Maddie Jo Robbins continued her return to mountain biking after last year’s wrist injury, while Riley Amos continued to prove he belongs in the biggest races for juniors.
The teenagers from Durango traveled with USA Cycling for two weekends of racing in the Canada Cup series with International Cycling Union (UCI) points up for grabs. It was the second year in a row Robbins has made the trip with the USA squad, while it was Amos’ Canadian debut in his first year eligible for the junior division for riders ages 17-18.
Amos quickly backed up his results from his first international trip at the Pan-American Continental Championships earlier this year in Mexico, where he won three medals. At the two Canada Cup races, he placed first and second.
Robbins also made the podium in both races with third- and fourth-place results.
“I think it was cool just to be with (Amos) and a lot of kids from our (Bear Development Team),” Robbins said. “To be in a remote place in Canada where we don’t speak the language, we all felt like family. With Riley and I being from the same town, it was fun to show up to a different spot but be with someone from your town. It’s cool to show up at the race and have everybody be like, ‘You’re from Durango?’ It was cool to prove it to them that Durango is here.”
The first race for the Durango duo was May 26 at Mont-Tremblant in Quebec. Amos completed four laps in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 11 seconds to win the race by a large margin. Second place went to Canada’s Dylan Kerr, who was 2:10 behind Amos, while third went to Canada’s Vincent Thiboutot, who was 2:50 behind.
“The course was pretty muddy and full of roots, a bike rider’s course as far as being super technical, wet and slippery,” Amos said. “Everyone started so, so quick. I’ve never been in a start that fast in a race. We were completely in the red up a dirt road, and I was trying to hang at the front with a couple guys. We hit the singletrack, and it was evident my riding skills were slightly better. One guy tipped over in a corner, and I took the lead. I hammered down the descent to the start-finish line and looked back and couldn’t see anyone. I was full gas the rest of the way.”
Robbins finished third in the girls race. American Madigan Munro won after she completed three laps in 57:41 and turned in sub-20 minute lap times in all three laps. Canada’s Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill was second, 1:34 back of Munro, while Robbins was 2:57 behind.
Robbins was right there with the two leaders after one lap, but Munro made her attack on the second lap, and Robbins lost the wheel of Vallieres-Mill on the third lap.
“After making the trip last year, I knew the courses a bit more and felt much more capable of riding the roots and different terrain,” Robbins said. “The first race, it’s more of a straight up-and-down course that isn’t quite as exciting. The second race, that was super fun with root sections everywhere, a drop line with multiple drops. That part is super fun.
“But I think these Canadian courses, for us coming from America, it takes a toll because we don’t get rest on those sorts of courses and don’t have a lot of root-riding experience.”
A week later, the two raced at Baie St. Paul, also in Quebec. This time, Canada’s Emily Johnston won the women’s race in 1:14:02, while Vallieres-Mill was second, 40 seconds behind. Munro placed third in 1:15:24, and Robbins placed fourth in 1:16:21. Robbins was more than two minutes ahead of the fifth-place finisher.
Robbins returned to racing at the Solider Hollow Bike Festival and turned in a winning performance. This spring, she has returned from a torn scaphoid ligament in her left wrist that she raced through to win last year’s national championship and compete at the world championships. The injury has prevented her from full training and still swells after race efforts.
“It’s incredible just to be back on the bike and the racing scene with everybody,” Robbins said. “This trip was rejuvenating in a way to race again because I’ve missed it. The wrist still isn’t perfect, and it will be a while before its 100% perfect, but I can race on it, and I’m pretty proud, all things considered.”
The boys race at Baie St. Paul was a thrill for Amos. Canada’s Carter Woods returned to the Canada Cup circuit after spending two weeks away in Europe. The junior men’s UCI points leader won the race in 1:21:08. Amos was second in 1:22:48, while third place went to Canada’s Charles Antonie St. Onge, who finished in 1:24:20.
Amos did all he could to hang with the top junior rider in the world who is a year older.
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“Carter Woods is the best competition you can get for junior racing,” Amos said. “People are expecting him to win the world champs this year. I showed up excited to try to hold his wheel and feel the level of competition it takes to be the very best.
“The first lap, we took off the front. I hammered as hard as I could to hold his wheel. I don’t know what happened exactly, but the second lap my legs blew up. I struggled to get back into the groove and had a stomach issue. I threw up in my mouth and was holding it back the second lap. The third and fourth laps, it came back and I had a good rest of the race to hold onto second place.”
Amos called Robbins a trip leader for the USA Cycling squad and was happy to learn from the experienced junior. During the week between races, the USA team went to Mont-Sainte-Anne, the host venue of this year’s world championships in October. Getting an early look at the world championships course was a highlight of the trip.
“It was an incredible opportunity,” Robbins said. “Having gone to worlds last year and not riding the course beforehand, it made it harder. This year, if we get to go, we already know the course and can guide our training around that. We know we can do the technical sections and know what to do here in Durango to train for that race if we make it.”
Both Amos and Robbins will compete this weekend in Missoula, Montana, in another UCI category juniors weekend of racing. After that, both will turn their attention to the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships to be held late July in Winter Park. Amos won last year’s junior men’s 15-16 title and will look to compete for the title in the 17-18 category this year, while Robbins will try to defend her junior women’s championship.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
