Cowichan Secondary student John Walker won the Grade 11/12 enduro event at the B.C. School Sports mountain bike championships in Cumberland late last month.
Cow High sent seven students to the provincial championships on May 27, including Grade 12 student Walker, Grade 10 Tye Robinson and Grade 9s Emlyn Pacholuk, Tyler Shewchuk, Matt Day, Elwyn Thom and Silas Wiebe.
All the athletes are members of the CSS Mountain Bike Club and have been riding on Mount Tzouhalem after school every Monday, although Walker has his own training regimen so he only joins the rest of the team occasionally.
All riders had to compete in both the cross-country and enduro races. Walker won the Grade 11/12 enduro event with an overall time of 4:44.
“He is hoping to become a pro downhill racer like [Cowichan Valley product] Mark Wallace, and often trains with Mark on the local mountains,” Cow High coach James Cutt said.
The Cow High riders pre-rode the courses on May 26, camped overnight at Cumberland Lake Park, then competed the next day.