Sports

Tam Soph Roars to State Mountain Bike Title

Charlton's win leads a strong overall team performance at state championship race in Los Olivos.

coach Paul Kundrat has described Dillon Charlton as a “steam engine,” saying that once he gets going, he’s near-impossible to beat.

Charlton certainly got going on Sunday, powering to a relatively easy win in the sophomore division at the first-ever California State High School Mountain Bike Championships. He coasted across the finish line of the 18-miles course with a comfortable lead.

“Dillon simply rode away from everyone,” Kundrat said.

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Charlton led a strong contingent of Tam riders across multiple divisions. Skylar Taylor finished third overall in the junior varsity race, fighting through a crash late in the race by picking up his bike and running through the finish line.

Kundrat said Taylor was getting boxed out as he passed a rider from a different division and the rider ahead of him in his race. Taylor crashed and hurt his wrist but wouldn’t be denied a place on the podium.

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“All of our riders performed spectacularly,” Kundrat said. “I'm so incredibly proud of all of them.”

The state championship races conclude the clubs mountain biking season, but Kundrat said the cycling-crazed teens will simply be moving onto the next set of races.

“On the van ride back they were all talking of road and cyclocross racing this year!” he said.


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