RNC bikers compete at Englewood, gear up for home meet

The Rhinelander Northwoods Composite mountain bike team took part in the fourth race of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League Sunday, competing in the Englewood Epic Festival in Fall River.

The Rhinelander High School partition of the squad finished 46th of 78 teams in Division 2 with the RNC partition, made of riders from surrounding school districts was 48th. 

Holden Schmitz finished 37th in the varsity boys’ race for the RHS squad. Henry Schmitz was 20th in the JV-3 boys’ category and Michael Tredupp was 40th in the JV-2 race.

For the RNC squad, Cody Price came home 42nd in the varsity race. Conley Meyer and Everett Smith with 17th and 67th, respectively, in the JV-2 race. William Gregersen was unable to finish the JV-3 race. 

In middle school action Evelyn MacFarland claimed the win in the sixth-grade girls’ division, while the team had four riders in the top 13 in the high-end MS2 boys’ class — Hans Sommer (fourth), Emmett Tuckey (ninth), Jacob MacFarland (10th) and Liam McKissack (13th). Alexander Rusch was 12th in the eighth-grade boys’ race. 

The WICL heads to the Rhinelander area this weekend for the second-annual Hodag Hustle Festival, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at Tesomas Scout Camp in the Town of Pine Lake. 

More than 1,000 student-athletes from sixth to 12th grade will push their limits, test their skills, and enjoy tons of adventure while racing and exploring the scenic mountain bike trails at Camp Tesomas. 

Racing kicks off at 8:15 a.m. with the varsity athletes, and continues through the afternoon, wrapping up with awards at 4 p.m. Teams and families will also dive into fun, non-racing activities and other local trails, all while soaking up the festival vibes.

The course includes challenging single-track trails built and maintained by Camp Tesomas staff and campers, the Rhinelander Area Silent Trials Association (RASTA) and Bike N Boards.