I'm excited to announce that I'll be racing for the Orange Seal Academy and the Bear National Team for the 2025 XC season! The Orange Seal Academy is a high-level race team offering essential coaching support behind the scenes and at races. This program has supported multiple American superstars, including Savilia Blunk, Cole Paton, Kelsey Urban, and many more.

The World Championship race is a pinnacle event in the cycling calendar, drawing the most elite racers from around the globe. Being selected to race with USA Cycling at this prestigious event was an honor and an exhilarating challenge.

Race day arrived, and with it, a mixture of nerves and excitement. European starts are notoriously chaotic, and this one was no exception. As the countdown began, I found myself packed tightly in the start gate—my left handlebar pressed against an Australian racer's hip and my front tire close to a French racer's leg. When the lights turned green, the chaos erupted. In the first few pedal strokes, a crash occurred, taking out a significant portion of the field. I managed to navigate around the fallen riders and set my sights on moving up.

The MTB National Championships is always one of the biggest US races, with stiff competition. This year, it was at Bear Creek Resort in Pennsylvania. My category had over 120 participants. It’s one of the final and most important races because a good result might open the door to an invitation to the World Championship.

Leading up to the race, I felt it was a race against the clock because I had suffered from an intense illness that started at the Pan American Championships in May. The sickness continued while I was in Europe, developing into a horrible cough. And I continued fighting it while racing in Missoula in June. Finally, I began feeling back to myself just a month before the national race. I was very concerned about my fitness as the sickness caused a significant setback in my power. Still, I focused on each workout, making progress day by day. In preparation, I rode in the middle of the day to get heat acclimated. Pennsylvania is not as hot as Sedona, although the humidity is no joke!

By the time the race was here, I was feeling strong again. The steep and technical course was perfect for my skillset and riding style. I knew I could have the opportunity to do something great, and I envisioned myself alone with Nico Konecny (the best junior in the US).

Wow! I was invited to race in Europe with Team USA and Bear National. Racing in Europe had been a dream of mine since I could ride a bike, and finally, achieving it was surreal.

The trip was primarily for elite U23 racers and to give a few Juniors a taste of European racing. The Jr. races would be in Haiming, Austria, and Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, a famous World Cup race venue.

Leading up to the trip, I put in some intense training. Unfortunately, I started the trip sick and could not race Austria. I had to take some time off the bike to rest and recover. Watching my friends race was hard. I wanted to be out there with them, but the experience and scenery were amazing.

On March 22-23, I raced in the US Pro Cup at Vail Lake Temecula. The US Pro Cup is a four-race series across the US. Each event has two races, a short track, and a long course.

The first day was the short track. With over 100 racers registered, two early morning qualifiers narrowed the field to sixty riders. I qualified well enough to be near the front in the final race. The final race was the most intense race I’ve ever been in. My rear tire was constantly getting buzzed, I got hit with elbows a lot, and aggressive passing was happening until the end. I was with the front few guys throughout the race but was passed by a few riders near the end and finished seventh. The race was stressful but an awesome learning experience. Short track is not my specialty, but it is used for long course starting positions in the U23 and Pro races, so I must be competitive.

Since the start of the 2024 semester, I decided to attend online school. It was a difficult decision, but it was my only choice with the traveling I will do this spring with my mountain bike racing. I selected ASU Digital Prep because I attended it during COVID-19. The school has a lot of self-teaching, although if you are self-motivated, the schoolwork is reasonable. I have increased my training, and it is way easier to fit in big rides with my flexible schedule.

The McDowell Meltdown is always the first race of my spring season, and this year is the same with one big difference: I'm racing in the Pro Men category for the first time. Moving up the ranks is exciting but also brings nerves.

In addition, I'm in the middle of a significant training block. This race is intended to gauge how my training is progressing. I have not raced since winning the State Championship in November, and uncertainty about my fitness has crept into my mind. I have been mostly training alone and was unsure how my legs would feel in the season's first race.

For those unfamiliar, the ACA stands for the AZ Cycling Association, the official high school mountain bike program that caters to riders of all levels. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned racer, there's a spot for you in this league.

The ACA hosts races for middle school and high school students, following traditional high school sports levels - freshman to varsity. The season spans from September to November, culminating in the thrilling State Championship after four intense races.

August 1st - The Beginning of the Bear Journey

As the calendar turns to August 1st, a significant day for many aspiring young cyclists, the Bear National Team opens its doors to a new wave of applications. For the next three weeks, the opportunity to join this esteemed junior development cycling team is open, and I decided it was time to throw my hat in the ring.

While this marks my inaugural application to Bear, I've been working tirelessly to craft a resume worthy of their attention. This season, my national ranking in my age group soared, a testament to my work ethic and passion for cycling. With my credentials in place, I feel ready to take the leap and submit my application.

I arrived at Nationals a few days early, staying in a federal-style row house from the early 1900s in Allentown, PA. I only know that because my dad is an architect and he mentioned it more than once. The environment was lush, hot, and humid—a stark contrast to the dry landscapes I'm accustomed to in Sedona. Heat quickly became a concern, evident as I sweated carrying luggage to the house.

The race venue, nestled in a ski resort, promised a challenging course with ski mountains, chair lifts, and alpine surroundings. Eager to explore, I pedaled through the course, realizing a strong start would be crucial. An uphill single track near the start created a bottleneck, and with 120+ riders in my group, the stage was set for early chaos.

I’m back from a successful 2 month national race block, first time racing on that circuit, what a learning experience. I visited a bunch of new places and am honing my racing skills against some of the best racers in the country.

The following are the races I competed in, results, and highlights:

Here we go; it’s time for the most important races of the year leading up to Nationals in PA. I back from my first stop at Vail Lake, CA, 3-31 and 4/1. All the big guns were there - almost all the top ten riders in my age group, according to USA Cycling. A good result against these guys would boost my ranking. Many top pros were there, too, like Riley Amos, Haley Batten, Gwen Gibson, Kate Courtney, and my favorite, Hannah Otto, my coach.

It’s official, the mountain bike national champion will be at Bear Creek, Pennsylvania. Since this race course is extremely technical I’ll need a full-suspension bike as my S-Works Epic Hardtail won’t be good. My new race bike is a 2022 Specialized S-Works Epic Evo size medium.

The Specialized Cactus Cup was on March 10-12th at McDowell Regional Park. It is a three-day stage race -> day one is a time trail, day two is a 40-mile cross-country race, and day 3 is an enduro race. The event is one of the biggest mountain bike races in AZ and attracts a lot of high-level national racers and professionals.

The Mountain Biking Association of Arizona is where it all began for me. The MBAA's six-race series holds races around AZ, from Phoenix to Flagstaff and in between. If you're six and want to race mountain bikes in AZ, the MBAA is the only choice, and they do a great job. As a child, I was able to hone my skills racing in the MBAA, so when I became old enough to race in the NICA and ACA leagues, I could hit the ground running. 

I’m honored to ride for Santini USA and Murphy Capital Advisors for the third year in a row.

Matt Murphy and Santini USA have played a massive part in youth cycling development in AZ. At their core, they are a social club, but for kids like me, they have enabled me to move up through the ranks at my own pace and terms. And best of all, I get to do it in style, sporting the best Santini kits, the same high-end threads the pros wear!

There is no rest for the weary. What was I thinking signing up for a century right after the high school mountain bike season? I let my dad's friend, Jay Handy, bait me into doing it. Jay has been participating in the Tour for years and loves it, but he likes making little comments suggesting the Valdez Family is scared to do the Tour. I've wanted to do a century and a road race for a while, so now I can strike those items off the bucket list. The Tour raises money for nonprofits and charities. And, Jay shamed my mom and dad into it as well, so it's all good.

The 2022 Arizona Cycling Association (ACA) Race Series is in the books. It was a season full of good times with my team while honing my bike race skills.

The season started Sept 10th at Fort Tuthill as usual. The six-mile course through tall pine trees is a high-gear burner. The months of preseason training paid off, as I finished P1 in JV1 by a good margin.

The AZ Cycling Association (ACA) Season has started. The first race was at Fort Tuthill in Flagstaff, and the second race was a few days ago at the Secret Trails in Snowflake, AZ. I will recap how the season went for me once it’s complete in early November. However, this last race was my first time racing with the Varsity boys, and I feel it’s worth a post since I felt pressure to perform and had a lot of nervousness with anticipation.

My current race bike is a 2021 Specialized S-Works Epic Hardtail size medium. Yes, I said hardtail. Sure, on some race courses I get beat up, but a rigid bike works well for racing in AZ most of the time - It’s light, and it’s super fast!