Jacqueline Harmony (USA)(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Logan Binggeli uses his moto skills to pull a tear-off over the hip jump.(Image credit: Eddie Clark)
USA Cycling announced the dates and locations for the 2013 Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (US Pro GRT) and the 2013 Professional Mountain Bike Ultra-Endurance Tour (US Pro UET).
Racing into its fifth year, USA Cycling's Pro GRT will feature 10 events from coast to coast, an increase over the six events that made up the 2012 calendar.
The tour kicks off in March with three new additions. Reaper Madness Downhill & Super D leads things off in Boulder City, Nevada. Riders will then head west for the Fontana City - California Golden State competition a few weeks later. In April, the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, will host the Pro GRT's third stop.
Racing resumes in May with two east coast favorites: the Mountain Creek Spring Classic 2013 in Vernon, New Jersey, followed by the 2013 Plattekill Gravity Open in Roxbury, New York. Both events are also part of the POC Eastern States Cup.
Another race familiar to Pro GRT riders, the Chile Challenge, marks the start of the second half of the calendar. The June event takes place in Angel Fire, New Mexico, less than two months before the venue will host the 2013 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships.
Riders will head to the China Peak Ski Resort for the California Golden State event later that month before crossing the country for the Windham Downhill in Windham, New York on June 30, which is a UCI C2-inscribed race. July's sole event is the Snowshoe Mountain Pro GRT in West Virginia. The Pro GRT concludes in early September at the Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth Lakes, California.
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Series points are given to top finishers at each event and used to determine the individual men's and women's standings that rank the best downhillers competing in the US. The 2012 men's top ranked rider was Logan Binggeli (KHS Factory Racing), while Jacqueline Harmony (IXS-510-Smith Optics) finished first in the women's standings.
Pro UET shrinks
Now in its third year, the 2013 Pro UET will consist of four events offering series points to rank the top male and female endurance mountain bikers in the country. The series will be one round smaller in 2013.
Returning to the Pro UET from 2012 are two US Cup series races: the Sagebrush Safari 50 in Lake Morena, California, in May, and the Big Bear Classic in Big Bear Lake, California, in June. The Pro UET picks up again in August with the Galena Grinder Whit Henry Memorial at Galena Lodge in Idaho. Concluding the series is the brand new Templeton Cache XCM in Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 17.
In the final standings of the 2012 Pro UET, David "Tinker" Juarez (Cannondale Factory) and Monique "Pua" Mata (Team Sho-Air Specialized) topped the men's and women's rankings, respectively.
2013 Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (US Pro GRT) March 15-17: Reaper Madness Downhill & Super D - Boulder City, Nevada March 30-31: Fontana City - California Golden State - Fontana, California April 21: Sea Otter Classic - Monterey, California May 19: Mountain Creek Spring Classic 2013 - Vernon, New Jersey May 26: Plattekill Gravity Open - Roxbury, New York June 7-9: Chile Challenge - Angel Fire, New Mexico June 22-23: California Golden State - China Peak Ski Resort, California June 30: Windham Downhill - Windham, New York July 13-14: Snowshoe Mountain Pro GRT - Snowshoe, West Virginia Sept. 4-8: Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games - Mammoth Lakes, California
2013 Pro Mountain Bike Ultra-Endurance Tour (US Pro UET) May 19: US Cup - Sagebrush Safari 50 - Lake Morena, California June 2: US Cup - Big Bear Classic - Big Bear Lake, California August 10: Galena Grinder Whit Henry Memorial - Galena Lodge, Idaho August 17: Templeton Cache XCM - Colorado Springs, Colorado
