Colorado Mountain College’s campus in Leadville transformed into a mountain bike course on Sept. 22 when cyclists competed at the Cloud City Challenge, a cross-country mountain biking race for ninth- to 12th-graders.
The race is part of a four-race series held by the Colorado High School Cycling League. A total of 450 students from around the state participated in the race, according to Kate Rau, the Colorado High School Cycling League director.
“The Leadville campus trail system combined with the Lake County trails maintained by the Cloud City Wheelers is conducive to a lot of course options,” Rau said. “The trails are very versatile, allowing some more technical options for advanced riders.”
The students competed in teams with up to 30 riders from both private and public high schools. The race series started in Granby Sept. 8, moving to Leadville and then to Elbert Oct. 6. The Haymeadow Classic, the final race and state championship, will be held in Eagle Oct. 20.
The Colorado League focuses on developing strong mind, bodies and characters by engaging high school students in competitive cycling. It also offers summer camps to prepare racers for the upcoming season.
The Colorado League was established in 2009 and is an associate of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). NICA is a national governing body for grades 9-12 inter-scholastic cross-country mountain biking.
For more information about the race and the Colorado League, visit www.coloradomtb.org.