2025 MTB Season Openers - US Pro Cup 1 & 2
2025 US Pro Cup #1 - Temecula
The first training block of my 2025 mountain bike season has been an incredible ride. I came into the year with clear goals, specifically, strong performances at US Pro Cup 1 and 2, to earn a nomination to the Continental Championship team. I've grown tremendously throughout the process, learning a lot about tactical racing and dialing in my mental game.
Vail Lake was the perfect stage to kick off the season. My focus here was to showcase the fitness I built over winter and go after the win. I came in confident, especially for a short track, which is not my specialty. I broke away in the qualifier and won, and followed up with a solid ride in the final, finishing fourth.
The next day was the XCO, and I went all in from the gun. Unfortunately, another rider pushed me off course early on, which set me back. It was a rough start to my first A race of the season, but I managed to claw my way back into contention. I committed to a hard tempo, animated the race, and pushed the pace. I made some tactical mistakes by spending too much time on the front and ultimately got outsprinted, finishing second. While I was stoked with the ride, missing the win by less than an inch was tough, but it lit a fire in me. I left Vail Lake more motivated than ever, hungry for redemption at US Pro Cup Two in Arkansas.
I came to Arkansas with confidence. I knew I could get the desired result if I rode smart and played to my strengths. With qualification for the Continental Championship on the line, the nerves were real—but so was the focus.
The C1 race on Wednesday was tough. My legs weren't fully opening up, likely due to missing a hard pre-race workout while recovering from a sore throat. A tangle on the start loop forced me to fight back through the field. Eventually, I got to the front and launched a big attack to split the group, but I couldn't hold it through the final lap and ended up 3rd.
By Sunday's HC, I had reset mentally. I committed to staying at the front from the gun to avoid getting boxed in. On lap two, I went solo and tried to make it stick. Eventually, two riders bridged up, and we worked together to the finish. I gave everything to hit the final corners first, knowing the finishing straight was short, but again, I was narrowly outsprinted and finished third.
It stings to come so close, missing wins by less than a second in Vail Lake and the Arkansas HC is hard to swallow. Still, I know my form is right where it needs to be. Most importantly, I achieved my primary goal: qualification for the Continental Championship in Costa Rica.
I wanted more from this block, but I'm proud of the progress and the lessons learned. Now it's time to reset, refocus, and put in another month of preparation before heading to Costa Rica and then onto Europe. The season is just getting started.
