This Saturday January 19th, a record number of teens from Orange County high schools will travel to Vail Lake Resort in Temecula to test their fitness and bike handling skills on the trails of the SoCalEndurance race course.
It's like a word problem in math class:
Q: "If 19 students and 6 coaches from 4 local high schools raced on mountain bikes for 12 hours, solve for X".
A: X = 2 have fun, 2 eat, 2 socialize and 2 warm up for the upcoming race season of the SoCal High School Cycling League.
Five years ago, there were only six OC area students participating in the high school league. In 2013, more than forty teens are expected to toe the start line at the first race. This exponential growth has fueled increased participation in local cycling events like the SoCalEndurance series.
The nineteen that are racing this Saturday are certainly doing some extra credit up front. Thanks to a relay race format, each teen can ride from 1 to 5 laps on the 8 mile off-road course. Each lap involves over 1200 feet of climbing up desert hills and ridges - not exactly an easy A!
And the hardiest of these young cyclists will attach lights to their helmets and handlebars and take to the trails after sundown. Talk about staying after school!
Class is in session!
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