Folsom High Cycling Team Medals again in 4 of 6 Divisions Entered at NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League (NorCal) Race #2 at Granite Bay.

Folsom, CA – Building on the momentum generated in Monterey, Folsom High Cycling came away from NorCal Race #2 in Granite Bay, California again with four podium finishes out of six divisions entered. Another monstrous field of mountain bike racers greeted the Folsom High squad in Granite Bay and they responded with full throttle rides from Karli Haugen, 4th in Varsity Girls, Shasta McMillen 2nd in Sophomore Girls, Justin Stofan 5th in Sophomore Division I Boys and Kyle Luther with another 4th in Freshman Division I Boys.

Shasta McMillen led her division from the start, lost the lead in the sand pit just before the end of the first lap then battled to take the lead again before a spill in the mud bog relegated her to a strong second place. Karli Haugen, a Junior at Folsom High, led the team in points again with a fourth place finish in the Girls Varsity.

Folsom High’s Freshman Boys did not fare as well in Granite Bay. Kyle Luther finished in fourth for the second straight race but his teammates Sam Wahmoff, coming off a week off of cycling while at the State Band Competition, struggled to a 13th place finish while Wisam Alhamad had a great ride ruined by the infamous mud bog. Justin Stofan made the podium again with fifth in Sophomore Boys. Justin was mired in traffic much of the race but managed to wheelie through the mud bogs to stay ahead of his competition. Shannan Listberger again had a solid top 15 finish despite a crash in the sand at the start. Megan Marshall and Shelli Coverdale surprised the team with their great efforts earning top 8 overall points for the team. Megan made a huge improvement by finishing 15th in Sophomore Girls after a disappointing 23rd place showing in Monterey.

A combination of 8 male/female team riders can score points for a Division I team in the NorCal Team Championship. Folsom High ranked 7th for Division I teams after the final points tally.

Special team kudos go out to Junior Zach Bailey for improving 13 positions from his Monterey result and Brent Keeler for his improved performance in Sophomore boys. Frosh boy, James Amort and Andrew Ambrosino, had a solid top 20 rides and both are gaining time on the competition. Look for James and Andrew to move up in the standings as the races start to involve more climbing.

The Folsom High Cycling team is looking forward to returning to the Salinas area with NorCal Race #3, the Pilarcitos Canyon at Fort Ord on April 5th. The team will be moving its training to the higher elevations of Auburn in preparation for the remaining NorCal races. Folsom High Cycling would like to thank all of its sponsors for help in making this season possible especially Bicycles Plus in Folsom, Schatz & Krum Independent BMW-Porsche, Garner Products, The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, SMUD, DC Architects, and REI.

Folsom High Cycling Contact Information: Jason McMillen, Team Director 916-804-7240 j.mcmillen@mac.com

The NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League, founded in 2000, is a non-profit organization open to students from both public and private schools. The League provides coaching and camaraderie to help students achieve both competitive and non-competitive cross-country mountain biking goals in a safe and enjoyable manner. Each season includes a Coaches Training Conference, winter riding camps, the six-race series, and a variety of summer camps. For more information visit www.norcalmtb.org or call (510) 653-2453.