Team Cartecay youth mountain bikers rode with endurance and precision at the Georgia Cycling Association’s Challenge at the Creek Sept. 21.
The Allatoona Creek racecourse is well known for its very narrow, tree-lined trails and exposed roots that threaten to shake loose bike parts and dental fillings. Cartecay High School riders covered the 5.4-mile loop twice for a total race distance of 10.8 miles, completing lap splits in as little as 26 minutes.
Fielding a total of eight athletes, Team Cartecay had six cyclists with top-10 finishes and a 27th-place result out of a competitive field of 70 riders.
Elayna Broyles reproduced her third-place finish from her first race with another podium visit, taking third in the freshman girls category, followed by her teammate Lucy Nell Alonso placing eighth.
Calvin Bash, returning for his first race following a broken clavicle, raced to a photo finish for second place in the 70-person JV-2 category, missing first by one second. Senior teammate Micah Slemons turned in a steady, powerful ride for 27th in the JV-2 category.
Freshman boys class rider Miles Slemons landed on the podium in fourth place, fighting off a pack of racers in a sprint finish. It marked the first podium visit for Slemons, who saw his dedication, hard work and patience pay off with a medal. Freshman teammate Nickolas Hollifield fought off a crash at the start of his race to battle back to 11th, reeling in a bevy of riders who gained advantage from the misfortune.
Taking first for the first time, Leo Alonso, riding in the seventh grade boys class, bested the competition with an all-out sprint to win the day. Alonso took third at the first race of the season in Milledgeville.
Sixth grader Anna Farrow met her individual goal of moving up two spots from her previous race, finishing eighth for the day in the sixth grade girls category.
Next up for Team Cartecay was the Dash at Dauset in Jackson Oct. 6. The Dauset Trails will offer a completely new, reworked course for the 2025 season.