Updated course changes and new challenges await racers in Fayetteville

April 6, 2023

The US Pro Cup p/b Walmart on April 12th -16th at Centennial Park has some surprises for pros and amateur racers.

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The US Pro Cup p/b Walmart on April 12th -16th at Centennial Park has some surprises for pros and amateur racers.

With the help of the We Are Trailblazers, significant efforts have been made to weatherproof this year’s course to handle adverse weather conditions better and ensure a better race experience for competitors. In addition, new layouts will be featured on both the UCI XCO course and the amateur course. Amateurs will now utilize more sections of the World Cup UCI course to give amateurs a taste of what the pros are riding, with some added A and B lines to give amateur riders options to ride at their comfort level.

“The Trailblazers have been pivotal in these new course improvements and changes for both the pro and amateurs courses,” states US Cup race director Ty Kady. “Having a team like this at your disposal is a race director’s dream. We are making real-time changes based on past experiences and feedback from riders. We hope these changes will improve everyone’s race experience.”

In addition to the course changes, the US Pro Cup has thrown in a little extra challenge. 

There will be the Athlos UCI KOM/QOM challenge for UCI racers, with the winning elite male and elite female taking home an extra $500 each for their efforts. All other UCI categories will take home a custom champions jersey for their winning effort.

The challenge is simple. Four timed sections will be out on the course over the three days of racing. The riders with the fastest combined elapsed time from all four sectors will be crowned King or Queen of the Athlos UCI Challenge for 2023.

“We wanted to try something different to where someone could put a few extra bucks in their pocket or get some acknowledgment by winning the Athlos challenge, regardless of their race results,” comments Kady. “The four timed segments will be the Experience Fayetteville Power climb for those with pure watts on Wednesday’s XCO race. The Dell dual slalom on Friday’s STXC event will favor riders with a BMX background, and the challenge finishes with two sectors for Saturday’s UCI HC XCO event. The DH sector, which includes Arvest Mountain, Orange Seal speed and style, and Deloitte drop, will test a rider’s ability through multiple features and reward those who want to let go of the brakes. The Experience Fayetteville power climb returns one more time on Saturday to round out the fourth segment in the challenge. Having a race within a race might be something cool for people to track throughout the week of racing.”

Current US Women’s National Champion Savilia Blunk returns to American soil after being in Europe, and she couldn’t be more excited to return to Fayetteville. “I can’t wait to head back to Centennial Park, where I had a big breakthrough win last year. With some course improvements and changes, as well as the new Athlos UCI challenge, there looks to be some fun racing ahead.”

Fresh off his Cape Epic win, Christopher Blevins looks to return for a block of cross-country racing at the US Pro Cup p/b Walmart. “I’m looking forward to returning to Fayetteville and Centennial Park for a three-day block of cross-country racing. I’m excited to see the new course updates and test my fitness before heading to Europe.”

Event website:

https://uscupmtb.com/

Athlos UCI KOM/QOM Challenge:

http://shorturl.at/guBNR

For more information on the US PRO CUP please visit https://uscupmtb.com

Contact Ty Kady at ty@uscupmtb.com