2025 NoCo High School Race #4

Royal Gorge Rumble – Canyon City, CO • Oct 4th, 2025

The Colorado High School Cycling League Platte Division wrapped up the 2025 regular season in true Western style at the brand-new Royal Gorge Rumble course outside Cañon City on October 4. The 5.6-mile loop ran clockwise, combining double-track and technical singletrack through piñon forest with about 500 feet of climbing per lap. The rocky terrain, goatheads, and cactus tested both tires and sealant, making it a course that demanded focus and preparation.

Teams and families embraced the Western theme and camped together at the nearby KOA, sharing a team pancake breakfast on race morning before cheering each other through the final event of the regular season. SendTown’s Ciclismo Racing program was on hand to support local teams and keep riders rolling.

A total of 341 athletes competed at the Royal Gorge Rumble, with 407 racers having participated in at least one Platte Division event this season. Northern Colorado was well represented, with 12 riders from Fort Collins, 9 from Fossil Ridge, 7 from Poudre, and 20 from Rocky Mountain High School taking the start.

The Royal Gorge Rumble provided a fitting close to the regular season with new terrain, steady competition, and a sense of anticipation for what’s next — the State Championships at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs on October 18–19.

All riders who finished in the top 40 in their respective categories for the series qualified for State Championships. Unofficial list below.

Top Local Results – Royal Gorge Rumble – Platte

• Varsity Boys: Abe Cooley (Fort Collins) – 5th; Zachary Watkins (Fossil Ridge) – 8th; Lachlan Morrison (Rocky Mountain) – 9th;
• Varsity Girls: Isabel Troxell (Fort Collins) – 7th;
• JV Girls: Emmaline Jarnevich (Rocky Mountain) – 1st; Olivia Helgerson (Fort Collins) – 4th;
• JV Boys: Joe Zukowski (Rocky Mountain) – 4th; Hudson Collins (Rocky Mountain) – 5th; Nils Holmes (Fossil Ridge) – 6th;
• Sophomore Boys: Elijah Winner (Poudre) – 8th;
• Sophomore Girls: Lucy Porter (Rocky Mountain) – 7th;
• Freshman Boys: Julian Crum (Fossil Ridge) – 4th; Mason Watkins (Fossil Ridge) – 6th; Jackson Murray (Fort Collins) – 7th;
• Freshman Girls: Avery Castelli (Poudre) – 6th;

Individual Series Standings (After 4 Races – Northern Colorado Riders in Top 10):

• Varsity Boys: Abe Cooley (Fort Collins) – 4th overall;
• Varsity Girls: Isabel Troxell (Fort Collins) – 8th overall;
• JV Girls: Emmaline Jarnevich (Rocky Mountain) – 1st overall; Olivia Helgerson (Fort Collins, Div. 1) – 3rd overall;
• JV Boys: Nils Holmes (Fossil Ridge) – 3rd overall; Hudson Collins (Rocky Mountain, Div. 1) – 4th overall; Grant Girdler (Fossil Ridge, Div. 3) – 8th overall;
• Sophomore Girls: Lucy Porter (Rocky Mountain) – 11th overall;
• Sophomore Boys: Elijah Winner (Poudre) – 10th overall;
• Freshman Girls: Avery Castelli (Poudre) – 7th overall;
• Freshman Boys: Julian Crum (Fossil Ridge) – 4th overall; Mason Watkins (Fossil Ridge, Div. 3) – 6th overall; Jackson Murray (Fort Collins, Div. 3) – 7th overall

• 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.