RVA Ride the Ridge Results & Junior Development Team

3 Cats Racing Race Recap

Owen, Lia, and Seth lined up at Blue Ridge School for the RVA Underground race on Saturday. The Virginia weather was cool and crisp, which was a serious ping pong from the 87 degrees we had experienced in Arkansas earlier in the week. While everyone saw the potential and the light on the horizon, a slew of mechanicals once again plagued our team. Still, it was a great day of chill racing supported by Nathan and Beth with a great result for both Lia (5th) and Seth (8th). We suspect Owen would have been over the moon with his performance had he not had a broken spoke, which required him to pull out of the race in lap 2.

Seth is settled in

Owen McMurray | Sport Boys U19

Owen opened with a strong first lap, riding near the front with confidence and speed. A broken spoke forced an early DNF, but the pace and positioning showed exactly where he belongs heading into the VAHS season.

Griffin and Owen before Owen'r race. It was a bit chilly.

Owen all bundled up pre-race.

Lia Hultgren | Sport Girls U19

Lia’s race started with immediate chaos, tangling handlebars with Mya Truglio off the line. She regrouped quickly and rode back into contention, holding 4th before a shifting issue locked her into one gear. She adapted and fought through to finish 5th, showing resilience and race intelligence.

Seth Kidd | Beginner Boys U16

Starting from the back, Seth rode a calm, calculated race. One rider at a time, he moved steadily through the field to finish 8th. No panic, no wasted energy, just smart, consistent progress.

Team Support & Junior Development

Behind the scenes, Nathan kept things running with quick mechanical support when it mattered most. In junior mountain biking, development is not just about watts. It is about problem-solving, teamwork, and staying steady when races get unpredictable. It is also about solving for all the mechanical issues that come about from training and riding without a dedicated team mechanic.

Looking Ahead

The season is just getting started and we know the winter training did its job. Now we just need to settle in our minds, keep our bikes in repair and trust the process.

Next Up: We have two squads in one weekend - one off to The Appalachian Journey and the other to Punch the Unicorn.