On October 20-21, the Panguitch mountain biking team took their bikes and their cheerful resolve to the Three Peaks Recreation Area, ready for a big event. They were going to the High School Cycling League’s state championship.
At 9:00 a.m., they geared up for two days of intense races in the company of 2,568 other riders and 77 teams from across the state. “It’s a phenomenal experience,” said Eric Fawson, head coach of the Panguitch mountain biking team, “one of those where you have to go to just see how big it is.”
Throughout the season, Panguitch had performed well. The high school team had raced four times: beginning in Manti, then at a similar course at the Three Peaks Recreation Area, and finishing in Beaver and Eagle Mountain. Going into state, the 12-person team had placed 3rd in their region.
But the fact was, they were still quite new at it.
The team originally began with six bikers in 2019. At the time, Eric had asked his daughter Zoey if she wanted to join the mountain biking team in Cedar City, and she had suggested they make a team in Panguitch.
The team quickly grew. Now the Panguitch mountain biking team was headed to Cedar City, with a few state competitions behind them, ready to compete.
When competing with the rest of Region 6, Panguitch had enjoyed a more level playing field with other smaller southern Utah teams. At state, though, the competition would be much bigger.
Getting to State
“There’s a sense of personal pride and accomplishment for anybody who has made it to race at state,” Eric told me, recounting the day.
State has the hardest race course of the year, and it takes a lot of work to qualify. In addition, “One of the really unique things is when you’re racing individually, there’s no 1A-6A,” said Eric. Everyone races together, so racing at state was a big goal.
And it was a challenge Panguitch wouldn’t shy away from.
Panguitch had three mountain bikers from the team go to state this year: Kadee Harland, Zoey Fawson and Ronan Mooney, all juniors. From the start, these bikers had goals of going to state.
“I just think that they consistently put in the effort, they set goals to get to state, and I think they used some of their previous experiences,” said Eric.
All three bikers had been racing with the team for the last four or five years, and some had been to state before. Their previous experience helped them know how to pace themselves and how to be there for the team.
“They cheered each other on,” Eric said. “They were really wanting each other to be successful.”
And in the end, they were.
Out of over 150 JV Girls in her category, Kadee Harland placed 5th. Zoey Fawson, who got bumped to a higher category last year, placed 113th, and Ronan Mooney placed 195th.
The Goal for the League
The overall goal for the league is all-inclusive, Eric told me: it’s “to get kids on bikes.” Anyone can join the Panguitch team, and Eric and his team will welcome people from any of the towns with open arms. And, in ways big or small, that’s what the Panguitch team does really well.
Contact Eric Fawson to find out how to join at (435) 690-0373 or [email protected].
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: Zoey Fawson races by at the state mountain biking competition. Courtesy of Eric Fawson.
Read all about Panguitch’s brand new course on Agate Hill in New Panguitch Mountain Bike Course.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].