MT Alpha Cycling: September 2012

Mt Alpha Junior Riders - Clara Murray and Ellie Bardsley at Werks Mountain Bike Race in Helena

Every year Great Divide Cylery of Helena hosts one of the last races of the season up Davis Gulch. The "WERKS" race has always had a healthy dose of junior races due to the efforts of Jeff Proctor. Proctor started a Junior Bike program that focuses on Mountain Bike and Cylco Cross and has probably the largest group of kids riding in the state.
So it was exciting to bring MT ALPHA's junior girls over for the event.

Ellie Bardsey (12yrs) racing in Helena!Registration on race day started at 10am. We showed up 10mins before 11am and the officials informed us that the JR race was at 11am! YIKES! This info was not on the flyer, so we were planning on racing at 1pm. However, this did not phase Ellie, she jumped out of the car and without warming up went to line up to race. Right away Ellie's shoe strings got caught in her chain, everyone passed her while she worked on her shoe laces. She was way behind the pack of 20 or so jr riders, so she had to motor up the mountain to catch up.
After passing 10 or so kids, she finished as the fastest Jr Girl, and 8th overall.Way to go ELLIE!

Ellie - First Place JR Girls

Racers meeting. Jen racing Cat 2 women (3 laps) and Clara race Cat 3 women (2 laps)

Clara Murray is our high school sophomore from Hellgate. She is 15yrs old and is scary fast on downhills. She registered for the Cat 3 race. This was 2 laps at 9 miles. Clara was in first place when she wrecked hard on the second lap. She ENDO-ed over the handle-bars on a corner and the bike landed on her head. With her front tire flat, she hiked 2 miles to the end to receive a big round of applause at the finish line.

She ended up taking 2nd place at her first race!

Way to go CLARA!!!!!

(BTW- she is gonna need a new helmet after that sick wreck)