By Luke Gallo and Isabella Hayhurst on October 16, 2023
Not many people know about the Taylor County Trail Dogs; they are Taylor County’s mountain biking team and part of NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association). The team is coached by Mr. Samuel Wilson and assisted by Mrs. Bonnie Woods and Mr. Ted Mahon. The coaches are all very passionate about this sport and all the students that are involved in it. Trail Dogs race every weekend in a different location with five races total. They have raced at places such as Big Bear Lake, Canaan Valley State Park, Cacapon State Park, and Summit Bechtel Reserve. The 5th and final race will be on October 21st-22nd at Twin Falls State Park. On Saturdays they all drive down to the race and pre ride the course, so they know what to expect. Then, on Sunday they get down to business. On Sunday the middle schoolers start at 9:30 and to about 12:00, and then high school goes from 12:00 to about 3:00. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of mountain biking, in order to finish you have to cross the finish line with your bike no matter how long it takes. If you do not cross with your bike, you will be disqualified.
You might wonder how Taylor County did in the first race. This race was in the woods at Cannan Valley: “Rally in the Valley.” We have Noah Burhite who came in for JV at 21st place with a time of 1:07:23.73. We also have Cynan Wolf with 23rd place with a time of 1:10:22.39. We also have a girl racer for JV girls, Savanna Lyons with 9th place, but she sadly did not make it to the second lap during the race. We have one more rider for sophomore boys, Evan Weatherby; he came in 25th place but also did not make it to the second lap during this race. This was a time trial race; they were racing the clock.
The second race was a mass start. Big Bear is one of the toughest races in WVICL (West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League). It is always rocky and muddy no matter what. Most people do not make the cutoff lap during this race. Noah Burhite for JV boys came in with 18th place with 2 laps. We also got Cynan Wolf with a DNF during this race. DNF means Did Not Finish, so you do not get a placement. For JV Girls we have Savanna Lyons with 9th place again with one lap. One sophomore boy Evan Weatherby came in 20th place with one lap.
The third race of the season was Cacapon. Cacapon was really muddy this year; never once have I been there when it was muddy. The conditions made it a very tough race, and a lot of bike issues were happening. We had three racers. Savana Lyons racing for JV girls got 8th place doing three out of five laps. We have a JV boys racer, Noah Burhite, who came in17th place completing 5/5 laps. Evan Weatherby was 22nd place with 2/4 laps. This was a tough race with all the mud.
The fourth race is Summit Betchell Reserve. We had JV girls Savana Lyons with 10th place. Also, a JV boy, Noah Burhite, came in with 19th place. Evan Weatherby is a sophomore racer with 20th place.
After asking a few of the racers what they think of the sport, Noah Burhite said that his favorite part is all the people and how nice everyone is. Savanna Lyons loves how inclusive it is. The coaches’ favorite parts consist of watching the students improve, and they love how into it they all are. Although their season is coming to an end, there is still time to show interest for the next season.
