Top mountain bike riders from around the world descended upon Fayetteville, Arkansas for the U.S. Pro Cup this week.
On the first day of racing in Centennial Park in Fayetteville on Wednesday, Durango’s Christopher Blevins finished first with team Specialized Factory Racing in the UCI XCO Men Elite race. Blevins finished with a time of 1 hour, 27.22 minutes after eight laps around the 3.2-mile circuit which had 373 feet of elevation.
Riley Amos with Trek Factory Racing finished second with a time of 1:27.25.
“Great start to the weekend at U.S. Cup MTB,” Amos wrote on Instagram. “A really strong field and some serious wind made it quite the tactical race that was a great chess match. Really happy to get some confidence heading into the next 2 weeks that the form is there, but more importantly some more valuable UCI points!”
Durango’s Bailey Cioppa finished fourth in the XCO Women Elite race with Bear National Team with a time of 1:32.23 after seven laps. Ivan Sippy finished sixth in the XCO Men Under 23 race with Team Durango Segment 28 with a time of 1:18.53 after seven laps.
It’s the fourth consecutive year the U.S. Pro Cup has been held in Centennial Park. Riders from 14 countries and 40 states are competing this week.
The stakes are higher this year for the top riders as they all try and get enough UCI points to race in the Paris Olympics at the end of July and in early August.
As of now, the United States only has one spot open but it’s possible a second American rider could earn enough UCI points to qualify.
The racing will continue on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Centennial Park.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
