Riders traversed the Sierra Estrella mountain range west of Phoenix on Saturday during the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona’s Hedgehog Hustle.
The second race of the series included Estrella Mountain Regional Park’s competitive track, one of the more technical of the MBAA races.
“The course was awesome,” said Sydney Friedman (Sabino Cycles Racing), an intermediate rider. “There was something for everyone throughout the whole thing.”
Friedman scored her first victory of the season and first as a Cat 2 mountain biker, a goal she said she set for herself this year.
“Chasing the victory meant capitalizing on all of my skills fast enough to not be caught, but carefully enough to not crash,” Friedman said. “Honestly, the race was exhilarating and I had no idea this was out here.”
“And it feels like a dream come true to reach this goal of mine,” she added. “When you start out you get better quickly, but then you plateau. It’s motivating to break that plateau and move up a notch.”
Marathon
Wes Rasmussen (Construction Zone Racing) took the victory for the Men’s Marathon category, while Chase Edwards won the women’s field.
Elite
Savilia Blunk emerged victorious in elite women and Georwill Perez topped the podium in the men’s field.
First Timers
At their first MBAA race, Gage Lentz and Melissa Patriquin got their first wins.