Behind a fourth place finish by Captain Matt Lloyd-Thomas ’12, Andover Cycling impressed in its first meet of the 2012 season. Lloyd-Thomas led Andover in the Boys’ A division. In the end, Killington Mountain School bea the Boys’ A division race with the top three finishing riders. Killington’s success came mostly because of its domination of the mile and a half long final climb, demonstrating its strength, endurance, and familiarity with steep climbs. Lloyd-Thomas said, “As a result of the climb, the pack was completely fractured.” On the girls’ side, Andover was more successful, with two girls in the top seven. Alex Morrow ’12 finished sixth in the Girls’ A division, and Rachel Wittenberg ’13 finished seventh in the Girls’ A division. This season is different for the girls because there are only three girls on the team. Eve Simister said, “Now that we have seen the other riders we will be able to strategize more with our positioning, since the same group of riders is at every race.” Overall, the results from both the boys’ and girls’ A divisions can be used as something to build on for the rest of the season. Success will come with more practice, and given that the season has just begun, this team can only grow and get better from here. Andover’s next race is this Saturday hosted by Gould School.
