NICA:
www.nationalmtb.org
NorCal High School Cycling League:
www.norcalmtb.org
Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club:
www.hcmtb.org
One of the most inspirational developments to come out of the world of USA mountain biking has been the explosive growth of high school racing. This month we reached out to coach Sean Robertson to learn about the Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club in Northern California.
Team name?
Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club, or HCMTB.
Where did the name come from?
Our county. We are a regional composite team.
Which league do you race with?
The NorCal High School Cycling League in the North Conference.
When was the team started?
2016.
How many boys and how many girls are on the team? Any athlete spotlights?
Our team had 28 members in 2019, with five girls and 23 boys. Of that number, 17 raced through the season. We won the Composite team trophy for four of the five league races and finished number one overall for the season. We had podiums in almost every category, with our highlights being Meigan Butler’s second overall in Varsity Girls, Elizabeth Odell’s first overall in JV Girls, Vivian Gerstein’s fourth overall in Sophomore Girls, Kyle Kroeker’s fourth overall in Sophomore Boys, and Rocco Previde’s 10th overall in Freshman Boys. It was our best season ever thanks to our great coaches and Tempo Endurance training program.
What is your favorite course?
Granite Bay, because it is the most flowy, technical and fun course.
Any team or school fun facts?
We have six schools represented on our team from all over the county, including middle schools. We probably travel the furthest to the NorCal races but have a really great time, especially when we camp out. We feel so lucky to train in the beautiful redwood forests, although springtime is pretty wet and our hills are very steep. All of that makes us Humboldt-tough, though!