2023 Cactus Cup
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.
I was very excited when I signed up for the race because I noticed Michael Ziomek, last year's national champion from New Mexico, and Mason Salazar from CA were already registered. That was the competition I've been hoping for.
The first day was the time trial, a race against the clock. Each rider leaves the start alone and races on the course alone; the fastest time wins. There are no race strategies or tactics. It's who can get from point A to B the fastest. I almost died a few times around corners, but I finished 15 seconds ahead of Michael Ziomek, who was second with Mason Salazar on his heels.
Day two was the forty-mile cross-country race. This distance is my forte, but it would not be easy; Michael and Mason were in shape as usual. The race start went well. We were the first age group to take off, with the older categories behind us. The pace was high, but not full gas like some starts. Quickly, a lead group formed. It was Michael, Mason, me, a WE Development rider, and two AZ riders in that order.
Michael upped the tempo a little about fifteen miles into the race, but not a full attack. It was enough to drop the other riders, leaving us in the front. As the miles passed, I felt the pace was a little slow, but I remained patient as I didn't want to attack too early. I consider Michael and Mason friends off the bike, but they are always a threat when we are racing.
Suddenly, two riders from the group behind us (17-18) appeared. They had ridden through our field and now had caught us. They passed, and I latched on with Michael and Mason behind me. Now, the pace was faster. After a few miles with the older boys, I attacked, which broke apart the group. I had a good gap in front of Mason, with Michael a bit further back. The older boys had dropped back.
I started to push hard. Then suddenly, I came upon an old guy, who I don't even think was in the race. When he heard me, he slammed on his brakes and stopped in the middle of the trail. To avoid hitting him, I veered off the course, up an embankment, and slid out.
As I quickly gathered myself, Mason went by. I jumped back on the course. Michael was back on my wheel as I brought my bike up to speed. The old guy was frozen, like a statue, while this all happened.
2023 Cactus Cup - 40 mile XC Race - River Valdez P1
I started pushing again; we were six miles from the finish. I bridged up to Mason; Michael was there but a little back. I followed Mason up the final climb; he seemed tired. Once at the top, I passed and never looked back. I won by a minute. From the finish, I saw Michael and Mason duking it out, coming to the finishing straight. From my view, standing in the finish, it appeared Michael put down some significant wattage to pull away and take second place.
After day two, I led the stage race, with Michael in second and Mason in third. I wanted to compete on the final day but also to see my sister, who was home from college for only one day, so I skipped the race to hang with her. I didn't get the details, but from the results, Mason jumped ahead of Michael on the final day, winning the enduro stage by 17 seconds, which gave him enough time to beat Michael by 11 seconds after the three days.
The US Pro Cup in CA is the first big points race in two weeks. Michael and Mason are two of the top-ranked mountain bikers in the country, so I'm hoping my ability to compete with them at the Cactus Cup is a sign I am ready to race against more top-level racers. Currently, I’m ranked 15th in the country, but I’m hoping to move up the ranks with good results in the coming races.
