Taos Composite High School MTB Team Takes 2nd in Leadville!
Thirteen Taos Composite team high school athletes opened their fall race season on August 29th with the Cloud City Challenge at altitude in Leadville, Colorado. Riders completed 2 or 3 laps of a 6.2 mile course with over 600 feet of climbing per lap. There is a balance of ample passing on most of the uphill sections and fast singletrack through aspen and ponderosa trees. After graduating 7 seniors (half of our team) last year, our team is young, very strong, and already has developed an incredible vibe.
The first race of the day was JV Boys and Taos had 4 racers in the field of 100. Sophomore Rio Johnson, from Dixon who competes in road, gravel, and mountain bike events across the country, rode away from the field and took the win in the 2-lap race. Junior Hank Scanlan and Sophomore Jaden Rand each battled from the very back of the 100 rider field and, in spite of some mechanical challenges, they finished a very impressive 6th and 7th, respectively. Junior Jonah Gilroy passed 21 riders and secured a 45th place finish with his eyes on improving in each race.
Next, Bernice O’Reilly lined up for her first 3-lap Varsity race. She showed great consistency, which was her goal for the race, with less than 30 seconds separating each of her 3 laps, riding strong enough to finish in 12th. Bernice is our only Varsity rider this season as there is a process (based on last year’s results) to earn the Varsity upgrade and not many riders qualify.
Sophomore Olin O’Reilly represented Taos Composite in the Sophomore Boys 2-lap race. Olin settled into a strong pace and picked off several riders from his starting position of 22nd to finish 16th out of 58.
Our JV and Sophomore Girls started 5 minutes apart and also enjoyed great success. Junior Abby Thornton had a phenomenal ride, climbing and descending equally well and finishing in 2nd place with the fastest lap times of our girls. Only 3rd place was within less than 6 minutes of Abby’s finish time. Senior and Team Captain, Eleanor Breier, rode her heart out in her “first last race.” She showed power and mental focus and finished in the middle of the field in 19th. First time racer and brand new Taos Composite team member, Junior Elia Hurtado put on a show of her strength and determination jumping into the JV race. Her athleticism is evident along with her hockey training as she was able to pull off an 11th place finish with two very consistent lap times, something that doesn’t usually happen until a rider has a lot of experience.
Sophomore Ahliana Quintana de Andres is new to the team this year after starting mountain biking last fall. She brought so much joy to her race and, in spite of some nerves on the descents, she climbed very well and finished 16th out of 25 sophomores in her Colorado League debut.
Finally, after waiting all day, the Freshman Boys and Girls got the chance to race. The Freshmen race is a time trial for their first race of the season. Larka Schultz, the 2025 New Mexico 8th grade State Champion, stepped into the big leagues and had a phenomenal first race. She attacked and showed her experience and love of riding, finishing on the podium in 5th place. With 47 boys in the Freshman race, Troy Edmiston and Case Cook had their work cut out for them. Troy had a super fast first lap and, though he faded a bit on lap 2, he still finished in the top half in 22nd. Case crossed the line still determined in 33rd after a rough second lap.
In the Colorado League, teams with 13-24 riders compete in Division 2 where the top 10 point scorers count towards the team overall result. With 13 riders in Leadville, our team showed up with enough depth to finish 2nd in Division 2 (behind Grand Junction and ahead of Salida)!
A very special thank you to our food planners, shoppers, preparers, Iris Thornton and Rachel Conn with help from several parents at the race. This race weekend was sponsored by Ted Schupbach and Taos Veterinary Clinic. We literally could not offer the program we have without the support of all of our race sponsors, equipment sponsors, families, and volunteers. Thank you all! What our team has become is something special with such a positive, fun, inclusive, welcoming, family friendly culture. Camping together at races is a highlight where we all get to share in the vibe of race weekend.
We are looking forward to the next race in Eagle, Colorado on September 13 with this amazing team!
