EYC Students Go Biking
EYC students were introduced to the great sport of mt biking and loved the experience. The top students from each school were selected based on their peers confidence in their strength to compete in a race, and 4 boys and 4 girls were chosen to take part. The race was in a mountain area called Kirrirom about 3 hours from Phnom Penh. The scenery resembled Colorado and was a refreshing experience for us, as some students literally live over a sewage containment lake and all live in cramped dirty conditions. We arrived on Saturday and most of them tried a mt bike for the first time. That night we slept in a local village with families that make their homes available for $3 per night. Early in the morning we took to the trails for a race of a lifetime as they competed on a 10 or 20 kilometer course. Aziza School’s Srey Mom took 3rd place overall for the women events, and first in her class (4 of the 7 women competing were our students). The next day Srey Mom missed work as a house cleaner because her arms and shoulders were so sore, but she said she is interested in joining the women’s cycling team (she was invited by the local bike shop). A highlight was swimming in a cold mountain stream, and everyone had a great time.
Mike Kiess, EYC’s mt biking coach and sponsor took 5th place in the over 35 category!