Mountain Bike Team Rides At OFSAA

Greenwood’s Mountain Biking team had an excellent showing at OFSAA in their first year competing at this level. In the Junior Men’s category, Connor Ciotlos came 8th and Cole Borthwick came 19th out of 60 competitors from across Ontario. In the Senior Men’s category, Jack Ciotlos placed 6th and Thomas Purdy placed 10th of 70 racers.

Competing at OFSAA and to placing so well is an exciting accomplishment for any team. This was even more exceptional considering this was our Mountain Biking team’s inaugural year. Plus, Jack Ciotlos & Thomas Purdy have qualified for the Ontario Summer Games in mountain biking as result of their performances this season

The team, started by the Ciotlos brothers and Thomas Purdy, and coached by volunteer parent Lisa Vanexan, practiced outside of school hours, regularly logging dozens of kilometers on trails around the city. As a team, they organized their own participation in a number of events across the city.

Their enthusiasm for representing Greenwood always shone at competitive events. Thomas Purdy said, “I started to become interested in Mountain Biking when I began exploring the Don Valley with my friends.  I was exposed to all of the energy and excitement involved in the sport and was instantly hooked. Not too long later, I started to race. The other students and I who raced really wanted to represent our school, while doing what we love.  We decided to propose the idea of a Mountain Bike Race team, and it worked out perfectly!”

They had a strong regular season, with Greenwood bikers often making the podium at competitive events. “I am very happy with my performance, and everyone else on the team,” Thomas said.

The categories at OFSAA were much larger than the regular 30 or so competitors in local events. “At OFSAA, everyone had a great race, with everyone finishing within top 20 out of 70,” Thomas said. “The level of competition was the highest it's ever been this year, so I am proud that we all had clean and consistent races.”

The team will be running again next year and are always interested in welcoming new members. Their goal for next year is to achieve more great results.