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It
was an unusual gray, windy weekend on April first and second. But as sun
worshippers were cursing the weather, mountainbike competitors were rejoicing.
The first two days of April marked the official Mazatlán race days of the
Mountainbike World Cup 2000. The World Cup 2000 is composed of eight cross
country and eight downhill stages throughout the year. Mazatlán was chosen
to host the second cross country race of this prestigious international
event, making this the first time ever that the World Cup has been held
in Latin America. At the same time, the Mexican Cycling Federation (MCF)
selected Mazatlán to host the third National races of the season. Needless
to say, this weekend was an extremely important one within the cycling world.
The Mazátlan course, "Piedras Blancas" (White Stones), was a challenging,
cross country trail, beginning at the foot of the hill next to Mazagua waterpark.
Prior to the races, top competitors agreed that the course would be a tough
one. Alison Dunlap, an American who had placed second in the Napa Valley
course during the previous week, commented that the course would be a challenge
because it is full of tight turns, as well as being sandy, dusty and hot.
Mexican national competitors Ziranda Madrigal, from Michoacan, and Cariza
Muñoz Carrette, from Durango, agreed: "The course is very fast and very
narrow, making it hard to pass and with no area for recovery, so technique
is important," stated Muñoz. However, Madrigal added that he would be giving
his best effort, motivated by his friends and the people here in Mazatlán.
The crowd support for the World Cup was very impressive. A huge number of
spectators were there cheering competitors on. When the results were finally
in, there were some surprises as |
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well as some old favorites. The biggest surprise of the day was Martino
Fruet, the Italian who took first place in the men's cross country race
on April second. Ranked 36th by the UCI (Union Cyclist International), Fruet
was 27th in the first World Cup 2000 cross country race in the Napa Valley
on March 26. Fruet attributes his win to a conservative tactic: laying low
until the final meters of the 7.6 km course, when he raced to the finish
with a time of 2H:24:23. The big winner in the women's category was Canadian
Alison Sydor, who came in over a minute and a half ahead of second-place
Alison Dunlap of the U.S.A. Sydor, who was ranked first by UCI, is a three-time
world champion who took home the silver medal at the last Olympics, in Atlanta,
and has won the Mountainbike World Cup for the past three years now. Mexican
national favorites Ziranda Madrigal and Cariza Muñoz also gave the crowd
reasons to cheer. Madrigal placed 41st, which was quite impressive considering
there were 146 male competitors and UCI had ranked him 63. And Muñoz, who
was the only female national to complete the race, was 49th with a time
of 2H:15:17. The World Cup 2000 races are very important in the cycling
world, especially in the face of the 2000 Olympic Games scheduled for September
in Sydney, Australia. For many countries, this event is a large part of
the selection process for the National Team represented at the upcoming
Olympics. The World Cup 2000 was also very important for Mazatlán. As the
first World Cup location in Latin America, Mazatlán has received international
exposure. First with the Pacifico Marathon in November and now with the
Mountainbike World Cup, Mazatlán continues to grow with international recognition.
And the day following the competition, the sky was it's usual self: clear
and blue once again. |
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