The tires sloshed through the wet sandy soil as a series of lycra-clad teens climbed their way up a steep trail between the Joshua trees and juniper bushes. At the top they were greeted with a view spanning the entire Summit Valley and San Bernardino National Forest. The way down was faster with a couple yells of joy. This ride, south of Hesperia, is a typical practice for the Victor Valley composite mountain biking team.
This is not a team focused on winning leagues, titles or championships. It is a team focused on riding bikes as much as possible and racing on race day.
“If it’s cold out, well, we’re practicing, if it’s hot out we’re practicing, if it’s windy, rainy, it doesn’t matter,” said team director Eddie Rea. “These guys are into it, they want to ride their bikes.”
The team consists of about a dozen junior high school- and high school-aged student-athletes. The team offers two or three organized rides per week, occasional bicycle maintenance clinics, and discussion groups about healthy diet and lifestyle.
The focus may not be on winning, but a competitive spirit does flow through the team. Recent team graduate Wyatt Myers earned a college scholarship racing bicycles for Lyndsey Wilson College in Kentucky, and this season a team rookie took 44rd place in his first race ever, and 13th on his next race.
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While some teams in the league are focused on titles, Rea has a different approach. He focuses on developing a lifelong habit of healthy lifestyle.
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“These kids help me to stay motivated, to stay on the bike.”
The team is a part of the SoCal High School cycling League, which offers races throughout Southern California and a few road trips to Northern California. The team trains from November through May. It next travels to Keysville and then prepares for the state championships in May.
Information about the race series and league can be found on the websites socaldirt.org and nationalmtb.org.
To participate or to contact the team, email vvhstraildogs@gmail.com.
Source: vvdailypress.com/articles/team-46130-valley-composite.html
