The Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike Team kicked off its seventh season with the Battle of Bartram.
Over the years, the team has evolved into multiple squads and has continued to do so in 2023.
Carrying over from previous years, Team Cartecay includes the Gilmer Cartecay Composite squad, representing riders from the Berean Homeschool Co-op; Gilmer Cycling, representing riders from the Gilmer County School System and the Cohutta Composite squad, which includes all remaining riders on the team.
The Battle of Bartram was held in Milledgeville Sept. 9.
Athletes training with the Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike Team would not be surprised to come across a bear during practice, spot multiple deer on the trail, and can differentiate a black rat snake from a copperhead at speed. Gilmer County is a blessing of a setting to undertake a rigorous physical training schedule.
Team Cartecay was well prepared for their first race and finished fourth.
JV 2 Boys (10.6 miles): David Sullivan (Gilmer Cartecay), 34th place. Hunter McCree (Cohutta Composite), 52nd. Brayden Harbin (Cohutta), 59th. Micah Slemons (Cohutta), 60th.
JV 2 Girls (10.6 miles): Petra Giet, 12th.
JV 1 Girls (Invitation only - 10.6 miles): Evangelina Giet (Cartecay) 5th place. Clare Moore (Cartecay), 6th place.
JV 1 Boys (invitation only – 15.9 miles): Jayden Calabretta (Cohutta), 34th.
Freshman Girls (10.6 miles): Bella Cianciolo (Cohutta), fourth.
The lone Gilmer Cycling athlete representing Gilmer High School was freshman Ryley Fields, who rode to an impressive sixth-place finish.
Coach Larry Alonso praised Fields for his “heroic effort while displaying gusty perseverance and determination in the face of difficult circumstances.”
Middle School Girls: Jubilee Giet (Gilmer Cartecay) pedaled to a strong 11th place finish.
Freshman Boys (10.6 miles): Asher Sullivan (Gilmer Cartecay), one of three brothers riding on the team, earned a 46th place finish.
Middle School Boys: Leo Alonso (Gilmer Cartecay), seventh. Justice Giet (Gilmer Cartecay) 15th place, and Nico Cianciolo (Cohutta) 20th. Miles Slemons (Cohutta) crashed, yet battled back to complete his race despite a mechanical malfunction.
This year’s senior riders include David Sullivan, Brayden Harbin, Petra Giet and Jayden Calabretta. Sullivan was honored with a Platinum colored race plate for competing seven years in the Georgia Cycling Association.
NGCA hits the trail
The North Georgia Christian Academy Knights added competitive mountain biking to their interscholastic sport offerings for 2023.
NGCA competed in Milledgeville as well. Two riders make up the inaugural squad and includes 10th grader Lazarus Alonso and seventh grader Lucy Nell Alonso.
The NGCA Knights are a registered team with the Georgia Cycling Association (GCA), who provides the statewide framework for the youth mountain bike league.
Practice for the NGCA team began in July, with a thrice-weekly practice schedule featuring orientation to bikes, bike handling skills and fitness training leading to a four-race regular season schedule sprinkled across September and October.
Lazarus Alonso competed in the JV 2 Division. He overcame a challenging randomly assigned starting position, and passed 23 racers on the singletrack course to finish 55th in his first race.
Lucy Nell Alonso placed 12th in her race and scored an overall first-place finish in the female skills competition.
North Georgia Christian Academy and Team Cartecay will both race again Sept. 24th at the Clash at the Creek at Allatoona Creek Park in Acworth.