MBAA #3 - Havau Havoc

Race #3 in the MBAA series took us out to Lake Havasu City for the Havasu Havoc.  We had our largest group to date with 12 juniors toeing the line.  Up first was the boys.  Junior 13-14 had Liam and Ty lining up, the boys 11-12 was represented by Luke M. and Barrett, 9-10 boys had Luke W., and Maks & Axel rounded out the boys in the 6-8 category.

The 13-14 boys took off first and fast!  Liam and Ty worked together for much of the race and finished 6th and 7th respectively in a stacked field.

Next up was the 11-12 boys.  Both Barrett and Luke M. had solid races coming in 4th and 10th respectively.

Luke W. was able to race his way to a 5th place finish in boys 9-10.

Rounding out the boys was Maks and Axel finishing 1st & 2nd respectively.  It was a solid day of racing for all 7 boys!

Next up was the girls categories.  Taking the line in the 11-12 group was Bella, Avery, and Hannah.  All 3 girls rode their hearts out and had great results finishing 3, 4, 5 respectively.

Emma and Vicki were the last to head out on course for the girls 9-10.  Emma took the win with Vicki close behind in 2nd.

The Havasu course is challenging with lots of climbs, loose and tight turns, and a few technical descents.  The team handled the course extremely well and we are very proud of all 12 of them!

Next up....MBAA #4 at White Tanks.

MBAA #2 - Estrella Hedgehog Hustle

The 2nd MBAA race in the series was out at Estrella Mountain Park in Avondale, AZ.  The course for this race was much different than race #1.  While the laps were shorter, the entire course was strewn with loose rock and punchy climbs.  We had 8 riders suit up for the challenge of Estrella.  For the boys we had Liam and Ty back for the 13-14 race, Barrett and Luke battling in the 11-12, and Maks & Axel for 6-8 boys.

The boys were off first.  Liam got the hole shot into the single track and was able to maintain his lead for the first lap.  He was faded towards the end, but was able to hold on for a 4th place finish.  Ty improved dramatically from his first race.  He was also off to a fast start and hung on for 7th!  Barrett and Luke were off next.  Both boys improved over race #1, with Barrett snagging his first MTB podium of the year in 3rd and Luke moving up to 8th place overall.  Maks and Axel also had impressive races, finishing 1st and 3rd respectively with only 11 seconds separating them.






























Up next we had our girls, with Bella racing 11-12 and Emma back in 9-10.  The overall improvement for out team continued with Bella having her best race yet and snagging her first podium spot of the year in 2nd place!  Emma continued to dominate her category, again finishing 1st by a 2 minute margin.


























Congratulations again to all the racers!  It is so awesome to see everyone improving with each race.  Next stop....Lake Havasu City!

Team Skills Clinic with CZ Racing and Bicycle Haus of Scottsdale

Our team was fortunate enough to be able to spend an evening with the CZ Racing team at a local park learning some fundamental skills to improve balance and overall performance.  Coach Jason Tollous, who also runs Tenac Championship Coaching, lead the clinic with the CZ racers on hand to help individuals with their skills.  We had over 15 kids participating in such activities as track standing, grabbing water bottles off the ground while riding, and riding patterns throughs cones.  Everyone did a great job and had a lot of fun!  Afterward, we pedaled over the Bicycle Haus of Scottsdale where the kids were treated to a pizza dinner courtesy of the shop.  We want to give a huge THANK YOU to CZ Racing, Coach Tollous, and Bicycle Haus for putting on the event and supporting our riders.  You left a huge & positive impression on these youngsters that continues to motivate each one of them!

Arizona State Cyclocross Championships - Crossroads Park

With the AZCross Series wrapped up, there was only 1 race left on the season - AZ State Championships.  The course was nearly the same as the previous day, but in the reverse direction.  Some felt this was easier while others found it more challenging than the previous day.  The barricades were moved to a steep run-up on the back side of the course, which was very difficult.  The temperatures dropped again overnight, leaving cold and frost conditions.

The same crew lined up again for day 2 - Liam, Barrett, Giovanni, Luke, Bella, Avery, and Emma.  The boys were again off first.  Liam took the lead on lap one, but a crash in a corner found him quickly back in 2nd.  He didn't have enough in him to regain the lead, finishing the race in 2nd.  Luke again snagged 5th, completing his season very strong!  Barrett and Giovanni finished 7th and 8th respectively.

The girls were off fast.  Bella, Avery and Emma were locked in a battle for 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  Emma and Bella distanced themselves from Avery with Bella overtaking Emma for 2nd.  Emma finished 3rd and Avery 4th.





Even though we walked away without a state title this year, it was a successful CX season on so many levels.  Our team grew by 3 riders from last year.  We watched Luke, who was new to CX at the start of the season, improve each week and consistently factor in the top 5.  We welcomed Bella and Giovanni, who recently relocated from the midwest, to the crew.  Most importantly was the friendships and bonds that developed between these awesome little racers!  The memories made will last a lifetime.  We are looking forward to the start of the MBAA season and more races and good times together as a time.

See you all in January!

AZCross #10 - Series Finale at Crossroad Park

This cyclocross season was blessed with warm, dry weather all season.  There were a couple of storms that we narrowly missed.  But the series finale saw a significant change to all that!  A storm blew through the day before dropping some rain, but significantly dropping the temperatures.  The wind was also a factor as the kids lined up for the series finale.

For the boys, we had Luke, Barrett, Giovanni and Liam taking the line.  Bella, Emma, and Avery lined up for the girls.  The course was arguably the most difficult of the season.  The park was flooded just a few days before, which took away a large portion of the planned route.  The last minute changes added a very difficult and technical section with steep drops and climbs, deep ruts, and loose sand.  It was sure to provide a huge challenge to the juniors categories.

The boys were off first.  Liam was locked in with Randy for the first lap, but just didn't have enough in the tank to stay with him.  Randy came in 1st with a commanding lead, followed by Ty and Liam for 2nd and 3rd.  Luke and Barrett were again locked in a battle.  Barrett crashed over the barricades, allowing Luke to get a sizable lead.  Luke snagged 5th on the day with Barrett coming in 7th.  Giovanni rounded out the boys field in 8th place.























Next up were the girls.  There were 2 newcomers to the series visiting from Europe.  They took commanding leads right off the start line and never looked back.  Bella had a great race and was able to come in first for the DD girls and 4th overall.  Emma and Avery came in 5th and 6th respectively.

The conditions proved tough for the team, but everyone fought hard to finish the race and complete the series.

The AZ Cross series podiums & awards were handed out shortly after the race.  For boys 9-14, Liam took the series crown for the 2nd consecutive year.  Emma snagged with series winner's jersey as well for the 2nd straight year.  Avery took 3rd overall in the series.
































Everyone did a great job this year and are all looking forward to the return of AZ Cross next fall!