Cycle Dawgs win third place team trophy

Ramona High’s Cycle Dawgs continued strong by earning the third-place overall team trophy at the second SoCal National Interscholastic Cycling Association race of the season at Vail Lake in Temecula.

Many of Ramona’s mountain bike racers had podium finishes or placed in the top 20.

The Cycle Dawgs won the first-place team trophy in the first race of the season at Lake Perris. Their next race will be April 3 at Lake Castaic in Valencia.

“I felt strong right off the start,” said junior Gwendalyn Gibson, who placed first in varsity girls Division 1. “I knew there was a pinch-off in the beginning, so I just went for it and was able to take the lead up the climb and make a gap.”

Another first-place finisher, Stassa Cappos, called the sophomore girls Division 1 race “another great experience at one of my favorite venues.”

“The biggest challenge I had during this race was maintaining first place,” she said. “During the last quarter of the race I knew second place was only seconds behind, so I definitely felt the pressure to ride to the best of my abilities.”

Seth Levy, who placed third in sophomore boys Division 1 competition, said he faced a lot of challenges, “losing my bottle on the first ridge, my seat being angled down because I landed too hard on it, and finally losing my second bottle in the same place.”

“I feel the race went pretty well for me, because I won the race,” said Karson Basore, who also competed in the sophomore boys race. “... My favorite part of the course was the first long downhill section, because it was really fun, flowy and fast.”

Anyone wishing to support the team or interested in receiving more information may contact team coach Robert Grace at rgrace@ramonausd.net.