High school mountain bike teams gearing up for races at Iron County’s Three Peaks

Riders leave the starting line at Utah High School Cycling League South Region's eighth-grade intermediate race near Price, Utah, Sept. 5, 2020 | Photo courtesy of David Dunkley, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — The Utah High School Cycling League’s South Region will stage its third mountain bike races of the season Saturday at Three Peaks Recreation Area north of Cedar City.

The races, which are broken down into several classifications depending on age, gender and skill level, are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and continue throughout the day until late afternoon.

Masks or face coverings are required for all spectators and participants, and social distancing is strongly encouraged whenever possible. The only exception is that the athletes don’t have to wear masks or keep their distance from one another during the races in which they are competing. 

The Three Peaks venue is the site of last year’s state championships, when Snow Canyon’s team won its second straight state title.

So far this season, Lehi has been giving the Warriors a run for their money. In the South Region’s season opener Aug. 15 at Soldier Hollow, Lehi scored 2,308 team points to Snow Canyon’s 2,300 to take first place in Division 2, which comprises eight teams, including Snow Canyon, Desert Hills, Dixie, Crimson Cliffs and Hurricane.

Snow Canyon Warriors mountain bike team members at the Utah High School Cycling League South Region’s races near Price, Utah, Sept. 5, 2020 | Photo courtesy of David Dunkley, St. George News

Dixie High senior Gwendolyn Sepp won the varsity girls race at Soldier Hollow, posting a time of 1:19:57, a little more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Mia Johnson of Desert Hills, who finished the three-lap course in 1:21:01.

An additional five schools, all of which are in Southern Utah, competed at Soldier Hollow in Division 3. Cedar High captured first place with 1,127 team points, while Pine View placed second with 1,077.

The Iron County Composite team, which comprises all of the “Iron Giants” athletes other than those who attend Cedar High School, took third with 1,037 points. Enterprise and Panguitch finished fourth and fifth, respectively. For complete team and individual results from Soldier Hollow, click here.

The South Division’s second races of the season were held Sept. 5 near Price. In that event, Snow Canyon finished first in Division 2, with the Warriors scoring 2,314 points to runner-up Lehi’s 2,309. Lehi remains ahead in the overall standings by a slim margin of just three points.

Parker Christensen of Snow Canyon was the top finisher in the boys varsity race, posting a three-lap time of 1:19:00, 26 seconds ahead of runner-up Ethan Adams of Lehi. Dixie’s Sepp was again the top finisher in the girls varsity race, finishing in 1:07:18.

Mathew Dunkley of Snow Canyon Warriors mountain bike team competes in the Utah High School Cycling League South Region’s eighth-grade intermediate race near Price, Utah, Sept. 5, 2020 | Photo courtesy of David Dunkley, St. George News

Also at Price, Cedar finished first in Division 3, with the remaining places also being the same as those at Soldier Hollow. Click here for complete results from Price.

More details about Saturday’s races at Three Peaks, including scheduled race times and safety guidelines, can be found here.

Following the Cedar City event, the South Region will have just one more race left in the regular season series, which is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Richfield. The state championships are scheduled to take place Oct. 23-24 in St. George.

For more information, including COVD-19 guidelines and protocols for participants and spectators, visit the Utah High School Cycling League’s website.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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