Showdown in the Boat: Local mountain bikers dominate at Howelsen
Steamboat Springs High School cyclists take advantage of home trail
Evan Soard/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club courtesy photos
The Steamboat Springs High School Mountain Bike team dominated the Yampa Division of the Colorado High School Cycling League during the Showdown in the Boat over the weekend at Howelsen Hill.
Thirty-five Steamboat athletes competed in a field of 368 total racers in the Yampa Division. The team defended its home trails with its second Division 1 win of the year, including 10 top-3 finishes and 20 top-10 finishes.
The race featured a 5.5 mile-course including 684 feet of climbing per lap and a singletrack, technical doubletrack, and fire roads. The varsity racers completed three laps with all other categories racing two laps.
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club oversees the Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team.
“It’s not just about the podium,” said assistant coach Chris Magnotta. “It’s about teamwork, resilience and giving your best. And that’s what these athletes do — week in and week out.”
Success for the Steamboat riders came in the varsity, junior varsity, sophomore and freshman competitions.
Varsity girls standout Whitney Warnke secured a second-place finish; Allie Reznicek finished in sixth and Eva Minotto placed ninth.
In the varsity boys category, Luke Bedell placed 15th and Schuyler Biglow placed 24th.
In Junior Varsity Girls, Sydney Soard dominated with a first-place finish, maintaining her points lead in the division. Lucia Magnotta followed in second, with Lindsay Berke in 9th and Zoe Chase in 10th to round out the top 10.
The Junior Varsity Boys were equally impressive — Quinn Dressen led the charge in first, followed by Robbie Wodnik in third and Jackson Rosencrantz in fourth.
The Sophomore Boys category may have featured the day’s most impressive show of force: Odin Gruben, Henry Davis, Soren Shepherd and Fisher Beauregard went 1-2-3-4 for Steamboat, with Daniel Crocker and Silas Setter also in the top 25.
The freshmen also showed they can make contributions to the overall team, with Jayden Hargis taking second for the freshman boys and Samara Lambert in second for the freshman girls. Teammates Andrew Melzer, in fourth place, and Fritz Gamber, fifth place, were both in the top five for freshman boys, solidifying a bright future for the team.
The results solidify Steamboat’s position atop of the Yampa Division standings after two races. But no one on the team is taking anything for granted.
“We’re proud of this win,” said High School Mountain Bike Team Head Coach Paul Majors, “but we’re already looking ahead to the next one. Every rider, every lap, every point matters.”
The next races take place Sept. 20 in Eagle.
The Colorado League consists of more than 160 high schools. The 2025 race series has four regions: Yampa, Crystal, Piedra and Platte. Steamboat Springs High School students and Steamboat Mountain School students race in the Yampa Division.
The Colorado League facilitates development of interscholastic mountain bike cycling teams for grades 9-12. The program promotes positive youth development through interscholastic mountain biking for high school students in Colorado, southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and Spearfish, South Dakota.
See the full results from the Showdown in the Boat at tinyurl.com/a438h6nr
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