Ellis Wins His Division at the CCCX Cross Country Mountain Bike Race

The Salinas High mountain bike team turned out in Ft. Ord on February 12, 2011 for the first local mountain bike race of the season.  Their goal was to test their legs and get some race experience before the first NorCal league high school race the following week. The team has been training 3 times a week since the beginning of the year and all the kids were anxious to test their legs.

What a thrill to see 3 Cowboys jump out to the front of a pack of 4 riders in the 14-18 age category on the first of 3 laps. By the second lap 2 Cowboys dropped back leaving Ellis and another rider to trade leads and race to the finish.

On the third and final lap, after more than an hour of racing, Ellis was able to stay in the front and hold off challenges by the second place rider. At the finish Ellis held just enough of a lead to avoid a sprint finish and a last ditch effort by the chasing rider to nip him at the line. Ellis rode to victory on his dad's old bike and wearing a pair of his dad's old shoes.

The Boys 14-18 podium saw 3 Cowboys, all 14 years old and 2 of them riding in their first race. This strong showing certainly bodes well for the High School races still to come.

At the end of the day, Ellis' time was the fastest of all the beginner heats in all age categories.

Nothing like a first place finish, and having your dad and grandfather on hand to watch (and photograph), to make the fatigue of the race go away quickly.