Climbing 500 feet on a bicycle to the top of Washougal Motocross Park was worth it to the 86 riders from the Washington High School Cycling League Sunday.
They saw nothing but beauty for miles and miles and miles, and were able to coast back down the mountain in minutes.
“It was just like a ride in my backyard,” said Susannah Hart, a 14-year-old from Washougal. “I only live about a mile away from here.”
Hart finished first in the freshman and sophomore girls race with a time of 47 minutes, 21 seconds to complete two laps. Her sister Sharon settled for second place in the varsity girls race with a 3-lap time of 1:15.04. The Columbia River Mashers grabbed fourth place in the team standings with 1,933 points. Brooke Brown took third in the freshman and sophomore girls race (55:01). Brandon Ortiz finished 14th (1:13.08) and Isaiah Coleman placed 17th (1:14.23) in the junior varsity boys race.
Olympia won the 19-team event with 2,110 points. Camas took 12th with 1,398 points. Cory Craig placed fourth in the sophomore boys race (47:05). Zach Vergillo finished fifth in the junior varsity boys race (1:01.55), Billy Waring took 10th (1:05.46), Nick Bacon notched 20th (1:17.38) and Lucas Ryan earned 24th (1:28.2).
The staff from Camas Bike and Sport and local riders, coaches and volunteers from the three Clark County teams spent weeks at the Washougal Motocross Park designing the new course. On Sunday, they received a lot of positive feedback.
“Knowing people had a good time and them saying this was one of the best courses they have ever been on means a lot to me,” Waring said. “It made all the hard work we put into this worth it in the end.”
The use of the motocross track and the tunnel provided the racers with a unique experience. Reaching the top of the mountain gave them a sense of accomplishment.
“Ill always remember this first Washougal race,” Vergillo said. “The weather was perfect, the course was fun and people had a good time. It couldn’t have been a better day.”
