Sponsor donations help Sandpoint Trailblazers succeed in Butte

BUTTE — Not sure about sponsoring a Sandpoint sports team? Think about it. Due to the generosity of Syringa Cyclery, a Sandpoint Trailblazer was able to podium at the Copper Kings Clash held at the Big Butte Open Space Trailhead on Saturday.

Due to early predictions of cold and rainy weather, only 21 cross country mountain bikers from Sandpoint made their way to Butte this past weekend. However, it turned out to be a rather nice day for those who made the trek.

Overall, seven Sandpoint Trailblazers came home with medals from the event. Trent Roberts, third place, JV2 boys; Noah Schroder, third place JV3 boys; Anselm Dussault, first place, 7th/8th-grade competitive boys; Henry Larson, fifth place, 8th-grade boys; Sierra Zuberbuhler, fifth place, 8th-grade girls; Olivia Coffman, fourth place, 7th-grade girls; Iona Tuohy, fifth place, 7th-grade girls. Schroder and Larson, however, battled some extra adversity in order to take home some hardware.

Schroder, who led the race for much of his second lap, had a rear brake failure and took a tumble around a sharp corner. Schroder chose to be resilient, got back on his bike, and finished the eighth-grade boys race in fifth place.

Larson, whose bike was facing serious drivetrain issues days before the race, didn't have time to get things fixed before Butte. However, due to an incredible donation from Syringa Cyclery, Larson was able to compete in the race on one of the Trailblazers two brand new team ‘loaner’ mountain bikes.

“Syringa Cyclery has supported the team from the beginning,” head coach Mike Martz said. “However, this year Charles Mortensen went above and beyond with a donation of two brand new 2023 Norco Fluid HT1 hard-tail mountain bikes for the team.”

The team has had several instances of mechanical issues that have occurred causing athletes to miss practices, and in one instance a race where a rear tire blew as a rider was staging.

“Having these team bikes will keep kids riding in practices and ensure that any race day issues don't prevent a rider from competing in their heat,” Martz said. “This year we've been exceptionally blessed by the generosity of our community. We have over 15 sponsors with six of those sponsors donating $500 or more. Our team wants to extend a huge thank you to all our sponsors, with a special thanks to our ‘Going the Distance Sponsors,’ Syringa Cyclery and Stylebar as well as our ‘Hill Climber Sponsors,’ Idagon, Pend Oreille Winery, Humble & Black Realty Team, and Kokanee Coffee.

The Sandpoint Trailblazers' last race of the season will be the Lolo Landing held Saturday at Lolo National Forest in Lolo, Mont. If interested in keeping up with the team on social media, follow "Sandpoint Trailblazers XC MTB Team" on Facebook or on Instagram at sptrailblazers.