 category.  The boys consisted of Karson for the 12-14 boys, and Liam, Barrett, and Silas for 9-11 boys.  With summer weather upon us and temperatures soaring into the mid-90's, all the racers were going to have to dig deep to finish.

Boys & Girls 9-11 off the start line

First up was Karson.  He was racing in a field of 21 riders, finishing a solid 14th.  He improved on his lap times from last year even though he had to race an extra lap this year.  He was consistent and solid for the entire race.

Karson was all focus out on course

The 9-11 boys and girls were up next.  Liam got out to an early lead with Barrett and Silas not far behind.  Liam was only able to hold the lead for the better half of lap one before being past.  He dug deep and held on to 2nd.  Barrett, who continues to improve with each race, came in a very strong 4th  - holding a steady pace for all 3 laps.  Silas, who was racing his first ever mountain bike race, finished 12th in a field of 25.  He didn't let pre-race jitters get the best of him and raced like a pro!

Silas looking strong in his first
ever MTB race

Liam making his way to a
2nd place finish

Barrett keeping a fast and steady
pace through all 3 laps

For the girls, Emma was first to the single track.  She was able to maintain her lead throughout the race.  Avery, who hasn't raced mountain bikes in almost a year, also had an amazing race.  She was taken down at the start by tangled handle bars, but didn't let that stop her.  She was dead last entering the single track, but clawed her way back up into a 2nd place finish!  These girls are no joke!

Emma flying on her way to her
4th MBAA victory of the season!

Avery overcame a crash at the start to
take 2nd in her filed of 7

Left:  Junior boys 9-11
Right:  Junior girls 9-11 (3rd place not available for podiums)

A BIG thank you to Deanna Young and Scott Wortendyke for the amazing race day photos!  With just 1 race in the MBAA series to go, it will be exciting to see how the season wraps up in June....stay tuned!!!

Kenda Cup West #1 - Vail Lake Resort

Last week, a group of us traveled to Temecula, California to take part in the first race of the Kenda Cup West series.  It was our first out-of-state trip, and everyone was very excited!  The race was held at Vail Lake Resort on a rolling, fast, and fun course.  We had 3 racers suiting up for the day - Emma racing girls 14 & under, Barrett racing boys 9-10, and Liam lining up for the boys 11-12.  The weather had been great all weekend...until race time.  The rain and wind came fast and furious!  Also complicating matters was the mass start the didn't distinguish who was racing in which category.  In spite all of this, the kids went out fast and strong and finished with solid times.  All 3 landed podium spots:  Liam and Barrett both came in 3rd, and Emma finished 4th as one of (if not the) youngest racers on the day.  We were very proud of their grit and determination in the face of difficult conditions!  Way to go Team Dynamix!!!

Getting ready to head out in the pouring rain and fierce wind

After the race, the sun was shining and the kids were all smiles!

Avondale Crit #2

Next up for the weekend was the Avondale Crit #2.  We had 3 racers out bright and early - Liam & Barrett for junior boys 9-12 and Emma for junior girls 9-12.  The boys had a game planned mapped out and stuck with it the entire race.  The each took turns working together to keep control for the entire race.  It came down to a sprint finish with Liam taking 1st and Barrett a close 2nd!  Emma jumped out to an early lead, hanging with the boys for the first part of the race.  She held that lead all the way until the end.  It was an awesome display of teamwork out there today, and we couldn't be more proud of these kids!!

Junior girls 9-12
1st place - Emma

Junior boys 9-12
1st place - Liam
2nd place - Barrett

Havasu Havoc

It was a busy race weekend for the Dynamix crew - starting with the MBAA series race #3 in Lake Havasu City.  4 racers made the long trek from the Valley to represent the team - Karson for junior boys 12-14, Barrett & Liam for junior boys 9-11, and Emma for junior girls 9-11.  The race was off to a good start for all of our racers.  Karson got stuck in traffic early on in lap one, but managed to pass a number of racers to move up to 11th overall for his race.  Liam got the early lead for his group with Barrett close behind.  Near the end of lap 1, Liam had an asthma attack, which took him down for nearly a minute.  Barrett held strong finishing 3rd - his first podium in the MBAA series!  Liam was able to recover enough to finish the race in 4th.  Emma was strong off the start and remained in the lead for the entire race, finishing nearly 15 minutes ahead of 2nd place!  Great job to all the racers on a tough, tough course in Havasu!

Junior boys podium 9-11
Barrett - 3rd

Junior girls podium 9-11
Emma - 1st

Sun Devil Criterium

The Dynamix crew was up bright and early at the Sun Devil Criterium in Tempe.  The venue was ASU campus, racing around the iconic Gammage Auditorium.  The juniors went off at 7:15am.  Racing for the team were Emma (junior girls 9-10), Barrett (junior boys 9-10), and Liam (junior boys 11-12).  The all had excellent starts, and all 3 came in for the win!  This was Barrett's 1st crit win of the season.  They got to celebrate on the podium by spraying sparkling cider at the crowd.  It was a very fun and memorable event!

It was a large juniors field at the Sun Devil Criterium!

Emma - Junior girls 9-10 winner

Barrett - Junior boys 9-10 winner

Liam - Junior boys 11-12 winner

After the race, we grabbed some breakfast and then headed up to South Mountain to tackle the Summit Road - a 15 mile+ ride with 1600+ft of climbing.  All 3 made it to the top at a pretty brisk pace!  This was Barrett's first time, and he killed it!  After racing early in the morning AND climbing to the top of South Mountain, they were all smiles and loving life!  Their dedication and enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring.  These kids ROCK!!!

Silly faces after conquering SoMo's Summit Road

Estrella Hedgehog Hustle

It was another exciting MBAA race this past weekend out at the Estrella Hedgehog Hustle in Avondale.  We couldn't have asked for better racing weather - sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's.  The fields were large - breaking the all time attendance record for this venue!  The Dynamix crew was out with 4 racers this time.  Representing the team in the junior boys 12-14 category was Karson, who was looking to move up in position after a solid 20th place finish at McDowell.  He had an excellent race - fast off the line and consistent for all 4 laps.  He finished 9th overall, bettering his position by 11 places over his last race.  Amazing job Karson!!

Barrett, Liam & Emma were up next in the junior boys and girls 9-11, all going off together.  All 3 were very quick off the line, entering the single track in the top 4.  Liam got a lead on the first climb and never looked back.  He finished 1st overall coming in 33 seconds ahead of 2nd place.

Barrett was out strong as well, gaining distance on most of the field during the long first climb.  He stayed strong and consistent, finishing 4th overall - moving up 2 places from last race.

Emma was right up with the boys at the start hitting the single track ahead of the other girls in her field.  She maintained her lead and built on it with each lap.  She came in over 7 minutes ahead of 2nd.

It was a wonderful weekend of racing!  We are very proud of all 4 racers and the progress they continue to make.  Each one of them is working hard and getting better every day.  They are an amazing group of kids that we are privileged to work with.  It is a lot of hard work, but we all have great fun and can't wait for the next race!!  A special thank you to Deanna Young for another set of amazing photos...you rock!!