The Colorado High School Cycling League traveled to Steamboat Springs over the weekend for Race #2 of the 2026 season. After opening the year at the Frisco Peninsula, the Platte Division took over Howelsen Hill on Saturday, September 12, for the Showdown in the Boat.
The Venue & Course Breakdown Riders took on a 5.5-mile loop through the Emerald Mountain Trail Network starting behind Olympian Hall at 6,732 feet and packing 684 feet of climbing per lap. Running clockwise, the course connected Howelsen Meadows, Ricky’s Ridge, Lupine Trail, Blackmere Road, Orton Trail, NPR, and Mile Run before finishing at the Howelsen Hill base area. Freshman, Sophomore, and JV fields completed two laps (11.0 miles), while the Varsity fields tackled three full laps totaling 16.5 miles. Across all Platte categories, 379 racers took to the start line.
Top 5 Finishers (Northern Colorado & Southern Wyoming Teams)
Congratulations to the local Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming riders who earned top-five finishes:
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1st Place – Avery Castelli (Poudre) – Sophomore Girls
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1st Place – Ben Zukowski (Rocky Mountain) – Freshman Boys
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3rd Place – Autumn Moore (Fossil Ridge) – Freshman Girls
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4th Place – Julian Crum (Rocky Mountain) – Sophomore Boys
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5th Place – Emmaline Jarnevich (Rocky Mountain) – Varsity Girls
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5th Place – Jackson Murray (Fort Collins) – Sophomore Boys
Beyond the podiums, the weekend featured strong pack riding and deep team efforts across the entire contingent from Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Poudre, Laramie, and Cheyenne. In the team competitions, Rocky Mountain landed on the Division 2 podium in 3rd place with 4,329 points, followed closely by Fossil Ridge in 5th with 4,030 points. In Division 3, Poudre earned 2nd place with 2,003 points, Fort Collins finished 4th with 1,773 points, Laramie took 5th with 1,520 points, and Cheyenne took 6th with 1,484 points.
A massive thank you goes out to the SendTown and Ciclismo coaching staffs, ride leaders, feed zone crews, and volunteers who managed the logistics and kept riders dialed across the weekend.
Next Up on the Calendar
The Platte Division takes a weekend off before heading to Eagle, Colorado, for Race #3: The Haymaker Classic on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
More Information
Rocky Mountain
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1st – Ben Zukowski (Freshman Boys)
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4th – Julian Crum (Sophomore Boys)
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5th – Emmaline Jarnevich (Varsity Girls)
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12th – Rio Blank (Sophomore Boys)
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13th – Conner Jackson (Sophomore Boys)
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13th – Greyson Spruell (JV Girls)
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16th – Maks Spezzano (Sophomore Boys)
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24th – Carter Vigil (Freshman Boys)
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25th – Benjamin Brown (JV Boys)
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30th – Ethan Hawley (JV Boys)
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31st – Shane McDill (Varsity Boys)
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43rd – Tyndall Wuertz (Sophomore Boys)
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45th – Owen Forster (Freshman Boys)
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70th – Cohen Ring (JV Boys)
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76th – Keegan Lusczakoski (Freshman Boys)
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78th – Jacob Duffy (Freshman Boys)
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DNF – Lucy Porter (JV Girls)
Fossil Ridge
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3rd – Autumn Moore (Freshman Girls)
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7th – Keira Fitzsimmons (Freshman Girls)
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9th – Nils Holmes (Varsity Boys)
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10th – Reese Karam (Freshman Girls)
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14th – Julia Cubbage (Freshman Girls)
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20th – Elias Wright (Sophomore Boys)
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30th – Josephine Kinney (JV Girls)
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31st – Miles Clary (Sophomore Boys)
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34th – Grant Girdler (Varsity Boys)
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38th – Peter Domanski (Sophomore Boys)
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42nd – Mason Watkins (Sophomore Boys)
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68th – Zachary Roecker (Sophomore Boys)
Fort Collins
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5th – Jackson Murray (Sophomore Boys)
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9th – Theodore Von Fischer (Sophomore Boys)
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11th – Jackson Powelka (Freshman Boys)
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18th – Rowan Christiansen (Varsity Boys)
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18th – Rowan Smith (Sophomore Boys)
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25th – Max Devincenzi (Freshman Boys)
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34th – Carter Poppema (Sophomore Boys)
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61st – Jack Farley (Sophomore Boys)
Poudre
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1st – Avery Castelli (Sophomore Girls)
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8th – Elijah Winner (JV Boys)
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31st – Lark Lerner (JV Boys)
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40th – Dylan Jaynes (JV Boys)
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49th – Bryce Tobler (Sophomore Boys)
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58th – Sam Iverson (Sophomore Boys)
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62nd – Lee Villarreal (JV Boys)
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67th – Cedar Feinstein (Sophomore Boys)
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80th – Trevor Jaynes (Freshman Boys)
Laramie
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9th – Ward Rynders (Freshman Boys)
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21st – Dylan Rowe (Varsity Boys)
- 24th – William Walsh (Sophomore Boys)
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34th – James Drever (JV Boys)
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47th – Felix Gernant (Sophomore Boys)
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97th – Tavish Hegeman-Davis (JV Boys)
Cheyenne
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8th – Jace Trujillo (Sophomore Boys)
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19th – Ayden Sturtevant (Sophomore Boys)
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26th – Ziggy Behringer (Freshman Boys)
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52nd – Trenten Condon (JV Boys)
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69th – Jeremiah Liverseidge (Sophomore Boys)
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90th – Dawson Gordon (JV Boys)
YGR’s coverage of the 2026 High School Moutanin Bike season is brought to you by Trailcraft Cycles, born and raised right here in Fort Collins, Colorado. Trailcraft now offers 29-inch full-suspension and hardtail mountain bikes in a full range of adult sizes. Check out the new carbon 120/120 Maxwell full-suspension and the Timber hardtail at trailcraftcycles.com.
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 60+ athletes and roughly a dozen coaches and staff 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, Canyon City, Eagle, and Nathrop, culminating in the State Championships in Glenwood Springs. The league’s popularity is evident in its numbers, with around 1500 high school athletes participating in the opening-weekend races alone.
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