Riley Amos and Maddie Jo Robbins were both in the lead group with a podium finish and world championship medal in sight before their days changed in a flash on Thursday.
Robbins, an 18-year-old from Durango, competed in her second International Cycling Union (UCI) Mountain Bike World Championship junior women’s cross-country race.
A year after an early crash paired with an ailing torn ligament in her left wrist saw her finish 34th in Switzerland, a concussion suffered early in Thursday’s race sent Robbins from a podium chase to 26th at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, Canada.
The 17-year-old Amos of Durango followed in the junior men’s race. He was one of six riders in the lead group for the first half, but a few minor mechanical issues and riding mishaps over tricky rock sections on the highly-technical course saw him fall back, and a broken chain on the final lap led him to finish 14th.
“The course had changed quite a bit from pre-ride,” Amos said. “There were heavy rains (Wednesday) night, and I expected it to dry out more than it did, but it dragged slick mud over the rock. It changed things over those rocky sections, and it became quite sketchy. Each lap, you had to fight to make it over it in one piece. I wasn’t prepared for that, and I made small mistakes that added up at the end of the race.”
There is a group of about 10 all together with Amos in the mix Bjorn came through about 15 secs later in 20th #USACNT pic.twitter.com/oBzRtFcZ0O
— USA Cycling LIVE (@usacyclinglive) August 29, 2019
It was the tricky rock sections that claimed Robbins.
“I had a really good start and was riding in third and kind of hanging around third through sixth for a while,” Robbins said. “Then I crashed pretty hard on some rocks. Now, I have a concussion. It kind of threw off my whole mojo, I guess. From there, I was just trying to finish the race, but I crashed multiple times, hitting trees and stuff. It ended up being a rough day.”
The junior women’s race was won by Switzerland’s Jacqueline Schneebeli in 1 hour, 5 minutes, 3 seconds. She was 1:08 in front of Austria’s Mona Mitterwallner and a huge 3:11 in front of Norway’s third-place rider Helene Marie Fossesholm.
U.S. rider Madigan Munro of Boulder was the first finisher from North America, as the rider from Boulder was sixth, 5:04 behind the winning time. It was Munro who Robbins edged in two sprint finishes at this year’s national championships in the cross-country and short-track races.
Robbins’ time was 11:07 off the lead. It was her last race as a junior, as next year she will join the under-23 ranks.
“I felt like I could have done really well the way I was riding,” Robbins said. “I definitely didn’t want to not finish. I tried to keep going, but it was hard. I just kept crashing. With all the people cheering, it was over-stimulating with the way my head was feeling.”
The junior men’s race Thursday was won by Charlie Aldridge of Great Britain. His time of 1:07:31 was 11 seconds in front of France’s Luca Martin, while Italy’s Andreas Emanuele Vittone placed third, 20 seconds back of Aldridge. Carter Woods of Canada was fourth, 37 seconds behind.
Amos is still in 7th as he heads back up the hill to finish lap 3/5 #USACNT pic.twitter.com/SaDf15XVDv
— USA Cycling LIVE (@usacyclinglive) August 29, 2019
Amos, who swept the junior men’s short-track and cross-country national titles in June, was the top finisher from the U.S., and he finished 4:43 behind Aldridge after riding with those top-five finishers much of the race. Amos will have another year to compete for the rainbow-striped world championship jersey at the junior level next year when he is 18.
“I had only raced Carter before and not the other top guys from other countries,” said Amos. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. Physically, I was able to be with them. I always considered my technical skills to be pretty good, but the course and those guys humbled me today. I see where I can improve when it comes to honing in lines on those courses that are such a brute. I have room for improvement.
“Physically, I left everything out there. It was quite the experience. I didn’t have a perfect day, but I’m not bummed at all. I’ve still got another year, so there wasn’t a lot of pressure on me. I’m stoked, even with the result and all that happened.”
Making it easier for Amos to return home to Colorado with a smile is the silver medal he earned as part of the team relay Wednesday. He said that experience of racing with his USA Cycling teammates and being able to stand on a podium with the likes of Switzerland’s seven-time world champion Nino Schurter is something he will never forget.
“It’s pretty special,” Amos said. “The silver medal is spectacular, and standing on a podium with Nino, Jolanda Neff and Pauline (Ferrand Prevot), that felt surreal.”
Amos and Robbins will both return to the Colorado Cycling League, the high school racing season that’s part of National Interscholastic Cycling Association. They will be in the hunt for varsity state championships when the season-ending event comes to Durango in late October.
“I can’t wait to jump in and have fun with the Colorado NICA league,” Amos said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
