ARLINGTON — The Lakewood and Arlington high schools composite mountain bike teams have merged this year and will be riding as Team Pilchuck for the 2014 season.

What does this mean for the kids? According to mountain biking head coach Heidi Klippert, it means that Lakewood and Arlington will now compete with and not against each other at races. Team points will be calculated as one, not two schools giving riders a better chance at placing in overall team competition. Students attend Lakewood, Burlington, Arlington, Granite Falls and Lake Stevens, and the Pilchuck name was a natural fit. Additionally, all teammates belong to the Pilchuck Mountain Bikers Club, a trail building group, and donate their time working on local area trails.

On March 9, the team held a Lap-a-thon fundraiser at the Arlington Airport to help cover expenses.  Student riders logged a total of 390 miles, or 65 laps around the airport. Coaches and friends joined them for a total of 616 miles ridden in just four hours on a rainy Sunday.  Though tired and wobbly, the kids rode through the mud and were proud of their endurance.

Their first race will be March 23 at Fort Steilcoom in Tacoma. Currently 27 high school and middle school teams are participating in the Washington League, and coaches and riders are excited for race day.

Other upcoming events include movie night at the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon on April 19. For more information, visit www.lincolntheatre.org/node/858. Life Cycles and Follow Me will be shown, and tickets are $10. Team Pilchuck and the Pilchuck Mountain Bikers Club are fundraising in collaboration with the Lincoln Theater to raise money for team expenses, insurance for trail users and trail building equipment. For more information, contact Klippert at www.arlington@washingtonleague.org or Arlington Velo Sport at 360-629-6415.