Mara on the short track-course. She's the only one who rides with her hair flying everywhere!

Jason at the beginning of the 40-mile event, the Fat Tire 40. He did great and finished in second place for the Cactus Cup in the Single Speed Open category!

Mathilde and Aisha volunteering as course marshalls, telling racers where to go from there.

Pro-rider Erin Hock finished in first place for the Cactus Cup.

A young kid from the Grupito being guided by his coach on one of the Enduro sections.

The Enduro section on Scenic had many loose rocky spots.

Mara having fun during the Enduro event.

Charlie finished first place in this category and won the Cactus Cup and the coveted Leader socks!

The Cactus Cup is Arizona’s original mountain bike stage race. It is a 3-day stage race that features a short-track course on Friday, a 40 km or 40 mile course on Saturday and a Super D Enduro event on Sunday. Victory or defeat is determined by riders combined time for all 3 stages in each respective category.

People can register for one or two events, or do the 3 events to be eligible for the Cactus Cup. Mathilde decided to do the short-track and to volunteer for the Enduro, while Mara did the 3 events and Aisha chose to volunteer with JF for every event.

It was another fun weekend of cheering people on the course and soaking up the race atmosphere. I'll be honest though, I'm ready to move up to Utah, go hike in remote areas, explore some canyons and take a break from the racing scene for a few months!