School launches bike team

Sisters High School's newest team is off to a flying start.

The mountain bike team is open to anyone with a passion for mountain biking and is under the supervision of teacher Mark Keel.

There is no special criteria for joining.

"Members can be non-competitive and just come to our training rides, but competition is available for those who want it," said Keel.

The team rides after school on Tuesday and Thursday and on Saturday mornings.

The idea of a mountain bike team has been around the school for a while. Until Keel came to Sisters this year there hadn't been anyone to take it on.

"I saw the tremendous potential here in Central Oregon for mountain biking and started asking around to see who the mountain bike riders were at school," Keel said. "It has been strictly word of mouth, and we are gradually growing."

Presently there are seven members; seniors Brandon Overstreet and Logan Godsiff; juniors Anna Morton, Nick Yopp and Jeff Boswell; and sophomores Connor Burck and Nick Pierce.

The competitions are under the umbrella of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association, which has set up a high school race series.

The high school racers will then have their own state final at a later date to determine riders who continue on to regional and national high school competitions.

While the high school series is brand new this year, the high school racers do not compete in any special category.

"These kids are competing against pros and hard core racers, some of the best in the state," Keel said. "They don't get treated any differently."

The Sisters athletes have competed in two races and are presently in second place among 11 schools, behind Summit, with Sprague of Salem breathing down their necks in third place.

Only one point separates Sisters and Sprague.

The first race was held in Blodgett (near Corvallis) on March 30, on a course appropriately named the Mudslinger.

"It was a very tough 12 mile course with 2,000 feet of vertical gain," Keel said. "It was steep, challenging and of course, muddy, with over 260 racers competing." Most of the Sisters riders rode the Beginner Men 15-18 years category.

Connor Burck was the top finisher for Sisters, placing third in 1:32:20 (one hour, 32 minutes, 20 seconds). Nick Yopp finished sixth in 1:33:30. Nick Pierce finished seventh in 1:35:50.

Brandon Overstreet was unable to finish due to an equipment failure.

Pine Mountain, east of Bend, was the site of the second race, on April 7.

The Sagebrush Sundae featured 160 riders competing on the same, grueling 20 mile course.

"This course was very rocky and technical with lots of tricky places to negotiate," said Keel.

First place in the Beginner Men 15-18 years went to Logan Godsiff, in his first ever cross-country race. He finished in 1:31:20. Connor Burck took fourth with a time of 1:34:45. Nick Pierce was seventh in 1:45:45 and Nick Yopp garnered ninth in 1:55:55.

The next race is April 21 in Bend and is ominously christened Cascade Chainbreaker.