CB Devo bike team rides to fourth place in Leadville

Smaller team than usual

By Than Acuff

After hitting the podium to start the season and then just missing out at the second race of the year, the Crested Butte Devo high school bike team was looking to step back up at the Cloud City Challenge Saturday, September 20 in Leadville. Unfortunately, a couple of things stood in their way. Most notably numbers.

The team has nine athletes on the team but lost one to injury at their last race, one to injury the week leading up to the race and one to snowboarding in Utah leaving them with six riders rolling in the start area last Saturday. Nevertheless, the ones that were there rode well enough to flirt with the podium but finished the day in fourth place as a team.

Sophomore class rider Jackson Holsteen racked up the most team points for CB Devo on the day. Holsteen put in one last sprint to the finish line to take second place and now sits in third in the overall series standings, just six points away from second place.

 Tilly Rinderle continues to have an outstanding season in the freshmen girls race class. Rinderle placed fourth in the previous race but turned it up a notch to step on the podium finishing in third place in Leadville.

The biggest hole in the lineup came in the varsity race. CB Devo has three riders typically in the varsity class which is scored higher than other classes. But in Leadville, only Ethan Armbrecht was there to ride for the team in the varsity class and rode his way to a 30^th place finish to score key team points.

“He’s been consistent all season so far,” says coach Alex Ellmer. “He really likes that course and beat some kids he’d been wanting to beat.”

Nate Taylor is another rising sophomore and while illness seemed to have slowed him down, he still managed to pass people on the second lap of the race to finish in 15^th place. Freshmen Sullivan Reese rounded out the team points with a 30^th place finish in his race.

The only major hiccup came for freshman Dylan Treadwell. Treadwell was on pace for the podium on the first lap but suffered not one but two flats on the second lap and rode the second flat to the finish line to finish in 36^th place.

“He knows the speed is there and is itching for a podium spot,” says Ellmer.

The team has a week of training and looks to be back near full strength when they head to Cañon City for the next race on Sunday, October 5. 

“It’s a brand new course built for the Colorado high school league,” says Ellmer. “Everyone’s excited for a new venue and new course.”