Photo by Sasha Love – Nicolo Costanzo in action for there HCMTB earlier this season.

By Sasha Love, The Pepperbox

The NorCal high school mountain bike championships were held on May 19 and the Humboldt Composite team (HCMTB) riders gave it their all on the Six Sigma course. 

The venue is located just south of Clearlake and features trails that twist between ancient oaks and climb up rolling hills in picturesque wine country.

Central and East Bay joined the Redwood and Repack regions for the championships, and the competition was increased.

Despite the pressure, HCMTB did not fail to impress.

Béla Randles took center stage as he climbed to fifth place in his JV2 Boys category of 93 riders, earning him a medal during his first season with the team.

“I was glad that I was able to get podium once because I felt like I had been pretty close for a lot of the season. I felt like I had done a lot of training and I was glad it paid off,” Randles said.

Dinon McIntosh had a rewarding race experience as well. Coming in 12th in the even more competitive JV1Boys category, McIntosh burned through 14.25 miles in just over an hour during the scorching afternoon heat.

“I started in a pretty good position and I made up a lot of spots. I beat my friend Taylor who started 10 places ahead of me and that felt really good,” McIntosh said.

Evelyn Seemann also rose in the ranks this season, coming in third in three out of the four races. 

Last weekend, in the race of 44 JV2 Girls, Seeman reached 10th place after grinding through tough climbs and leaving competitors in the dust.

As a senior, Sierra Paliaga enjoyed her last race of the year, but the experience came with tough feelings as well. She was a GRiT (Girls Riding Together) ambassador in the Redwood Region for three years and led several events through the GRiT program that aimed at encouraging more girls to try biking. 

At the race, Paliaga received an award for her hard work in encouraging gender equity in mountain biking.

“It’s really important to me to be that role model and mentor that inspired me when I first started out because I was really hesitant and intimidated, and so seeing those other women and girls when I first started out was really significant for me,” Paliaga said.

Paliaga knows she will miss riding with the high school team and inspiring others to get involved. That said, she is excited to continue exploring in college.

“I’m excited [to move on] but it’s also bittersweet. I’ll miss this team and Norcal racing because it really shaped me into who I am so I’ll definitely miss it. [It has been] a super fun time and super great people to be around,” Paliaga said.

Senior Nicolo Costanzo is also leaving the team this year. Costanzo suffered a neck injury the week prior and was unable to compete, but was more than happy to cheer on his teammates and help pass out water as the sun shone down on the racers.

Sawyer Katri, racing in JV2 Boys, also rode strong and came in 25th. 

Nolan Kavanaugh was not far behind either, coming in 37th in the same race. Grayden Larson reached 32nd in the Freshman Boys category.

Other events over the weekend, such as NorCal Prom and the GRiT festival, showcased the vibrant community of the NorCal League. Riders came together to tie-dye T-shirts and decorate cowbells, and later learned about bikepacking with experts who had ridden around the country.