OLYMPIA — Stilly Valley sophomore Elle Lee, of the Arlington Composite mountain bike club, took first place at the Battle of the Bases race at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday, April 28.
“She is team leader for intermediate girls,” said coach Heidi Klippert. “She was feeling good, reading the course and evaluating her opponents’ — as well as her own — strengths and weaknesses. Elle was feeling so good, she even beat the JV girls’ times by three minutes.”
The race meant Lee scored her second leader’s jersey, but she was not alone as a first place finisher.
“Kayla Lampart moved up in the standings with another podium, as well. She took first place in the beginner girls race, moving her race standings to first place overall. Hallie Williams podiumed with another third-place finish for middle school girls and is ranked third overall, while Tagan Walker placed eighth in middle school boys.”
The Battle of the Bases drew 135 racers representing 25 different schools. The beginner race required completion of one six-mile lap composed of steep climbs, flowy trails and a technical single track. Intermediate racers completed two laps.
Racing in the beginner boys category were Lakewood sophomore Matt Roebke, who placed seventh but is ranked sixth for the series; Arlington sophomore Glenn Gamboa, who placed 12th in Sunday’s race, but is ranked eighth for the series; and Lakewood sophomore Charles Davis, who took 17th place.
“There were 37 racers competing in the intermediate boys’ category, and the Lakewood and Arlington boys sent five racers to the starting line,” said Klippert.
Lakewood sophomore Gavin Sitter placed seventh and is ranked fourth for the series. Tyler Mueller, also from Lakewood, placed 19th. Sam Oakes and Wes Holboy, sophomores at Burlington-Edison competing for Arlington Composite, placed 11th and 31st respectively. Oakes is ranked seventh overall for the series. Arlington senior Chris Nelson took 29th place.
The Arlington and Lakewood mountain bike teams are set to compete in a Gig Harbor race on May 5. The state competition is set for May 19 in Washougal.
