The Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team took home seven top-three finishes, multiple top-10 finishes, and won the Yampa Division 1 category at the first race of The Colorado High School Cycling League race series on Saturday, August 23, at the Cloud City Challenge in Leadville. 367 racers competed in the Yampa Division race on Saturday – 35 riders from Steamboat High School and Steamboat Mountain School. The course was a 6.2-mile loop with 620 feet of climbing per lap. Varsity riders raced three laps with all other categories racing two laps. Steamboat edged out Boulder to claim the Division I title, finishing with 7,441 points to Boulder’s 7,428. Lakewood, Ralston Valley, and Centaurus rounded out the top five.
Steamboat’s depth across all categories played a key role in the team victory. In varsity girls, junior Whitney Warnke placed second, while teammate Allie Reznicek finished 10th. Their strong efforts helped secure critical points against a competitive field.
The junior varsity girls added to the momentum, with sophomore Sydney Soard winning her race and sophomore Lucia Magnotta close behind in third. Junior Zoe Chase also cracked the top 10, finishing ninth.
On the junior varsity boys’ side, sophomore Quinn Dressen and junior Jackson Rosencrantz went one-two, with sophomore Robbie Wodnik adding a sixth-place finish.
The sophomore boys’ division showcased even more depth. Odin Gruben placed third, followed by Fisher Beauregard in fifth, Henry Davis in sixth, and Soren Shepherd in eighth — all in the top 10.
Steamboat’s freshmen also made their presence known. Andrew Melzer finished third in the boys’ time trial, Jayden Hargis was fifth, and Oliver Nylen placed 20th. On the girls’ side, Samara Lambert took seventh and Zoe Finnegan was 12th.
Steamboat Team results below. Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club oversees the Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team. FULL RESULTS
Freshman Girls
7 SAMARA LAMBERT
12 ZOE FINNEGAN
Freshman Boys
3 ANDREW MELZER
20 OLIVER NYLEN
33 NICHOLAS TANYUK
53 MASON SLOOP
Sophomore Girls
8 ELLIS DRESSENDORFER
17 JULIA BONESS
Sophomore Boys
3 ODIN GRUBEN
5 FISHER BEAUREGARD
6 HENRY DAVIS
8 SOREN SHEPHERD
22 DANIEL CROCKER
27 SILAS SETTER
5 JAYDEN HARGIS34 DILLON MIDDLEDORF
44 MASON LIPSCOMB
58 GEORGE BOISJOLI
73 COL CASSILY (pulled due to crash)
Junior Varsity Girls
1 SYDNEY SOARD (NEW PTS LEADER)
3 LUCIA MAGNOTTA
9 ZOE CHASE
17 LINDSAY BERKE
Junior Varsity Boys
1 QUINN DRESSEN (NEW PTS LEADER)
2 JACKSON ROSENCRANTZ
6 ROBBIE WODNIK
15 OSCAR LIBIN
32 LOGAN DRURY
47 MATEO RODRIGUEZ
48 MORGAN GARRETT
75 ELLIOT NANCE (LEGACY)
Varsity Girls
2 WHITNEY WARNKE
10 ALLIE REZNICEK
Varsity Boys
14 LUKE BEDELL (LEGACY)
19 SCHUYLER BIGLOW
With riders consistently scoring across varsity, JV, sophomore, and freshman races, Steamboat’s balance across grade levels proved decisive.
The coaches were extremely impressed with the team’s efforts. Head coach Paul Majors called the result a reflection of the team’s preparation.“This is a really positive start for us,” the coach said. “Moving into Division I brings tougher competition across the board, and our riders showed they’re ready to rise to the challenge. But it’s only the first race, and we know there’s a lot of season left.”
“This win shows that we have contributors everywhere,” coach Chuck O’Connell said. “We don’t have to rely on one category to carry us. Everyone’s effort adds up.”
Cycling Director Evan Soard noted that the early-season success has boosted team morale. “It feels good to see all our athletes working together and supporting each other,” he said. “It’s a reminder that every rider’s finish makes a difference,” said Soard.
The Colorado League season continues with races throughout the fall. The next race is Showdown in the Boat, September 6-7 here in Steamboat. The team is focused on building momentum rather than celebrating. Majors added, “We’re excited about this result, but we know there’s a lot of racing ahead. The goal is to keep improving each week and see where that takes us.”
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 the 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.
