The Midwestern State University Cycling team got off to a hot start for Fall 2024 in the 43rd  Hotter’N Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls.

Veteran pro rider Dušan Kalaba of the Mustangs was second in the Men’s Pro/Cat 1 criterium race, and freshman Blake Keeling from Tyler, Texas, took second in Men’s Cat 4/5 in both criterium and mountain bike races. Juan Carlos Flores was first in the men’s Cat 2 mountain bike race, and Jadiel Moreno was third in the Men’s Cat 3-4 criterium.

The MSU Cycling women’s team also has some new talent, led by Emma Kasza-James from Wisconsin, who took first place in the mountain bike race women’s Cat 1. She was also second in the 60-mile gravel race. Junior Jacelyn Reno from Bowie took first place in the mountain bike novice division.

 “This was a new experience for many of our riders,” MSU Cycling Director Pablo Cruz Trochez said. “We were successful in almost all of the races we competed in. We were on the podium (top three) in almost every category.”

Cruz Trochez was happy to see his riders take part in the Pace Group event, where riders set a pace to finish 100 miles – in Texas heat – in less than five hours. “The pacers we used were all MSU cyclists, and they finished in four hours and 50 minutes. It was successful for everyone, and we raised money.”

He is excited about the upcoming season as the team prepares for track nationals in Philadelphia in September and Mountain Bike Nationals in North Carolina in October.

“We have some riders who came in who can do well at national events,” Cruz Trochez said. “They come in as freshmen at a high level, and their development will be greater with experience. We’re just working on little details to get the results we’re looking for.”

Cruz Trochez wanted to thank the cycling community around Wichita Falls for its support.

“It was a busy summer getting everything together and welcoming new riders to our team, and it was great to see our community host some of the best racers,” Cruz Trochez said. “Thank you to the community members who came out to support MSU. They are always giving back to the cycling community.”