Seven athletes from Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School excelled at mountain biking provincials held May 23 to 24 in Squamish.
The competition involved both Enduro and XC events.
Max Matuga, one of the riders of the Grade 8 team, raced in the Enduro, which he explained involved two downhill stages.
"One was about three minutes and the other was about seven minutes," he said. "One was technical and the other one was a flow trail."
He competed against close to 80 other riders and got 22nd place.
"An outstanding invididual and team results," said coach Alex Boileau. "We don't get to compete in many races, for many on the team this was their first race and we don't have the same opportunities or trails as riders in larger centres such as Squamish."
Some of the terrain in Squamish was different, such as more rocks, Max said.
Callen Collier, also in Grade 8, found the technical trail the biggest challenge in the Enduro race.
"It was pretty hard and it was raining so I couldn't see much because my goggles were all fogged up," he said, adding it was his first time competing at provincials.
He placed 30th and said at home he rides his bike often.
Grade 8 athlete Noah Degrace appreciated the opportunity to see the trails ahead of the race and do some practice runs.
"The trails are quite a bit different than Bella Coola so it was a good experience," Noah said of the trails, adding he placed 28th.
Grade 8 student William McCartney competed in the XC/All Mountain race, which he said was about seven kilometres in length with lots of uphill sections.
"We rode on road for the uphill for some of it and then on a trail," he explained.
William achieved 47th place and said the downhill portions were a lot of fun.
Eric Boileau won third place in the XC/All Mountain race with a time of one hour and 17 minutes.
Training at home required riding lots of uphill trail portions, which helped him compete at provincials, he said.
"A lot of the uphill riding was easier than it is in Bella Coola on our Medby Trail system that we ride every Tuesday."
Eric's sister Morgan Boileau, Grade 10, competed in both events.
She placed 17th in XC/Mountain race out of 80 riders and 26th in the Enduro.
"Mountain biking is a pretty dangerous sport, especially when you are going fast down a technical section," she said. "It is really stressful trying not to get hurt but still descend quickly."
Grade 8 rider Mathias Conley was one of the strongest in the XC, however, unfortunately, he fell and was injured during the race.
"The very next day he was back on his feet and was cheering our team," Alex said. "That was awesome."
Ewan Koroluk, Grade 11, raced both Enduro and XC, and did well, putting in a solid effort.
He also raced with Morgan at provincials in 2022 in Victoria and really enjoyed the two-day format this year as well as the Squamish trails and meeting new friends at the races, which is what the event is all about.
"We would like to thank the following people and organizations for their supporting the SAMS mountain biking team," Alex said. "SD 49, Williams Lake and District Credit Union, Alex Boileau, Tim Degrace, Chantal St Pierre, Kevin Matuga, Julia Low Ah Kee, Meredith McIlwain, Eric Collier, Troy Lee Designs for the discount on the bike jerseys, Alison Krimmer for help with the design and Candace Knudsen (Bella Coola Customs) for the discount."
Alex also sent a shout out to all the parent volunteers who helped out at bike club, training rides and fundraisers.
"The entire provincials experience and community of riders is amazing," Alex said. "We are very grateful for the support received and opportunity to race and represent SAMS in Squamish at the Mountain Bike Provincials."
