Wyatt Riegel takes BC Cup
Revelstoke’s Wyatt Riegel is the BC Cup Champion in the U-15 men’s downhill category, finishing the series with three first place finishes out of five races this season.
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: September 09, 2009 3:54 PM
Revelstoke’s Wyatt Riegel has definitely made a strong impression during his first year of mountain bike racing at the provincial level by winning the BC Cup Championship in the U-15 men’s downhill category.
Standings are determined by a racer’s three best finishes over the season. Out of five races entered, Riegel finished first three times, squeaked out a third place finish despite a mid-course crash, and scratched from the other race due to an illness.
The soft-spoken 14-year-old says success comes from lots of time practicing on spots such as CPR Hill, Sale Mountain and other local trails. After that, it’s about going fast and holding on. “I try not to crash, basically, because if you crash you’re not going to win,” he says.
His wins came in fields of about 15 to 20 provincial level riders. Across all categories, there are usually a few hundred racers at the events.
Wyatt’s father Ross Riegel is very excited about his son’s success in his inaugural season, noting that he won the races despite not having access to the same level of facilities as other riders. Many of the top racers hail from ski towns that have lift-serviced mountain bike courses.
Wyatt, Ross and friends ride in the local mountains on a daily basis. This could have contributed to Wyatt’s success on the rougher, less-manicured courses, he said.
Wyatt is sponsored by Skookum Cycle and wears their jersey at races. He spends a lot of time riding with senior team riders from both the Revelstoke and Salmon Arm area.
He thanks the team and the shop for all of their help over the season, including lots of repairs and discounts in what can be a costly sport.
Wyatt, who currently races on a Giant Reign X 1, is hoping more first place finishes and continued sponsorship partnerships work out for him in the future.
Next season will be a bigger challenge when he steps up into the much bigger and more competitive U-17 field where he will be one of the more junior riders.
Wyatt again thanks the Skookum team for their help.
“You could thank your dad, too,” pipes in Ross, who spends lots of time taking Wyatt and his friends up the hills and to races across the province. It’s not a chore, says Ross, who is a biker himself and also enjoys hitting the trails with his son.
v2
