One of the highlights of the season so far, William Dodds rides to 13th place overall in the biggest event of our season. Lees-McRae College hosted a 3-Conference Championship Mountain Bike Event over the weekend, and it did not disappoint. We had three riders entered in the A category races (both men and women), and two more in the B category races. 
 
Saturday's Cross Country race was the highlight of the weekend, with Dodds shocking all the other big schools and riding to 13th place out of over 80 riders. He was one of only 13 other riders fast enough to complete the full four lap race. He was tactical and technically sound on a super-rough and slippery course that saw some of the best riders in the country walking their bikes.  Against nearly all the varsity programs except for a few out West, Will proudly represented Roanoke College holding us in eighth place of all 20 colleges in attendance for the event.  
 
Samuel Lang rode in support of his teammate, offering up his call-up and providing helpful insight about the course and how best to navigate it. Sam continues to gain form and momentum ahead of the National Championships in two weeks. 
 
Aidan Goldberg rode the course well, despite the conditions and finished in 25th place in the category B men's race. 
 
Day two we had perfect weather and maybe the most fun we've had on the bike as a team since the season started. The morning started out with an event no one had ever done. We fielded a Team Relay team for the Short Track race, with two men and one woman covering four laps of the short track course. Dodds started, passing the baton to Ruby Telepak, who held her own against some of the best guys in the country and then handed the race off to Lang who gained solid ground before handing the baton back to Telepak. Ruby was fiercely competitive in the last lap, catching and overtaking two other teams just before the finish and sprinting to eighth place for the team. 
 
The day continued with the individual Short Track Races, and Alastair Amos had an incredible ride in the Category B men's race finishing seventh. Ruby finished 18th out of 44 riders in her first collegiate short track race with the A women. She will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. Will had another great performance, despite being involved in a major crash and finished 24th out of 70 with his teammate Sam finishing in 39th. 
 
The most impressive part of the weekend was how we are coming together as a team. Jensen Cervati and Aidan Snow, both injured currently with wrist fractures, traveled in support of their teammates and were there to help and cheer for them the entire weekend. It's a really good vibe within the team right now and I can't wait to see what the future holds. 
 
Gus Lynott was the sole representative of the team at the Charm City Cross race, a big international CycloCross race in Baltimore, Maryland. He finished fourth on Saturday in the Cat 2 race and wanted to see how he would fare on Sunday in the Elite Men's Category. His performance proved to him and his team that he can ride with the top riders in the sport, finishing in a respectable 22nd place in an extremely competitive field.
 
Next up, National Championships in Grand Junction, Colorado!!

Head coach Shelley Olds '03