2022 ACA Season Recap
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.
2022 ACA Race #1 - Fort Tuthill - River Valdez
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 by a good margin in the JV1 Division.
2022 ACA Race #2 - Snowflake AZ - Dane, Keegan, then me.
Race #2 took us to a new venue, the Secret Trails of Snowflake, AZ, on Sept 25th. This race would bring more nerves than Tuthill as it would be my first time lining up as a varsity racer (see my Sept 27th post for more on that experience). The Snowflake course was nonstop twists and curves, which was fantastic for the spectators.
An insanely fast start quickly blew the field apart with me, Keegan Field, and Dane Bigelow out front. After dueling between Dane and Keegan, Keegan attacked on the final lap. I tried to go with him but backed off, afraid to blow up. Dane and I rode the last lap together until the finishing straight when the strong senior laid down some big power to grab second place from me.
2022 ACA Race #3 - Pioneer Park - River Valdez
Race #3 was at Pioneer Park in Prescott on Oct 8th. As we lined up on the front row, it was clear that the series leader, Keegan Field was not there. We found out later he was sick.
With Keegan gone, the top step was up for grabs. A steep climb early on the course broke the group apart. Me, Dane Bigelow, and Samuel Barrett would ride together out front for two laps. Dane upped the tempo on the first hill on lap three, and Samuel went away. Dane and I would ride together until the final downhill, where he shifted into another gear on the descent, and I lost contact. From Prescott, it was clear he had the course dialed. I took P2, but wanted the win.
Race #4 would be the last before the State Championship. The course at McDowell is well-known in the mountain biking community. It’s fast, loose, and punchy, with one long technical climb in the middle to separate the boys from the men.
McDowell would bring the toughest competition of the year. Keegan was back, and a new race kit emerged. It was Gabe Harrelson, an AZ native, but mostly racing on the national scene. This would be interesting.
From the gun, Gabe and Keegan took off like they stole something. I wanted to go with them but feared blowing up. I decided to keep them in sight and hoped I could bridge up later.
Midway through the penultimate lap, from a distance, I could see Gabe attack Keegan on the big hill. It looked like Keegan was responding but then let Gabe go. I kept steady in third and noticed I was coming back to Keegan. On the final lap, Keegan and I were together. After the big hill, Keegan seemed spent, so I lifted the pace and was able to pull away. He was probably still recovering from being sick, but I capitalized on the opportunity. I finished that race in second and took second for the season.
The final ACA race is always the State Championship at Fort Huachuca on Nov 3rd this year. Because mountain biking is growing so quickly, with tons of kids racing, the ACA has divided the race series into a North and South Division. Since I’m from Sedona in Northern AZ, I race in the North Varsity Division. State is the race where the top riders from each division face off for the High School State Championship Crown.
The North Division’s lap times were typically faster than the South throughout the season, except for one kid, Axel Biederman. Along with Keegan, I’ve been racing against Axel since middle school, with him mostly besting me. I hoped this race would be different.
The 4-mile course is at 5K elevation, rolling through pine and oak trees. There are sections with small boulders, roots, and short climbs with soft sand, too.
The race started fast. At the end of the first last, Keegan had a small gap between me and five other riders. Where was Axel? Halfway through the second lap, riders around me started falling back. I was suddenly in third behind Keegan and Samuel Barrett from Prescott. Then, like a steam train, Axel came barrelling past. I lifted the pace but couldn’t stay with him. I was now in fourth.
I kept fighting, and on the final lap, I pulled back Samuel and held on to that lead to take P3. Keegan won, with Axel in second.
2022 ACA State Championship - Varsity Podium
I’m back home now and will continue to reflect on the season. When it started, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to the varsity division this year, let alone be able to compete. Right now, I’m happy with my results and seeing that my training is paying off. I am curious to see how many USAC points I earned from this ACA season, which will be vital in receiving a good call-up on the national race circuit I plan on doing in the spring. I’m confident I will come back to the ACA next year and be able to reach the top step at some point.
