Captain Austen Novis ’11 sprinted across the end line to finish second by only a bike length in the New England Prep Cycling League Championships boys Varsity A finals. Novis’ performance led Andover Boys Cycling to an impressive victory in the Varsity A league championships as the team ended its league competition for the season. This win in the championships earned the team third in overall team points on the season. This past weekend, Andover Cycling traveled to Profile for the penultimate race of the season. However, due to bad weather conditions and an early starting time, the team only sent its Boys Varsity A riders. Of the four riders who raced, Novis and Matthew Lloyd-Thomas ’12 did not finish due to a lack of proper course markings. Charlie Ganner ’10 was still able to capture fourth, and Yuto Watanabe ’11 finished just after him. Coach Thayer Zaeder said, “The weather was awful, it was raining that morning and Profile is a demanding, dangerous course, so we decided to race only the Varsity Boys A riders. The course is grueling with several harsh climbs and dangerous descents. The terrain was also not very favorable; the course was a real test of the riders’ technical skill. There were no race marshals at the turns that Matt and Austen missed. It was a pretty disappointing, frustrating day because of this.” Novis entered the race in second place for the Boys Varsity A individual standings; however, because he did not place at Profile, he fell down in the standings. This past Wednesday, Andover Cycling competed in the NERC championships hosted by New Hampton. The New Hampton course finished with a downhill sprint. In Boys Varsity A, Novis managed to accelerate to the front and finish second across the line, followed by Lloyd-Thomas who placed fifth, and Ganner who finished just behind him. “For the most part, the Boys Varsity A Race stayed in a pack. After twenty miles at a fast, grueling pace, it was a real test of will and brute strength across the line,” said Lloyd Thomas. Strong finishes by these three Andover riders enabled Andover Cycling to capture the NERC Championship in the Boys A Division. About halfway through the race, the Girls Varsity B caught up to the Girls Varsity A group, causing confusion and mayhem on the course. In this commotion, two Andover riders crashed along with several riders from other schools. Despite the chaos, Pia Aehnlich ’10 managed to place among the leaders in Girls Varsity A. As a team, Andover Cycling captured third overall. Andover Cycling will conclude its season with a race against rival Exeter this Saturday.
