CORTEZ – Heading into championship month on the BMX circuit, plenty of riders from the Cortez and Durango BMX teams took full advantage of their home course to secure spots in the BMX state championships at the end of the month.
On July 25 at the Baxter Family track in Parque de Vida, a double-point state championship qualifier drew a crowd, with many of the area points leaders showing out to lock up spots at Cundiff Park in Durango in the final weekend of August.
Competing in four classes – cruiser, novice, intermediate, and expert – along with a pro-am division, plenty of Montezuma County riders topped the podium.
In the cruiser division, top three points-earner Eli Hall won the 10-year-old race, while top-15 rider Lavender Blacow won the 17-20 women’s competition. Other winners from the cruiser races included Kyden Sandoval (9), Beck Meyer (12), Josh Eakins (14), Daniel Brown (17-20 men’s race), Keaton Buiso (31-35), Emory Blee (51-55) and John McHenry (56-60).
The novice division also boasted a full field, with Garrin Holcombe (5 and under), Tucker Jeter (7), Asher Bruno (8), Gavin Manzi (10), Carlos Olivas (12), Alex Gonzalez (15), Izaiah Denham (21-25), William Sumner (26-35), Craig Carlson (41-45) and John McHenry (51-55) coming away with wins.
Throughout the season, riders have an opportunity to move from novice to intermediate and expert courtesy of accrued victories along the way. Winners of the intermediate divisions – Landon Atencio (6), Cooper McDonald (7), Celina Barton (8), Bode Dosch (9), Ryan Bruno (10), Alex Abeyta (14), Logan Shauinger (16), Bryson Pousson (17-20), Paige Zachary (26-35) and Randy Rodd (56 and over).
Finally, in the expert class, Hall picked up another win in his age group, while Riley Larkin (9), Beck Meyer (12), Zeno Martinez (14), Nathan Barney (17-20), Aaron Blee (21-25), Cole Baxter (26-35), and Emory Blee (41-45) all earned victories to close out the busy day.
Many of the same riders took to the Durango BMX track a weekend later to hone their knowledge of the track and add another opportunity to post a qualifying result. In Durango on Aug. 29 to 30, a pro-am event and plenty of tuneup races kick off the weekend, before the business end of the season comes to a conclusion with state titles handed out on Aug. 30 at Cundiff Park in Durango.
