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New high school mountain bike league set to launch

Keith Uhlig
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

WAUSAU – About 25 teenage cyclists from the Wausau area will be part of sporting history Sunday when they compete in the state's first-ever high school mountain bike race.

The race, held at Minooka Park in Waukesha, will be the launch of the Wisconsin High School Cycling League, a club sport that includes middle and high school riders in a series of four fall races, culminating in a championship race at Cascade Mountain in Portage.

The league kicks off with 19 teams from across the state, including the Wausau United Ride, which includes riders from several schools in Marathon County, and the Stevens Point Area Senior High Mountain Bike Club. The sport is open to boys and girls from sixth through 12th grades.

Organizers expect anywhere from 120 to 180 athletes to compete in the races, said Kathy Mock, co-director of the league. Don Edberg, the director of the Wisconsin Off Road Series of mountain bike races, is the other director of the high school league.

The high school mountain bike league has generated a lot of excitement in the Wausau area, said Jeff Tobin, the coach of the Wausau United Ride.

"It's exploding, absolutely exploding," Tobin said. "My expectations, when we first started talking about this back in April, was that we would have five to seven racers. We're probably going to eclipse 25. It's gone far beyond anybody's expectations."

The club sport will be unique in the way it operates. Riders can join Wausau United at any time, Tobin said.

"They would be be welcome in the middle of the season," he said.

Athletes don't have to compete if they don't wish. Core values, Tobin said, include "inclusion, equality, strong body, strong mind and strong character."

Hanna Mork, 14, of Wausau is one of the members of Wausau United. She'll be a freshman at Wausau West High School, but she's an experienced mountain bike racer.

"I started when I was 7," she said. "So I've been racing a long time."

She has competed extensively in WORS races and has six first-place finishes in her age and division so far this year. Her father, Jason, is a mountain bike racer and introduced Hanna into the sport.

"I've always ridden with adults," Hanna said. "Now I have kids to ride with, too."

Hanna said she looks forward to competing at the high school level, but she also just enjoys the team atmosphere of Wausau United.

"It's fun, and supportive," she said. "I like that you can get away from school and ride. No one's benched. And I, like, get an adrenaline rush (from riding fast)."

Keith Uhlig can be reached at 715-845-0651. Find him on Twitter as @UhligK.