Middle School MTB Team Race #1 – Glorieta, NM
On August 22-23, 2026, the Taos Composite middle school mountain bike team kicked off their fall race season with New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League (www.newmexicomtb.org) on the trails at Glorieta. Nine athletes were able to compete in the unique, early season, 3-mile individual time trial event. Riders started one at a time, 15 seconds apart. The race was much shorter than the usual events but served as a great first race warm up. Taos had 4 first time competitors in addition to more experienced racers. A giant thunderstorm resulted in no pre-ride for the team the afternoon before the race. Set in some beautiful forest terrain, the course was accessible to all levels with some wider road sections, some smooth singletrack, and some fun berms.
Now for the stories of race day…
A very special shout out to first time racer, Samara Dean, who broke her chain ½ mile into the race and proceeded to run and coast the rest of the way with no thought of abandoning the race. She showed true determination and had a positive attitude the whole way. Talk about a proud moment for her sister, parents, and the whole team! First time racers, Declan MacDavitt, Willow Froelich, and Autumn Brody had fun and showed that they were ready to race. Autumn reported, “It was super fun and I liked the berms. It was the fastest I’ve ever gone on a bike!”
Our most experienced middle school riders compete in the 8th grade A division (Kalia Velarde, Amaya Dean, June Thornton, and Malcolm Breier). They certainly showed their strength and skills, all finishing on the podium. Malcolm was the fastest Taos rider and secured a 3rd place finish in the Boys 8th A race (just 4 seconds from 2nd place). He was especially pleased to report that his cornering was the best it’s ever been. Kalia, Amaya, and June were each only 2 seconds apart, even though they never saw each other on the course, finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th! Kalia was 9 seconds from 1st place so it will be a fun season to watch this division.
Taos had 2 in the 7th grade boys race, Declan MacDavitt and Bridger Smith. Declan was incredibly calm and focused on the start and made his racing debut with a strong 7th place. Bridger finished 11th and shared, “I had a rough start and probably shouldn’t have been wearing my backpack for such a short race but the berms were really, really fun!”
Our 6th grade girls mixed it up right from the start with Willow Froelich finishing 2nd, followed by Autumn Brody less than 30 seconds behind in 3rd place. Samara Dean finished in spite of her mechanical trouble and is looking forward to a great race next time with her brand new chain!
The team stood out for supporting each other as well as riders from other teams and received recognition from the league for this. This is something to be really proud of as we always strive to balance competition, fun, and community.
A very special thank you to all of the parents who are so adept at supporting and keeping the positivity strong throughout the weekend. Our new parents jumped right in and are already making an impact. Finally, a huge thank you to Ted Schupbach and Taos Veterinary Clinic for sponsoring this race! We cannot make this happen without our amazing sponsors.
The first high school race is August 29 in Leadville, Colorado and the next middle school race will be in the Zuni Mountains in 2 weeks!
RESULTS:
8th grade A boys
Malcolm Breier 3rd
8th grade A girls
Kalia Velarde 2nd
Amaya Dean 3rd
June Thornton 4th
7th grade boys
Declan MacDavitt 7th
Bridger Smith 11th
6th grade girls
Willow Froelich 2nd
Autumn Brody 3rd
Samara Dean 7th
