Rising to the Challenge: “Hill day” presents leadership opportunities for cycling team
Published 4:01 pm Thursday, August 1, 2024
Simon Brand, left, and Liam Linnett ride in practice. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
A group of riders take shelter in the shade during practice as temperatures reached the high 80s on Tuesday evening. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Members of the Austin cylcing team ride up and down Skinner’s Hill this past Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Brayden Andrews, left, and Hunter Peters, right reach the top of Skinner’s Hill. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Lexi Helgeson rides on Skinner’s Hill at practice Tuesdsay. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
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It is a hot, humid day at Skinner’s Hill with temperatures reaching the low 90s and the Austin cycling team is at it again.
Every Tuesday is a hill day for the team and there is no time for complaining or making excuses. The team gets on their bicycles and they ride up and down the hill until practice wraps up.
Hill days have taken a twist this year as the team selects a captain of the day to run practice on Tuesday. On this day, sophomore Brayden Andrews had the honor of leading the team and after practice, he passed the honor onto a teammate.
“It’s an assignment and you get to schedule the practice,” said Andrews. “You get to teach the whole team. I had to think about what skills would be the best to teach and what would help the team the most.”
Standing in front of his teammates, Andrews began Tuesday’s practice by going through safety routines and things to remember. Then he promptly led them up the hill.
Sophomore Hunter Peters said that having a different captain on every hill day is a unique way to give many riders a voice.
“We’re always waiting to see who the next leader is. It’s fun to see what they’re going to think of,” Peters said. “It’s a good challenge.”
Peters enjoys cycling, but he’s found that it’s sometimes difficult to balance with his commitment to education and swimming, where he was a state qualifier for the Packers last winter. However, he still enjoys the team aspect of riding with the squad.
“It’s harder to get motivated as you get older and you have more things going on in your life,” Peter said. “Most of us have grown up together out here and we’ve all been racing each other for awhile.”
Austin sophomore Lexi Helgeson said it’s been fun to watch the veteran riders on the team get better every year. She’s also now playing the role of a leader to some of the younger riders on the team.
“Our younger riders are keeping up with us. I think we’re motivation for them and they’re motivation for us. Everybody gets to participate and that’s one of the great things about the team,” Helgeson said. “Everyone can go at their own pace.”
One of those young riders is eighth grader Simon Brand, who already has taken on a spirited approach to riding. He’s learned that effort is the one thing he can control, no matter what else happens.
“I started off new to riding, but it’s really something I enjoy,” Brand said. “You have to mentally tell yourself you can do it and you think about that determination. You never quit and you don’t give up. If you fall, you get back on your bike and you keep going.”
The team does not have any home meets this season, but that has not dampened their spirits. In a sport where you get exactly what you put in, the team has learned to push themselves and drive to improve on a daily basis.
Ninth grader Liam Linnett said that cycling has helped him learn to fight through obstacles.
“It’s painful, but it’s all worth it,” Linnett said. “The races are a lot of fun and it’s a great experience to have. It can be a battle in your mind if you’re going a few laps. But for one lap, you can pretty much go as hard as you can.”
