Durangoan Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) finished the UCI world cup stop in Val di Sole, Trentino, Italy with a strong performance on Sunday.
Competing in the men’s U23 cross-country Olympic race, Amos overcame an early mechanical issue to finish third out of 119 bikers and reach the podium. Carter Woods of Canada (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) won the race in 1 hour, 8 minutes and 57 seconds. Adrien Boichis of France (Trinity Racing MTB) finished 31 seconds later in second while Amos crossed third 45 seconds after Woods.
Amos got a front-row start for the race after placing fourth in the short-track race, which Woods also won, and kept the momentum rolling into Sunday.
“Back in business baby,” Amos said online. “Insane what’s possible when the mind and body are 100% together. Can’t even explain how good it felt to finish a race like this. After an amazing start a rear flat had me thinking my podium shot was over, but thanks to my (Tubolight) insert and (Daniel Carrigan’s) wheel change skills I came out of the pits just off the chase group. So proud of how I rode the rest of that race and had a little luck right at the end and ended up on the box...”
Carson Beard (Team Durango Segment 28) finished 89th in the U23 cross-country race (+11:25).
Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) also had a front row start for the elite men’s cross-country Olympic race after finishing sixth on the short track.
Blevins, however, ended up placing 49th in the cross-country race, finishing 6:42 after Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) in first.
In the U23 women’s race, Bailey Cioppa (Bear National Team) ended up placing 29th out of 57 cyclists (+9:05). Denmark’s Sofie Pederson (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team XCO) won the race in 1:07:09.
Elite women’s rider Savilia Blunk (Ford Rockrider Racing) and U23 racers Lauren Aggeler (Trinity Racing) and Ruth Holcomb (Bear National Team) didn’t compete in Val di Sole.
