2012 Pro GRT Dates Announced
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:34PM
Colorado Springs, Colo. (February 9, 2012) —USA Cycling announced today the 2012 USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT). In its fourth year, the series has expanded to six races and continues to raise the level of competitive gravity racing across the United States. As the country’s premier gravity calendar, the Pro GRT aims to provide a consistent stage of international-caliber events for elite gravity racers to showcase their downhill skills.
The nation’s top gravity racers will be looking to dethrone 2011 champions Cody Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense) and Jill Kintner (Ferndale, Wash./Transition Racing) as the downhill-only series visits five states from April to August.
The calendar will begin with a visit to Port Angeles, Wash., for the fourth consecutive year as the NW Cup will once again kick things off, this year April 26-29. The Mountain Creek Bike Park will play host to the calendar’s newest event, the Eastern States Cup in Mountain Creek, New Jersey, on May 20. The series will then head just up the road to Roxbury, N.Y., for Plattekill Mountain’s stop on the Eastern States Cup, May 27.
Things again heat up out west, June 9-10, when the Mountain States Cup – Chile Challenge offers riders a preview of the 2013-2014 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships venue in Angel Fire, N.M. The nation’s top gravity riders will head back to New York the following weekend for the Pro GRT’s fifth stop, the Whiteface Pro GRT 5K Downhill in Wilmington, N.Y. The only UCI category two event on this year’s Pro GRT schedule, the Northstar Pro GRT will wrap things up in Truckee, Calif., Aug. 3-5.
Each of the six stops will offer series ranking points to top finishers, resulting in overall individual titles for professional men and women. The racers with the most points throughout the six-race series will be recognized as the best gravity athletes competing on U.S. soil.
The highest ranked American in the Pro GRT overall rankings (provided he/she is in the top three) as of July 30, 2012, will also be an automatic selection to the United States’ World Championship team. In addition, Pro/Category 1 junior men athletes, racing age 17 or 18, with the fastest finishing time in each round of the USA Cycling Pro GRT Downhill series prior to July 30 will be placed into a world championship selection pool. For more on World Championship selection check out USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Gravity World Championship selection document. All athlete selection procedures can be viewed on USA Cycling’s Team Selection page.
2012 Pro GRT Schedule
Bicycle, Downhill Mountain Bike, Downhill Racing |
Blake Samson Joins Saracen
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:10PM
News just in the from the Madison camp, Blake Samson has joined Saracen -
"Saracen are delighted to announce the addition of UK-based Blake Samson to the Saracen Dirt team! Blake is a well-known face on both the UK and international scenes, being consistently ranked within the top 50 riders in the world on the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour for the last two years.
From his own impressive solo video showcases, to the light-hearted Bike Riders United How-To web edits, Blake is a massive character with an even bigger bag of jaw-dropping skills and we are stoked to have Blake riding on Saracen for the 2012 season.
“This might be a surprise to some, but I have moved over to Saracen bikes for 2012. I am so excited to be riding for a British bike brand and looking forward to be working with all the guys at Saracen. I've been riding the new Amplitude ALX and CR3 models and I am loving them so much.
I’m looking forward to iceBike* in a few weeks and then it’s off to California for a 3 weeks to kick off my new 2012 season. I will also be riding on the Animal Bike Tour this year and as well as a number of FMB world tour events. It’s going to be a big exiting year for myself and Saracen bikes!”
Blake Samson Blake will be competing in domestic and international competitions aboard both our CR3 and ALX frames, as well as helping out with the development of our 2013 models. Blake joins long-time Saracen rider Lance McDermott on the Saracen Dirt Team, making for a formidable team roster that we hope to see atop plenty of podiums in the coming year!"
2012 Santa Cruz Mountainbike Festival
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 7:16AM 
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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.
2012 NW Cup Tentative Dates Announced
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 8:29PM | Round 1 | Dry Hill / Port Angeles | April 6-8 |
| Round 2 | Dry Hill / Port Angeles | April 26-29 |
| Round 3 | Dry Hill / Port Angeles | May 11-13 |
| Round 4 | Skibowl / Mt. Hood | June 15 -17 |
| Round 5 | Skibowl / Mt. Hood | July 20-22 |
| Round 6 | Steven's Pass (Finals) | August 3-5 |
Bicycle, Downhill Mountain Bike, Downhill Racing |
Fox Inverted Downhill Fork?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 6:39PM Fox posted this on their Facebook page today.
Bicycle, Downhill Mountain Bike, Fox Forks, Fox Shocks, Fox USD Fork |
