By: Jackson McAfee
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – For the third straight year, Fayetteville, Arkansas, the U.S. Pro Cup Mountain Bike Series came to town from April 12th-16th at Centennial Park. The races were qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympic games in Paris.
Many South American countries were represented like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Max Gilligan of the Fayetteville Wheelmen said this helps give riders a chance to meet new people from different places of the world.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us,” Gilligan said. “We get to see where everyone comes from and share our similarities. We both share a liking toward the sport of mountain biking. So there’s nothing we can’t find as well to share.”
Arkansas has been known for its hills and trails for lots of people to ride their bikes. The area caught the eye nationally to set up this event like many others around Northwest Arkansas.
Gilligan said having strength while mountain biking only helps in people’s competition. Incorporating weighted workouts like deadlifts help competitors get up steep hills.
“It’s more difficult than someone would think,” Gilligan said. “It’s a lot more to do with leg strength when accelerating up a steep hill. Speed is definitely important, but it’s nothing if you don’t have any more leg strength.”
Gilligan expressed how a lot of the team does strength workouts outside of riding bikes to make hills and rocky roads be easier to ride on.
“I feel that being a part of something related to the Olympics is quite breathtaking,” Gilligan said. “Being part of that is very cool to experience. I think that the competitors here, like the younger ones, feel like they are part of something bigger.”
Fayetteville is in the works of hosting the U.S. Pro Cup again in the future for both competition and qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics. The 2024 Summer Olympics kickoff on July 26th, 2024 and go until August 11th, 2024.
