Cycling traveled to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for its final competition of the season. Despite challenging weather conditions, the team delivered standout performances across the board, securing podium finishes in all three events, with the performances providing momentum to carry into next year. Andover finished in the NERCL standings in third place behind Exeter High School and Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter).
Because the forecast was rainy and windy, the team had to prepare for the challenging conditions they would face. Uncertainty about how the course would unfold added to the anticipation of race day. Co-Captain Matt Robinson ’27 described how the team adapted to the weather.
“When you’re moving quickly on a bike, especially when it’s drizzling, it gets quite cold from the wind. Everyone was thinking about how they wanted to warm up and what they wanted to wear. Those decisions involved a lot of trial and error, and some people probably didn’t warm up as much as they might have wanted to,” said Robinson.
Despite the challenging conditions, the team filled the leaderboard with strong performances across the roster. Eddy Marrero ’28 reflected on the team’s success across various divisions.
“In the actual individual race itself, we had a first-place finish for Boys C, a sixth-place finish for Boys A, and a fifth-place finish for Boys B, so we had solid placements across the board. Then, once everything was announced, we ended up finishing first overall in Boys C, and third overall for both Boys A and Boys B,” said Marrero.
In the Boys C race, cyclists were neck and neck heading into the final lap. Robinson recounted the close finish approaching the line, praising Arden Quan ’29 for staying composed under pressure to emerge victorious in both the individual race and the Boys C NERCL Category Standings.
“It was a pretty quiet race for the first seven laps, and then on the last hill, it exploded into a massive sprint. Arden had a really strong finish and a very quick sprint. He won his race and, with that, the overall title for his category,” said Robinson.
This race also marked the final high school cycling competition for the team’s Seniors. Marrero, a Lower, reflected on the impact they had on the program and their performances in their last race.
“I would like to shout out the two Seniors, David Porto ’26 and Frank Hu ’26, on our team. Since I joined my freshman year, they’ve been putting in really good efforts. They were one of the reasons we were so supportive of each other and able to overcome challenges as a team and keep going. This was their last race ever, and they both put in a really good effort and had a great race,” said Marrero.
The season reflected the team’s continued success and consistency throughout the year. Robinson emphasized how the team’s bond strengthened over the course of the season, something that was especially evident at the final race.
“I think we’ve had a good season, but especially today, after the race, we were all hanging out together and able to spend more time than we usually get to. The cheering was really strong on all sides, and I think it’s a reflection of how we’ve grown together as a team. I think this was a really strong way to finish a good season, and I’m sad to see the Seniors go,” said Robinson.
