Mountain bike team gears up for third year

On any given Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday you may see the large group of mountain bikers standing eagerly, roughly in a circle. This group is the Cloquet-

Esko-Carlton mountain biking team, and they are itching to get riding on the trails to continue their training for the upcoming races scattered across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

There is a significant age range, with the youngest riders in sixth grade and the oldest preparing to start their senior year of high school.

The CEC mountain biking team has been riding local trails three days a week since early July in preparation for the upcoming competition season that runs August through late October.

Since the mountain bike team's founding in 2017, participation has almost doubled from its original 15-member team to more than 36 student-athletes in the past two years. The members come from throughout the region. As the name implies, many riders are from Cloquet, Esko or Carlton; however, the team reaches out to any sixth- to 12th-grade cyclists in the area. Some riders live as far away as Barnum, while others commute from the Proctor/Hermantown area.

Despite their age- and geographical differences, the thing that seems to connect the teammates is the desire to have fun and get faster.

"My goal is to get faster," said Hermantown seventh-grader Tyler Fath. Fath is gearing up for his second year on the team and hopes that riding with others will push him to reach his goal. Other members just want to get out, hang out with their friends, and get some exercise. The coaches allow the kids to come up with their own goals, and they try to use cycling to develop the students into the people that they want to be. Head coach Matt Haglin plans to use the bike as a catalyst in order "to develop strong minds, strong bodies and strong character" within each of the cyclists.

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association, an organization that runs the many leagues across the United States, hopes that the student-cyclists will learn the importance of teamwork and respect while encouraging kids to exercise, make friends, and improve themselves as people. The association's mission is best conveyed by Matt's daughter, Layla Haglin, who said that "it doesn't matter how good you are, you just need to come to practice, have fun, and try to get better."

Her mother - who is team director - encourages any teenager or kid who wants to get out, get active or make some new friends, to get involved and join what she believes is "one of the most rewarding things [she has] ever done."

While racing is not required, many of the team's cyclists plan on putting themselves to the test this upcoming season. NICA hosts seven different races across Minnesota and Wisconsin, including one in Duluth. In accordance with NICA rules, the team may race in only five of the races, allowing for two bye weeks. Each race has several different categories, including middle school, freshman, junior varsity and varsity. Middle school racers - grades 6-8 - race one lap, which is usually around four miles long. Freshman racers go two laps, and junior varsity racers bike either two or three laps. Finally, the varsity, comprised of the best riders on the team, must ride a total of four laps in under 90 minutes.

The team practices at Pine Valley in Cloquet, Spirit Mountain, and other local trails. They encourage any interested students in grades sixth through 12 to register and participate on the team, even though the season has started.

Contact Matt Haglin at cecmtb @gmail.com For more information go to minnesotamtb.org