2025 NoCo High School Race #3

Haymaker Classic – Eagle, CO • Sept. 21, 2025

The Colorado High School Cycling League Platte Division visited Eagle for Race #3 of the 2025 season, the Haymaker Classic. The event took place on a purpose-built course designed specifically for high school racing, flowing 6-mile loops with nearly 600 feet of climbing per lap, tacky hero dirt, and spectator-friendly sections that kept the energy high all weekend. The theme was Neon, and riders and families embraced it in full color. The SendTown Ciclismo Racing program kept the community vibe strong, with a tent-city atmosphere and a big team pizza dinner the night before racing. Regardless of what the results say, each athlete was able to showcase their strengths and had the opportunity to perform to the best of their abilities. No riding the pine in high school cycling – everyone gets to race.

Top Local Results – Haymaker Classic (Race 3):

• Varsity Boys: Abe Cooley (Fort Collins) – 4th; Nate Lowe (Legacy, Rocky Mountain) – 7th;
• Varsity Girls: Isabel Troxell (Legacy, Fort Collins) – 8th
• JV Girls: Emmaline Jarnevich (Rocky Mountain) – 1st; Olivia Helgerson (Fort Collins) – 3rd
• JV Boys: Nils Holmes (Fossil Ridge, Division 3) – 3rd; Hudson Collins (Rocky Mountain) – 5th; Grant Girdler (Fossil Ridge) – 8th
• Sophomore Boys: Elijah Winner (Poudre) – 9th
• Freshman Boys: Julian Crum (Fossil Ridge) – 4th;  Mason Watkins (Fossil Ridge) – 5th;
• Freshman Girls: Avery Castelli (Poudre, Fort Collins) – 7th
• Slingshot: Ethan Hawley

Individual Series Standings (After 3 Races – Northern Colorado Riders in Top 10):

• Varsity Boys: Abe Cooley (Fort Collins, Div. 3) – 4th overall
• Varsity Girls: Isabel Troxell (Fort Collins, Div. 3) – 9th overall
• JV Girls: Emmaline Jarnevich (Rocky Mountain, Div. 2) – 1st overall; Olivia Helgerson (Fort Collins, Div. 1) – 3rd overall
• JV Boys: Nils Holmes (Fossil Ridge, Div. 3) – 3rd overall; Hudson Collins (Rocky Mountain, Div. 1) – 4th overall;  Grant Girdler (Fossil Ridge Div. 3) – 7th
• Freshman Girls: Avery Castelli (Poudre, Div. 3) 7th.
• Sophomore Boys: Elijah Winner (Poudre, Div. 3) 10th.
• Freshman Boys: Julian Crum (Fossil Ridge, Div. 3) 4th; Mason Watkins(Fossil Ridge, Div. 3) 5th; Jackson Murray (Fort Collins, Div. 3) 10th

Team Series Standings – Platte Division (After 3 Races):

• Rocky Mountain High School (Div. 2) – 2nd
• Fort Collins High School (Div. 3 ) – 1st
• Fossil Ridge High School (Div. 3) – 4th
• Poudre High School (Div. 3) – 5th

The Haymaker Classic drew 325 racers in total, with 45 athletes coming from Northern Colorado schools (Rocky, Fossil Ridge, Fort Collins, and Poudre). Their strong results and deep participation continue to make an impact on the Platte Division standings.

The series now moves to Cañon City on Sept. 27 for the final regular-season race before the State Championships in Glenwood Springs on Oct. 11–12. With multiple riders inside the top 10 and competitive team rankings, Northern Colorado is poised for an exciting finish to the season.

So far this season, 396 racers have competed in at least one race in the Platte Division.

Over the weekend, 1,341 students competed in four Colorado High School Cycling division races held at two separate venues across the state.

• NoCo results below
• Full weekend results here
• Full Series Results here
• Photo albums here
• Colorado Cycling League info here
• SendTown Bike Club info here

Confused by how all this works? Check out my high school mtb breakdown below.

All photos by Colorado High School League photographers.

How the Colorado High School Cycling League Works in Northern Colorado

The Colorado High School Cycling League provides a competitive mountain biking environment for students across the Rocky Mountains, with teams in Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming. For Northern Colorado (NoCo) athletes, the league offers a unique and supportive structure for mountain bike racing.

Platte Region and Team Divisions

NoCo’s high school mountain biking teams are part of the Platte region, a large conference that includes 18 high schools and composite metro teams from three states. There are 3 other conferences in Colorado.

Within the league, teams are organized into divisions based on size, not the school’s overall student population.

• Division 3 (D3) is for teams with 5 to 15 athletes. In Fort Collins, this includes Fort Collins High School, Poudre, and Fossil Ridge.
• Division 2 (D2) is for teams with 16 to 30 athletes, a category that includes Rocky Mountain High School.
• Division 1 (D1) is for the largest teams with over 30 riders. Currently, no NoCo school is in this division.

How NoCo Athletes Participate

Local athletes race for their high school. However, if a student is homeschooled, attends a private school, or their high school does not have a mountain bike team, they race for the high school closest to their home address. This policy allows students from other cities to join Fort Collins high school teams if their local area doesn’t have a program.

All NoCo athletes train together and are supported by SendTown Bike Club’s Ciclismo Racing program. On race day, they race for their high school, wearing their high school kit, but all hang out and support each other under the SendTown tents.  SendTown provides comprehensive support, including organizing practices, paying coaches, and managing all race-day operations. The Ciclismo Racing program has a robust network of 61athletes and 13 coaches who work to develop training plans and foster a supportive team environment.

Races and Categories

The league’s race format includes different categories for both boys and girls: varsity, junior varsity, sophomore, and freshman. This tiered system ensures fair and competitive racing for riders of all experience levels.

Throughout the season, Platte Region races are held at various locations, including Leadville, Steamboat, Frisco, and Canyon City, culminating in the State Championships in Glenwood Springs. The popularity of the league is evident in its numbers, with over 1,378 high school athletes participating in the opening weekend races alone.