The young guns have come to ride, and by all indications they’re here to stay.
Whistler Secondary School’s (WSS) Grade 8 boys and Grade 8/9 girls each clinched a banner in the North Shore High School Mountain Bike Series with consistent performances across Mt. Fromme, Squamish, Mt. Seymour and Whistler. Leo Pullen was especially dominant, winning the season title for fastest boy in his age group across all six races.
“I am pretty stoked to win the banner with my teammates,” said Pullen. “I think I’ve improved [too]. I have experience with competition during the ski season because I do freeride and think more critically about where my line is to go the fastest, most consistent speed down the track.”
Added WSS bike coach Lesley Clements: “Leo is energetic, enthusiastic and happy to be on his bike. He hasn’t done any [consistent] cross-country racing before this year, but he has a lot of natural talent and some really, really good results.”
Not to be outdone, three upperclassmen shined during BC Provincials at May’s end in a field of over 450 riders.
Braden Aitken was crowned Senior King of the Mountain by way of silver medals in both the cross-country and enduro events. Mhairi Smart took the runner-up spot in enduro and Theo Rothdram placed fourth by four-tenths of a second.
WSS students remained cheerful and loose all weekend despite the muddy and slippery courses confronting them in Squamish.
“To be honest, I rode with my friends, tried to have as much fun as possible and it worked out well,” Smart remarked about her provincial performance. “It would not be the same if you were just thinking about the pressure all the time. I think you need to sometimes let it go.”
‘An energy I haven’t seen’
It’s not every year that the eighth-graders win a banner, but Clements sees a lot of potential in her young athletes.
“I’m really proud of my team and it’s great to see a lot of interest and enthusiasm from the younger grades,” she said. “Hopefully, we can keep them going on the school team. We’ve got lots of stoked Grade 8s and 9s—I would say more than usual. It’s an energy I haven’t seen in a few years with [those cohorts].”
The growth has been obvious. In addition to standouts like Pullen and Max Murray (fifth at enduro provincials), there are kids like Sawyer Munn Gotto who had little to no experience riding uphill before the school year. Gotto has done a proverbial about-face, becoming comfortable with elevation gain as his peers spur him on.
A pair of seniors have also stepped up in leadership.
Take Aitken, whom Clements calls a “superstar” for being an assistant coach at regularly-scheduled Monday training rides. Aitken helped mentor the team as they worked on their fitness and brushed up on their technical abilities.
“Braden is solid,” Clements said. “He never gets ruffled by ups or downs. He's consistent in his effort. He's mature. He's a great role model and if he does have a bad race, it doesn't bother him. I’m really sad that we’re losing him [to graduation] because he’s been with us since grade eight.”
Then there’s Smart, a consistent and upbeat teenager who made it her job to recruit as many kids as possible to the bike team.
“It's just so awesome that all these younger kids are getting out and joining the bike team, especially the younger girls—there haven't been many in the past,” she said. “The courage it takes to come out and race when you're the youngest girl is insane, and I’m so happy [that they’re doing it].
“I didn’t have a lot of girls to look up to when I was younger, especially in high school mountain biking, so if I could [be a role model] for somebody else, that'd be awesome.”
Passionate about bikes
Many WSS riders love enduro and the thrill of descent it brings, yet Clements is cut from the traditional cross-country cloth. She tries to get her pupils to embrace pedaling until they realize it can be fun to go upwards too. Nine years into her stint as coach, her job remains rewarding.
“It’s so much work, it’s absolutely insane and it almost killed me by the end of this season,” Clements admitted. “But I get emails from parents saying their kids really enjoyed biking. You see them improve, and you see that they like school more because [our team] is part of it. That’s pretty amazing.”
Clements was also quick to shout out the dedicated adult volunteers who make the season a reality. Parents drive their offspring to races across the North Shore, and a record number of faculty members (six) joined Clements in coaching. It all added up to healthy skill development and a valuable opportunity for students to bond with their teachers outside of a classroom.
“[The teachers] have done everything for the mountain bike team,” said Smart. “Ms. Clements is so passionate about bikes. She brings that to our group and works so hard to get it running.”
Meanwhile, in what is fast becoming a dynasty, Pemberton Secondary took home its third straight overall provincial mountain biking title in Squamish May 23 and 24. Check back with Pique for the full story next week.
Full results from the 2024 BC Provincials are available at https://zone4.ca/results/.
