2012 UCI WC Round 1 Monster Energy Specialized Recap

The Monster Energy Specialized, Australian dynamic duo of Sam Hill and Troy Brosnan returned to World Cup racing this week after domination the Australian national series over the winter. Brosnan finished in 8th place on a track that catered to his pedalling strength, just over 5 seconds back. Hill crossed the line in 11th place, .8 seconds behind his teammate.

Cloudy skies met racers on race day here in Pietermariztburg, South Africa for the first round of the 2012 UCI MTB World Cup. The track dried up from the previous night's deluge and was rock hard and as fast as it had been all week by the time the top 30 men dropped in. Both Monster Energy Specialized riders rode their Specialized Demos with dropper posts to allow for brief relief during the infamous 40 second pedal here in SA.

Troy had this to say about his first official World Cup as an Elite racer; " My week went pretty good. Practice was a little bit wild but my race run went good. I pinned through top section as hard as I could and felt real fast and then pedalled harder than I thought I could at the mid section. I was feeling pretty strong at the bottom and pinned it as hard as I could. I had a mishap at the bottom and lost a bit of time, but still finished up in 8th. I got pretty good points so I just have to keep this confidence going into Val Di Sole. It'll be great to go to Europe fresh and strong and try and get my first World Cup win!"

Hill wasn't as excited about his result, but happy to be back racing and in one piece.  "My race went alright. I didn't get the result that I came here for but I got 11^th, so still not too bad. Hopefully the rest of the tracks this season will play to my strengths a bit more than this track. I feel like my fitness and my health is pretty good and I had a few moments up on top of the track, I think I almost hit a photographer somewhere in there. It was fun, just a really tough track to race on.  I'm not going to beat myself up over it, I saw stars at the end of the pedal! I'm ready to get to the tracks where I can hang it out a bit more and ride on the edge."

The team now gets a quick break at home, and then travels to America for the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California.

2012 Santa Cruz Mountainbike Festival

FOX 3rd ANNUAL SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL BRINGS MOUNTAIN BIKE ATHLETES, FANS, AND THE CYCLING  INDUSTRY TO APTOS, CALIFORNIA

Join us for an exciting two day event that includes the first legally sanctioned race at Soquel Demonstration State Forest (Demo), plus professional and amateur competitions such as dirt jump and pump track contests, and cross country short track races. Bike  skills clinics and a kids’ practice area will also be offered, in addition to industry expo, bike demos, shuttles, food court, beer  garden, and raffles.

APTOS, CA – February 3, 2012 Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBoSC) today announced the event schedule and sponsors for the Fox 3rd Annual Santa Cruz  Mountain Bike Festival (SCMBF) at the Barry Swenson Builder property in Aptos Village, California, on April 14th and 15th, 2012.  This is the weekend before the Sea Otter Classic in nearby Monterey. The SCMBF is Santa Cruz County’s premier mountain biking  event, bringing together a mix of competitive racing, contests, and skills clinics as well as industry manufacturers and retailers  with booths and demo products. Proceeds from the 2012 event will benefit projects and organizations that support mountain biking in Santa Cruz county.

For two jam-packed days, the SCMBF will be home to exciting events for riders at every level. Whether attendees want to  participate, spectate, improve their skills or check out the latest gear, there’s something for everyone. In the first legally  sanctioned race at Soquel Demonstration State Forest, racers will complete three climbing and three downhill stages. Other events allow professional and amateur riders to compete in dirt jump and pump track contests, and cross country short track races.  Amateurs will race for bragging rights and bike product; pros will race for cash. This year’s SCMBF will debut the  All Mountain Challenge which recognizes the best combined results of endurance, short track and pump track races.  Beginners and intermediate riders alike can hone their dirt skills with clinics focusing on mountain bike handling and pump track  skills, and shuttle rides to Soquel Demonstration State Forest will be available. A family-friendly event, SCMBF will also offer a  kids’ practice area. Industry vendors will be on hand to share their latest innovations and equipment. Tasty drafts will be offered  in the beer garden, and this year’s festival will feature an all-new food court.

SCMBF title sponsor Fox of Scotts Valley, California is joined by event sponsors Bell, Specialized/Scotts Valley Cycle Sport,  and WTB. Platinum sponsors include Adventure Sports Journal, Barry Swenson Builder, Bike Monkey, Dirt Rag, Gamut, Saris;  gold sponsors to date are American Medical Response (AMR), Bicycle Trip, and Clif Bar. Contributions from these organizations  have helped underwrite the SCMBF. All our sponsors are committed to mountain biking and Santa Cruz County as a world class  destination for the sport. Sponsorship opportunities are still available; refer to our 2012 Sponsorship Kit for details.

On the schedule are popular events from last year such as:

1. 831 Jump Contest: Calling All Creative and Tricky Styles. Stand-out moves rewarded, be you Beginner, Expert or Pro.  Doesn’t matter how you rate now, we want to recognize you. Announcer will call, music will bump, judges will decide.  Those who push their own limits will be recognized at the 831 Jump Contest. Test yourself, the rewards will come.

1. Pump Track Pandemonium: It’s you against the clock! See who has the skill to shred the hardest and pump the fastest through  perfectly apexed berms. Your score is your fastest timed lap.

2. Specialized/Scotts Valley Cycle Sport Short Track: It’s intense! It’s fast! It’s fun! Come weave and wind your way through the  heart of the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival on our elaborate 1/2 mile Specialized/Scotts Valley Cycle Sport Short Track race  course. Speed by the vendor booths, rally through off-camber corners and pump your way through berms and rollers. You’ll go as  hard as you can for a few minutes and then it’s one more lap and a mad dash to finish.

1. Bike Skills Clinics: Learn from the best! Pro rider, and Santa Cruz native Tammy Donahugh will team up with Kat Sweet to host  two bike skills clinics – a Mountain Bike Skills Clinic, and a Pump Track Skills Clinic.

Plus, these exciting brand new events:

1. Bell Super Enduro at Demo: One Bike. Three Climbs. Three Descents. Be the first to race Euro style at the Bell Super Enduro at  Demo – Soquel Demonstration Forest’s first legally sanctioned race! Climb fast. Descend faster on a closed course. Then do it all  over again. Do you have what it takes? 1. WTB All Mountain Challenge: Pump, Shred, and Endure. Beat all your friends up the climbs, around the corners and down the  mountain? Ever wonder where you really stand? The super enduro, short track, and pump track events won’t leave you hanging.  Different bikes for each event welcome, best rider determined by cumulative points. Fearless and fit riders, find out who really  rules the mountain.

1. Specialized/Scotts Valley Cycle Sport Kids’ Rodeo: Because You Want Them to Love This Sport. Introduce your kids to mountain  biking or encourage them to improve their skills. Sign a waiver, put a helmet on them, and watch them try their skills and tackle  obstacles in a challenging and supportive environment. They will gain confidence and have fun. You will love that they want to ride.

The mission of the SCMBF is to celebrate mountain biking in Santa Cruz County by bringing people together to participate and  spectate in competitive and recreational mountain bike events, and a festival to bring the community together to advocate an  active outdoor lifestyle and promote the world class mountain biking facilities and riders in Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz MTB Festival

Troy Brosnan Kicks Off The 2012 ANS With A Win

Summer is well and truly arrived South of the equator, and the Australian National series has begun. Monster Energy-Specialized athletes Troy Brosnan and Sam Hill were keen to do some racing in the World Cup off-season and made their way to Thredbo, N.S.W for the first round of the 2011 series. With the weather report looking sub-par, the boys were keen to make use of the Friday practice session as it has been a couple of years since both Troy or Sam had ridden on this track.

The only substantial rain fell Sunday morning but was enough to make things challenging without limiting the speed of the track. Both riders felt good after seeding, where Brosnan placed second behind Jared Graves, while Hill sat in fourth. Both Monster Energy Specialized riders were confident and knew they had time left in them for their race runs. 

Hill raced to a 5:33.87 in the finals, knocking last year's National Series Champ, Rhys Atkinson out of the hot seat. Most Aussie racers know what a brutal track Thredbo can be, but Brosnan had looked unbelievably fast all weekend. All eyes were on the Junior World Champion as he dropped in and stopped the clock with a 5.31.54, taking the lead from Sam by over 2 seconds. Graves was just under a second Behind Hill, putting Monster Energy Specialized 1-2 for the weekend.

Both riders were stoked with the beginning of the race season. Sam was really impressed with Troy’s run, and keen to be on the other side of him for the next round in Buller. 

“ I really feel my fitness is where it has to be in this part of the year on a long track like this. I just don’t feel like I got stuck into it from the start for a race run but I guess that’s going to come from doing more races. Aside from that I felt pretty happy with my run, I was smooth everywhere and hit everything like I wanted to. Troy was just on top of his game this weekend.”

Troy was ecstatic with his win. With it being his first year stepping up into the senior ranks he made a statement on a big track with the big boys. “ There had been a bit of rain early in the morning and before racing, so was a little unsure how the track would hold up. For my race run the track was pretty dry, and a lot faster than I thought. I just threw down a really good run and no mistakes really, pedalled out of each corner as hard as I could, and it just seemed to all work out. On to the next round in Mount Buller” 

Team manager Sean Heimdal was happy to have both riders healthy and back on the podium locally.

“Its great to see both Sam and Troy getting amongst the Australian Nationals...it shows they’re both focused on 2012 and looking to sharpen their skills for the upcoming World Cup Season. I’m sure these guys will all keep pushing themselves harder than ever to keep pace with each other.” Specialized Bicycles are more than happy with the start of both Troy and Sam’s season down under and couldn’t be more proud.

Both Sam and Troy look forward to tackling the next Australian round in Buller.

We’d like to thank the following companies for their continued support: Monster Energy, Specialized Bicycles, Mad Catz, SRAM, Truvativ, Rock Shox, Avid, DT Swiss, SDG, Renthal, Troy Lee Designs, Maxima, Spy Optics, Cane Creek, e-thirteen, Contour, Five Ten, Alligator, Obtainium, Freestyle, Kicker, KMC.

2012 Specialized Demo II

Features

• Manipulated M5 alloy FSR frame with Mag Link has 8" of rear wheel travel; an oversized, forged head tube; rear derailleur protector, with suspension linkage engineered for the world's toughest terrain
• Cane Creek Double Barrel coil shock provides a downhiller's dream of externally adjustable high-and-low-speed rebound and compression settings for maximum control over challenging terrain
• RockShox Boxxer World Cup has 200mm of air-sprung travel, and features extreme tuning capabilities with high-and-low-speed compression and rebound adjustments, and a 20mm Maxle thru-axle
• New Roval DH rims are 30mm wide, laced with DT Swiss spokes to Specialized hubs with a 20mm front thru-axle and 150x12mm rear thru-axle hub creates a reliable, and super strong wheelset that easily handles the biggest hits
• Specialized Butcher DH 26 x 2.3" soft dual compound front and rear tires offer great traction with Monster Team approved tread, and a bombproof casing
• SRAM X0 DH crankset with carbon arms, 36T chainring and Gamut bashguard is built with speed and durability in mind
• Renthal Fat Bar is 780mm wide for maximum control for riding the steepest descents, just like the Monster boys
• Custom Avid Code X0 hydraulic disc brakes for lightweight precision, modulation and power, plus carbon levers with tool-less reach
• SRAM X0 DH short cage derailleur and 10-speed 11-26t cassette provide lightweight and accurate shifting performance

Geometry