Cycling Closes Successful Season

As a KMA racer rushes to take a large lead, Exeter upper Erick Friis’s eye sparks. Seniors and captains Niklas Bergill and Rohan Pavuluri let Friis catch up to the racer, while they block out the large crowd behind them, in hopes that Friis will beat out the cyclists in the front.

In the Boys A race, Exeter had Friis finishing third, Pavuluri at sixth and Bergill at eleventh. In the Girls A race, the trio of lower Stajz Saar, lower Tessa Vaccaro and upper Cornelia Smith finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.  

Big Red’s cycling team came in ready to the championship, the penultimate race of the season. A lot of points were on the table. The championship offered double the normal amount of points of road races and quadruple the amount of timed trials.

Their successes did not come free of work. For the entire week before the race, Exeter labored hard to prepare.

Saar commented about the specific skills that they prepared for the week. “We trained hard everyday, as well as worked on more technical things right before the race, such as taking left turns quickly and safely,” she said.

This practicing was specifically integrated for this race. In most of the previous courses, there was a large amount of right turns. However, in the championship, turning safely around the left turns would be decisive.

Another reason behind the amazing performance was the team chemistry. Through the Girls A race, the team chemistry was evident in the way the team stayed together, resulting in the  third, fourth and fifth place finishes.

“The team chemistry was great. In the Girls A race, we all worked together in a pace line so that we could stay toward the front,” Saar said.

Similarly, in the Boys A race, the team used a tactic where Pavuluri and Bergill held back the large group of cyclists in order to allow Friis to catch up to the speeding KMA racer.

“After I caught a break away rider, Nik held back the pack in hopes that I would score for Exeter,” Friis said. “I attacked the breakaway, and my captain Nik Bergill held back the main pack to help me.”

Not only was the chemistry evident in this race, the entire season was another example.

“What set the team apart this year from each of the last three year's I've been a member is our tightly-knit community,” Pavuluri said. “Even though the team was so large, we all got along incredibly well. This eased the tension before all races, compelled us to practice harder, and ultimately resulted in our successes.”

All the hard work had paid off for Big Red’s cycling team in this race. “It was awesome to end the season on such a good race,” Friis said. “The cycling team was larger than usual this year, but we were still able to be really close with each other and win the championship.”