NICA Team of the Month: Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club

NICA:
www.nationalmtb.org

NorCal High School Cycling League:
www.norcalmtb.org

Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club:
www.hcmtb.org

Team shot taken in the Arcata Community Forest.

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.

Kyle Kroeker, sophomore Division 2, getting the holeshot at Fort Ord, the third race of the season. Photo taken by Don Kroeker, Kyle’s grandfather.

Team name?

Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Club, or HCMTB.

Elizabeth Odell, Meigan Butler and Vivian Gerstein wearing their medals at the Six Sigma Race.

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.

Ethan Hunt, junior Division 2, getting some air at Fort Ord.

Elizabeth Odell grinding it out at Six Sigma Ranch.

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.

Meigan Butler at Fort Ord.

What is your favorite course?

Granite Bay, because it is the most flowy, technical and fun course.

From left to right: Elizabeth Odell in the leader jersey, a junior who placed first in her division for the season; Morgan Harper; Vivian Gerstein, a sophomore who placed third overall in her division for the season; Meigan Butler, a senior who placed second overall in her division for the season; Blake Vogt; Kyle Kroeker, a sophomore who placed fourth overall in his division for the season; and Anders Johnson. Photo taken at Six Sigma Ranch and Winery.

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!

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