In 1991 at Pinnacle Peak in Arizona, a group of locals called Team Aware started the Cactus Cup, a mountain bike racing event. Attracting 100 riders in its inaugural year, the Cactus Cup grew quickly, with the goal of promoting the sport and broadening the pool of racers and recreational riders.
Specialized Bicycles became the title sponsor and the event eventually toured other locations across the United States. In 1994, the Arizona event grew to welcome 1,900 participants and 20,000 spectators. That same year, organizers partnered with Blackcomb Mountain to host their first international event in Whistler.
By this time, Whistler had a strong mountain bike culture and had shown its capacity to host large, multi-day events through the Can-Am and BRC races. The second stop in the Cactus Cup Series took place from July 22 to 24 and hosted more than 300 riders, about half the expected attendance. Though many pro athletes were there, for many there were more important races going on elsewhere at the time. B.C.’s top women, Lesley Tomlinson and Alison Sydor, didn’t attend, for example, as they qualified for the Tour de France, according to The Province.
The weekend was still packed, and not just with competitive racing. There was a bike expo, a kids’ rodeo and race, a fun dual slalom, and a “Meet the Pros” hoedown party at Merlin’s.
Kicking off the competition Friday morning was the Time Trial, an individual race against the clock. Later in the day was the Fatboy Criterium, when racers took to the Village Stroll riding a quarter-mile loop on Specialized’s slick Fatboy tires. Saturday’s race was the Dirt Criterium, a 1.5-kilometre, multi-lap course starting at the base of Blackcomb Mountain. The last and biggest race, the Circuit Race, took place on Sunday with a 13-km course featuring single tracks and ups and downs.
Points from these four races would determine riders’ overall score for the event. There were four categories for the races: citizens, novice, sport, as well as expert and pro. While all classes could enter the last two races, only the experts and pros could compete in the Time Trial and Fatboy Criterium.
Throughout the weekend, the top spot in the men’s pro category rotated between Kansas’ Steve Tilford and Vancouver’s Bruce Spicer, who won the 1992 Cactus Cup in Arizona. It was a 30-degree day for the last race, and Tilford left Spicer in the dust. As Spicer told the Whistler Question, “I’m not sure if it was the heat or what, but my legs were never quite there today. I was surprised.”
In the women’s pro class, Victoria’s Melanie McQuaid took first place in what was considered her first international race.
One racer, Kevin Murray, recalls that water hoses were placed at the end of the finish line to cool off riders. However, that was not the most memorable part of his weekend. During the Saturday race, he pretzeled his front rim and had to drop his bike off at the Glacier Shop for repair. Unfortunately, the shop was broken into that evening and his Norco Rampage was stolen. Specialized provided a loaner so Murray could still compete in the last race. Despite these issues resulting in Murray giving up racing, he fondly remembers how exciting it was to see world-class racing at home.
Ultimately, the Cactus Cup saw success in Whistler. Kris Burchard from Specialized told the Question the lack of turnout was to be expected, as it takes time for an event to establish a reputation, but “the weather was great, support for the volunteers was excellent and the venue was first class.”
The Cactus Cup Series took place in Whistler the next two years, before the final main event was held in 1999. It was revitalized in 2017 back in Arizona, where it continues to this day.
Interested in learning more about mountain biking events in Whistler? Check out the Whistler Museum’s latest exhibition: Pedal to the Medal: The History of Mountain Bike Events in Whistler, until Oct. 14.
