The New Mexico enduro state champs were recently crowned at the Angel Fire Bike Park. Racing on some of the best bike park trails in the southwest, racers battled each other, as well as terrain, for the final stop of the New Mexico Enduro Cup series.
Stage 1 started after a long climb up to the top of the mountain on one of Angel Fire’s cross country trails. The first 3 stages were mostly fast and flowy, featuring table top jumps and only small sections of rocky terrain. With heavy rains the evening prior, hero dirt conditions provided optimal traction for the entirety of the race.
Stage 4 took racers through the lower part of World Cup, with a good mix of rocky, technical terrain. Stage 5 featured Angel’s Plunge for the top portion, a trail with a lot of exposure and tight switchbacks. It finished on Sierra, a beginner’s trail requiring racers to keep top speed on extremely tight singletrack weaving through the forest.
Overall, the final race had good mix of all types of trails. The organizers designed the course to not lean too heavy on one style of mountain biking. Staying true to the New Mexico style of enduro, the race required downhill bike park skills but with a small dose of pedalling thrown in to ensure that only the best racers made it to the podium.
Pro/Open Women Results
- Alexandra Pavon (Juliana Bicycles/Flag Bike Rev): Time = 42:00.3
- Amber Tinstman (Flag Bike Rev/Intense Cycles): Time = 43:41.1
- Jessie Linder (GetOut!): Time = 44:47.8
Pro/Open Men Results
- Chris Boice (Sport Systems MountainTop Cycling): Time = 35:33.1
- Daniel Weinman (Team F.I.Taos): Time = 36:55.0
- Drey Smith: Time = 37:51.9
