SPONSORED CONTENT
By Jake Ingram
The CSU Mountain Biking Club had a Collegiate National Championships for the books! They took home 6th in D1 Club as a team, their endurance racers took home 16th and 11th, and 4 of their downhill racers were in the top 15! Rider Jake Ingram provides more detail:
Top racers from the CSU Rams Cycling team traveled to Missoula, Montana to compete in Mountain Bike Collegiate National Championships on October 20-22. This year we took 2 endurance racers, Oliver Stubbs and Korissa Straub, and 5 downhill racers, Jake Ingram, Kyle Carr, Andrew Eibling, Maris Rubenis, and Adam McAuliffe. The week long trip was filled with scenic views, lots of riding, and intense competition. The race was hosted at Marshall Mountain just outside of Missoula. We were given days to practice prior to racing which consisted of track walks, practice runs, and cardio training.
All of our racers competed in Division 1 club events. Oliver Stubbs and Korrisa Straub put down power to the pedals and came away with some impressive finishes in the endurance events: Cross-Country (XC), Short Track (STX), and Team Relay. Oliver finished 16th in XC and 24th in STX. Korissa finished 17th in XC and 11th in STX (season PR). They joined forces the final day at Marshall Mountain and laid down impressive times, leading them to an 8th place finish in the Team Relay event.
Adam McAuliffe was our only Dual Slalom racer and represented the Rams well. Dual Slalom consists of a gate drop, side by side racing on an identical course, consisting of berms, rollers, and jumps. He qualified into the 16 racer bracket and finished 15th.
Our downhill racers tore it up, putting 4 racers in the top 15 out of 37 entries in Division 1 club! The downhill course was a mix of fun flowy single track, double jumps, off-camber sections, and fast ski slope sections. Kyle Carr put down the fastest race run, earning him a 7th place position. Not far behind his time was Andrew Eibling, 9th place. Following was Adam McAuliffe, 11th place. Then, Jake Ingram rounding out the top 15. Maris Rubenis finished 24th, still a very respectable position considering the competition.
Now that the season is over it’s time to switch gears to new hobbies and pastimes, but don’t be fooled us bikers can never get away from two wheels!
Want to get your club’s news, events or games published on RamPage? Contact RamPage editor Michael Berg at mike.bergfoco@gmail.com
Your advertising and sponsorship support is appreciated. Contact Doug Hay at dhay@collegian.com to learn how you can advertise or sponsor RamPage.
