The University of Toronto mountain bike team rode away with two silver medals in the first University Cup race of the season at the Mansfield Outdoor Centre on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Both the men's team and the women's team competed in a two-day, three-event schedule that included a criterion, time-trial and cross country race.

A bus mostly filled with sleepy-eyed rookies, pulled away from downtown Toronto and took the Varsity Blues mountain bike team away from campus early Saturday morning. Mountain bikes in tow, they headed into a beautiful weekend that included some intense racing, camping, sun and swimming in a spring-fed creek plus two well-deserved trips to the podium.

First-year engineering science student David Brancolin placed second overall after the weekend's combined totals were calculated, earning a silver medal in the men's "B" division.

On the women's side, another rookie, graduate student Samantha Cassista, also climbed her way to a silver medal with outstanding performances in all three weekend events. This victory was especially sweet for Cassista as her mother had driven up from the North East United States to watch her compete.

Next weekend, the mountain bike team heads to Hardwood Hills Ski and Bike Centre on Sunday, Sept. 20th to compete in U-CUP Race #2.