Varsity mountain bikers hit Norbrook Farm’s trails for regional league championship

COLEBROOK ­­— Sportsmanship was on display at the finish line of the Housatonic Mountain Bike League’s (HMBL) culminating race of the season on Nov. 6.

“I’ve never seen a more collaborative, congenial group in 20 years of coaching many sports” said Salisbury School Assistant Coach Ian Johnson in a brief speech before announcing the season’s winners.

“These guys are just having fun, that’s the emphasis,” said Kent School Head Coach Curtis Scofield. “It’s the best kind of competition.”

More than 80 riders from eight regional schools convened at Norbrook Farm Brewery’s esteemed trails system on a warm and blustery Wednesday afternoon for the race, which snaked through varied topography in the forest behind the brewery. Out of four competition categories, category 1 holds the highest opportunity for points, and thus presents the most grueling course: three laps around a 3.3 mile loop that encompasses jumps, steep berms, and tough uphill climbs. The other categories follow variously abridged circuits, though none escape the challenges of pedaling through unpredictable and exhausting terrain.

“It’s one of the best networks in Connecticut — even New England,” Johnson said of the brewery’s extensive system. “It provides everything you could possibly imagine” for a cross-country mountain biking course, Scofield said, noting that it caters to “a nice cross-section” of abilities and strengths.

Alec Linden

The Hotchkiss School, Kent School, Salisbury School, Indian Mountain School, Berkshire School, South Kent School, Trinity Pawling School and Rumsey Hall School all provided energetic teams for the day’s contest. Most participating institutions had hosted a race during the regular season, with the final occurring on neutral territory.

Despite the camaraderie and genial atmosphere, it was a competition, and there had to be winners. After a 54-minute ride, the top three competitors all finished within a minute of each other. Hotchkiss sophomore Thatcher Meili beat out Kent School senior Shaun Neary by about 20 seconds, while Cyrus Taber, a Berkshire senior, finished closely behind in the bronze position.

True to Johnson’s appraisal of the athletes, riders who finished stuck around and enthusiastically cheered on other competitors who crossed the finish line well after the podium spots had been claimed.

Neary won the overall individual title in Category 1 for the season after ending up second last year. Neary was humble about his achievement, quick to comment on the skill of his competitors, claiming that Hotchkiss rider Asher Frankel, last year’s victor, might have taken it if he weren’t sidelined by injury. Neary was proud of his performance during his final year with the team, though: “I was consistent — I was second in every race,” he said.

Meili finished second in the overall individual standings, with Taber taking the third spot. Each rider was satisfied with the day’s conditions, comparing the unseasonable warmth to last year’s race day which was plagued by flurries and frigid temperatures. “Last year I wore my ski gloves,” Taber said.

Hotchkiss took first in the team rankings for the third year in a row, despite having lost their top athlete halfway through the season.

Awards were doled out in the other categories as well. The trophies themselves were a stylish design, consisting of a bike gear mounted on a sleek wooden frame, which recipients proudly toted while a crowd of riders, parents and coaches cheered on.

The ceremony concluded under the darkening sky, and the riders wheelied and drifted back to their team buses in the carefree, contented manner that follows the end of a good season.