Hayfield Hustle in the Zuni Mountains with the Middle School Team

The Taos Composite middle school MTB team attended the Hayfield Hustle in the Zuni Mountains outside of Gallup for race #2 of the New Mexico NICA series. Most of the team camped together at the venue, a wide open 3-mile, mostly flat course with some fun twists and turns. The spectating was prime and the weather was perfect for the morning middle school races. The nerves that several of our racers felt at the first race of the season seemed to be mostly diminished as they lined up bravely to give it their all.

For our 8^th grade A racers, this was their first 3-lap race, quite a change from a 2-lap race. The focus was on pacing, consistency, and curiosity to see how it would be to race an extra lap.

Malcolm Breier and Elliot Conn lined up for the 8^th grade A race. They both charged off the start as they led out the group and tried to stay in front of the dust cloud as they completed 3 laps on the course. Elliot, in his first race of the season and fighting a cold, finished 3^rd with Malcolm close behind in 4^th. Elliot’s 3 laps were very consistent while Malcolm’s first lap was faster. Elliot had the fastest 3^rd lap in the 8^th grade A boys race.

In the 7^th grade boys race, first year racer Declan MacDavitt finished 4^th and Bridger Smith finished 6^th. They rode super strong. With more experience, their lap consistency will improve. They both improved their finish placements since the first race.

Kalia Velarde, June Thornton, and Amaya Dean are Taos Composite’s powerhouse 8^th grade A division girls. Kalia had a challenging race with a rider from Sandia Prep leading the first lap and then fighting hard to not let Kalia drop her the second and third laps. Kalia ended up persevering with smart race tactics and impressive consistency to win the race by 11 seconds. June Thornton exploded onto the course and settled into a phenomenal pace, absolutely charging through the corners and showing how much fun she was having. She finished 3^rd, also riding 3 very consistent lap times. Amaya Dean, a strong rider who considers herself a climber, did her best on the flat course and rode to a very solid 4^th place.

Olivia Seim raced the 2-lap  8^th grade B event in her first race of the season. With other obligations keeping her off the bike recently, she came into race weekend with grit and determination. She did a great job finding her flow and finished in 6^th place.

The 7^th grade girls started 2 minutes after the 8^th grade A race and 1 minute after 8^th grade B. Taos Composite rider, Lhotse Johnson, was simply inspiring to watch as she worked her way through all of the 8 grade B field and most of the 8^th grade A field in her 2-lap race on her way to a commanding win. Lhotse also turned in the fastest lap time of all Taos Composite riders.

Our final race was the 6^th grade girls with Autumn Brody and Samara Dean representing Taos. Samara Dean was ready to see what she could do after her mechanical challenges in the first race of the season. The teammates had fun trading back and forth for most of the 2 lap race, with Autumn eventually taking 2^nd and Samara 3^rd.

Coach Isla Chavez (former Taos Composite high school Varsity racer and UNM student) was “super impressed by the determination and fun this team brought to the race!”

This race was sponsored by our wonderful team supporters (and family), CivicTech! Thank you! We also thank all of the incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic parents, siblings, and grandparents who were there to feed, encourage, hug, cheer, take photos, and represent the team in such a positive way.

The next middle school race will be on Sunday September 20^th at Oak Flats where our team will get to showcase  their strength in rockier, more technical terrain with a bit more elevation change. We invite you to come on out and cheer them on!