Cyclists from Durango headed to Arizona to race in the Cactus Cup recently at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. The cup featured a short-track cross-country race, a cross-country Olympic race and an enduro all combined together to determine an overall champion.
After the three days of racing, Durangoan Riley Amos scored two golds and silver to get to stand on top of the men’s pro podium with a combined total time of 2 hours, 54 minutes and 0 seconds. Amos won the pro men’s short-track race in 20:55, the cross-country race in 2:22:50 and took second, by 10 seconds, in the enduro in 10:15.
Another Durango cyclist, Cobe Freeburn, gave Amos the most competition and finished on the podium in second. Freeburn was steady throughout the event, placing sixth in the short track (+:21), second in cross country (+1:08) and 13th in the enduro (+:52).
Ruth Holcomb, meanwhile, led the Durango women’s contingent with a fourth-place overall finish in the women’s pro field. Holcomb won two of the event’s races and finished sixth in the other to place for a combined time of 3:22:50.
Holcomb started the Cup by winning the short track race in 20:15.
In the pro cross-country race, Holcomb finished in sixth place in 2:51:26, crossing 4:11 after the winner, Katerina Nash. Holcomb then came back and won the pro enduro with at time of 11:09 to secure fourth overall.
A handful of other Durango cyclists also scored top-15 finishes in the women’s pro division. Bailey Cioppa finished sixth overall (3:24:44) after finishing fifth, fifth and seventh in the individual races. Ellen Campbell finished 10th overall in 3:29:49, Lauren Aggeler placed 12th (3:31:30), Michaela Thompson finished 14th (3:34:25) and Madelyn Roberson placed 15th (3:44:09)
Alexis Skarda of Grand Junction won the overall pro women’s title in 3:19:18, placing third, second and third in the individual races.
Several other Durangoans also competed in the pro men’s field. Carson Beard placed seventh or better in all three disciplines to finish seventh overall (2:57:05). Howard Gotts placed third in the short track, three seconds after Amos, on his way to 10th overall (2:58:02). Dane Gret finished 13th (3:00:44), Todd Wells placed 16th (3:06:01), Ivan Sippy placed 17th (3:06:44), Keiran Eagen placed 34th (3:24:22) and Garret Payer finished 35th (3:25:45).
