Steamboat Springs sophomores Mary McLarnon and Eva Minotto are taking the Colorado High School Cycling League by storm in 2023. 

The pair have earned one-two finishes in both races this season, and they have shown no signs of slowing down. On Saturday, Steamboat hosted its home race, Showdown in the Boat, at Emerald Mountain and earned a team victory, much in part to the dominance of McLarnon, Minotto and varsity boys race winner Aidan Haack.

McLarnon and Minotto started Saturday’s race in the front row, thanks to their top finishes in the season opener two weeks earlier in Frisco. Starting on that front row helps the duo get in the zone and focus leading up to the race. 

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“It helps to know that someone you’re so close to is also feeling the same things as you,” Minotto said. “They are also nervous, they are also in the zone and stuff like that.”

Last season, McLarnon and Minotto topped the leaderboards in the JV and freshman girls races, respectively. This year, making their way up to varsity, the level of competition has increased and so has the lap count — going from two to three.

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“You get to about the second lap, and you say, ‘Ooh yay, I’m finished!’ And then you remember you have another lap,” McLarnon said. “The third lap doesn’t feel as bad as you expect it to though, so that’s nice.”

This summer was the first time the girls began riding competitively in the same race. They help motivate each other and keep each other pushing hard from start to finish.

McLarnon’s 1 hour, 28 minute, 19 second ride Saturday earned her a second consecutive race victory. She crossed the finish line over three minutes ahead of Minotto in second place, and it would take another four minutes before the third-place finisher came down the side of Emerald Mountain. 

“It always feels good to know that all the work you are doing keeps paying off,” McLarnon said. “Having a teammate so close is always fun.”

With back-to-back team victories under its belt, Steamboat will travel to Leadville in two weeks for the third race of the regular season. The team will have a relaxed recovery practice Monday before mixing in some more intense rides throughout the week. 

Only two regular season rides remain before the state championship in Glenwood Springs at the end of October. Both McLarnon and Minotto plan to keep their focus on getting faster, earning experience and most important having fun for the remainder of the year. 

“For me, it is about seeing how much knowledge I can gain and how much I can benefit myself with the knowledge I can hopefully get and how much faster I can get and keep the stoke high for state,” Minotto said.