"For the second conference race of the ACCC calendar, we were brought to Explore Park just down the block to put on our home race, Go Noke! MTB XC," said head coach
Shelley Olds. "The team strung together impressive rides across every field, showing the conference competitors that we do not mess around."
Maya Tasse started off the day for Roanoke College in the Collegiate 1 field. Maya established an early lead and carried that momentum all the way through the last lap. She endured a small crash late, but was able to collect herself and hold off her fellow competitors to ride to a super strong first place finish.
Next was the Collegiate 1 Men's field, where both
Everett Radock and
William Dodds showed no mercy. With tons of experience on a home course like this, the two rode together in perfection, holding a gap from the start of the racing. Both riders never allowed the rest of the race to make contact. Everett opened a small gap on Will in the end, but both the boys rode extremely strong coming in first and second overall.
To end the day, the Collegiate Category 2 Men went out and dominated the competition.
Geert Fischer and
Griffin McMurray established a gap early in the race, riding strong together and trading pulls to ride to victory. Geert and Griffen rode together through the line, with Geert officially taking the win and Griffin finishing in second. Not too far behind on their tails was sophomore
Gus Lynott, sitting only about a minute back. Gus kept the two on their toes for the entire race, finishing third overall.
Jensen Cervati and
Aidan Goldberg, both Seniors on the Roanoke College Cycling Team, took it all in and rode simply to enjoy their last few mountain bike races of their collegiate career. They stayed together the entire race to finish in eighth and ninth place. In the men's Collegiate Category 3 race, Aidan snow rode to a fourth place finish overall.
Coming up this weekend, the team heads to Lees McRae College for a Dual Conference Event between the ACC and SEEC. They will face an extremely technical and physically demanding course, which stands no chance against a squad coming in with this much force and momentum.
