The CV High School cycling team finished a close second at last weekend’s race at Sycamore Canyon in Riverside. Though not first place, the performance was still considered strong as the team had several riders under the weather.

Sophomores Alexandar DeRoche and DeeAnna Lopez both put in impressive performances with DeRoche retaining his leader’s jersey, signifying the overall series points leader. Lopez finished a solid fourth place. Both had been sick in the days leading up to the race as had Daniel Rhyoo who finished 12th in the highly competitive freshman boys class.

Rhyoo was followed closely by teammate Soonhyuck Hong in 13th place. Sophomores Tobias Iven and Dylan Steinart finished ninth and 21st respectively.

CV’s freshman girls performed outstandingly with Brenna Pratt and Ellis Cobb finishing third and fourth.

In JV boys, Evan Cobb and Adam Rowton finished fourth and sixth respectively in the largest field of the day with 66 competitors.

Riding strong all day and in contention for the win, varsity rider Lucas Rowton had a little trouble at the end of the race, finishing sixth.

CV retains the overall series points lead after two races, 23 points up on the second place team South Orange County Composite.

Race No. 3 of the five race series takes place on March 24 at the Lake Perris recreation area in Riverside County.

The CV team took top honors at its season opener at the Vail Lake Resort in Temecula. Over 350 high school racers from 36 high schools competed in the So Cal High School League’s first of five races. The day was highlighted by podium placing by a majority of the team, including DeRoche and Iven taking first place and fourth places respectively in the men’s sophomore race.

The CV’s cycling program is 100% funded with sponsor support and team members knock on many doors to garner the support necessary to run the team. This year, the team raised over $10,000, a record amount for the program. Sponsors made it possible to outfit the team with complete professional race “kits” and provide support for the many other expenses required to compete at a high level.

The CV team took top honors at its season opener at the Vail Lake Resort in Temecula. Over 350 high school racers from 36 high schools competed in the So Cal High School League’s first of five races. The day was highlighted by podium placing by a majority of the team, including DeRoche and Iven taking first place and fourth places respectively in the men’s sophomore race.

In their inaugural competition, Brenna Pratt and Ellis Cobb finished third and fifth in the women’s freshman event while Lopez had her career best result with a third place in the women’s sophomore race.

Men’s JV racers Adam Rowton and Cobb finished fifth and sixth respectively, topped off by a strong ride by Lucas Rowton in the men’s varsity race to make the podium in fourth place. Points earned from the entire squad including freshmen Hong, Rhyoo and sophomore Steinert contributed to CV High, which earned the top spot in their division in the league.

“All our hard work this winter has paid off; everyone has put in a lot of miles of climbing in our local mountains, some days in the rain and sometimes in the snow,” said rider Iven. “I am really proud of our team and I think the best is yet to come.”

Head Coach Jim Rowton added, “We have a very dedicated group of students athletes. They have worked very hard to achieve these results [and] they have a lot to be proud of.”
Submitted by Jim ROWTON

  Jim ROWTON