Arkansas US Pro Cup
This past weekend, HART converged on Fayetteville, Arkansas for the second round of the US Pro Cup.
The team stayed at Osage Oasis, a lovely rental house in Bentonville thanks to the generosity of Russ Chandler of Full Cycle, Boulder. The house is an easy ride to the famed Coler trail system and an easy connection to the Slaughter Pen trail system and downtown. Check out the house on AirBnb if you ever need a spot in Bentonville! Thank you Russ!
Before racing kicked off, HART had a great time chatting with the athletes of Accel Cycling along with a few other juniors, checking out their race course and talking them through the features and strategy. Those athletes put together some great rides!
Investing in the Community:
Before racing kicked off, HART had a great time chatting with the athletes of Accel Cycling along with a few other juniors, checking out their race course and talking them through the features and strategy. Those athletes put together some great rides!
Due to high winds, the first race of the week was pushed from Wednesday to Thursday effectively turning the event into a stage race for the team. HART spent a blustery Wednesday exploring Coler from the house.
Thursday's XC race took place in strong winds, thankfully subsided from Wednesday but still adding another factor to the fast, tactical course. Isabella kicked off racing for HART with a strong start, settling in among some of the best racers in the world. Unfortunately a flat tire took her out of the race and, after a wheel change, she was pulled from the course in 16th place in Elite Women.
Jeremy and Samuel also had a great start in the talent stacked Elite Men's race. Gaps opened quickly as riders battled the climbs, rocks, winds, and desperately chased the Olympians and World Champions on the front. Samuel finished 22nd with Jeremy behind in 23rd.
Friday's Short Track race was a dustbowl! With a dry week leading into the race, loose corners on the short track descent turned into challenging sandpits and thick clouds of dust were kicked into the air by the flying racers. Isabella finished in 28th in the mixed Elite and U23 Women's field. Samuel finished 20th and Jeremy 37th in the combined Elite and U23 Men's field. Our riders successfully coughed up most of the short track course before one more dusty day of racing.
Saturday's HC race was a brutal third day of back to back racing. With more points on the table, the fields were deeper, more athletes were on on fresh legs having skipped the preceding races, and optimal racing conditions made for blazing fast lap times. In the Elite Men's race, former short track World Champion, Christopher Blevins, set the course record by 37 seconds to win over Riley Amos by almost a minute. Amos won nine World Cups last year.
Starting just a few places behind the Olympians and World Cup winners, Isabella rode smoothly to finish strong in 13th in Elite Women without technical difficulties. After a mishap in a previous race, it's always good to see an athlete looking smooth and confident again!
Jeremy finished 27th in Elite Men after a strong, steady ride. Unfortunately, It was Samuel's turn for technical difficulties. After a strong first few laps of the race, a flat and half a lap of running took him back to 36th place.
HART is grateful for another awesome week of bike racing, riding with the next generation, and generally having a darn good time at the US Pro Cup! The riders feel like their race legs are coming around for key events later in the season and are excited for some weeks at home to further dial in the fitness and participate in some local events.
Next up for HART is the Sea Otter Classic April 10-13! We'll be hanging out with sponsors, racing the Fuego XL and Fuego XC, riding with the Accel Cycling kids, and exploring the cool stuff in the festival! If you're out there, come try your luck at Pearl Izumi athlete bingo!
We look forward to seeing our bike industry friends out there!
Until next update!
