The St. Francis Mountain Bike Team is rolling through its second successful season. The SFHS Mountain Bike Team has attracted over 20 students who have been training and racing since early December. With weekly rides and skills clinics, many students who have never raced a mountain bike before are experienced enough to now compete against other high school students.  Coaches Lee Bird (parent), Patrick Donovan (teacher) and Nick Gualtieri (alumni) have been instrumental in educating the team about appropriate bicycle mechanics, racing skills, necessary nutrition and effective athletic conditioning in preparation for the races.
As part of the So Cal Interscholastic Cycling League, the team opened its season at Vail Lake near Temecula on March 14 with a race consisting of rollercoaster style single track and fast fire road climbs. The second race of the season took place at Warner Springs Ranch on March 28 and consisted of fast swoopy single track over rolling grassy hills with many grazing horses and cows amongst the setting. Wicked winds and a chilling 40-degree temperature set the stage for race number three, the Lake Arrowhead Challenge, which was on April 11.

The route was a mixture of winding single track, double track and fire roads in the San Bernardino National Forest. Each mountain bike race course is approximately six miles long and participants ride multiple laps of the course during each race.
The final competition this season will take place on May 2 in the hills of Los Olivos.  Check out the Golden Knights in action (video included) on the team’s blogspot at: www.stfrancisracing.blogspot.com.