The Cactus Cup, one of the most popular early season mountain bikes events when it was held in the Scottsdale, Arizona, area in the 1990s, is returning, this time in the fall in Las Vegas.

The Mountain’s Edge 2008 Cactus Cup is scheduled for September 19–21. The event comes just before the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, which begins with its Dirt Demo on Sept. 22.

The event includes a three-day pro and semi-pro stage race and single day races for other categories. The races are being held at Mountain's Edge, a planned community in Southwest Las Vegas.

Stages will include the Exploration Peak Time Trial, Super D, Fat Tire Criterium and Cottonwood Cross County.

The original Cactus Cup began in Arizona in 1991 and grew to include events in Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Colorado and Tennessee. The last Cactus Cup event was held in Atlanta in 2001.

The new event is being produced by Swagger, which produces more than 40 criteriums, including the Twilight Criterium in Athens, Georgia.