Mountain Biking at Five Springs Farm

Marin Catholic Mountain Bike Team… Saturday, April 23, 2016: What a beautiful day for the final bike race of NorCal’s regular season, on a private ranch called Five Springs Farm in Petaluma, that the family opened up for the league! The clay soil covered with bright green grass got some rain on Friday, but we were so blessed with a wonderfully sunny and breezy Petaluma day for Saturday’s racing.

Freshmen boys and sophomore girls raced for two laps, which is a total of 13 miles and 1700 vertical feet of climb, including stunning views of San Francisco and the bay. JV Boys covered three laps, so their day looked more like 19.5 miles and 2550 feet of climbing. After having three of our athletes out due to injuries in the previous race, we were pleased all of our riders were able to be in the line-up for this one, and in our own backyard of Petaluma. Marin Catholic’s highpoint for the day was freshman Kyle Hammer of Novato, who ‘podiumed' and took third place in the D2 Freshman field of 56 racers. Kyle, that was awesome! And what a treat to have Kyle’s grandparents, Heinz and Lynne Mertens, there to share the day. D2 Sophomore girl Siena McGibben of Fairfax placed seventh today, in a competitive field of 19 girls. She continues her quest for a podium. Come on, Siena! 

 

We are proud of each of our riders, who dedicate hours and miles on the trail, without whom this sport doesn’t exist. All our student-athletes are scheduled to compete in the NorCal finals at Laguna Seca in two weeks, and five of our riders are currently qualified for the state meet in Los Olivos mid-May. We are so appreciative of our coaches, who selflessly share their time, their expertise, and their guidance. And we are so thankful for our supportive families, who set up, prepare food, spend the day, pack up, and combined overall make this sport - and days like these - not only possible, but a true reflection of what the MC community can and should be. Go Cats!