EYC Takes Home the Bronze in Mt Bike Race

EYC students were introduced to the great sport of mountain 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!