MTB Summer Camp

Registration for the Kids' MTB Summer Camp with Cris Winner is live at USACyling.org! Come on out June 17-21 to develop skills, ride with the pros, and have fun!

Register Here!

More information here!

Host Hotel

And if you're not into host housing, or it all fills up, we've still got a great relationship with the Holiday Inn Parkside, in downtown Missoula. They're offering a $99/night rate, which is pretty good for a nice hotel and perfect, central location. Be sure to mention that you're in town for the race to get the special rate. This rate isn't forever, though, and you have to book by June 1 to get in cheap!

Host Housing

Once again we're proud to offer host housing for out of town racers at the Hammer Nutrition Missoula XC! Feel free to get a hold of our housing guru, Joey, at ray.joey@gmail.com. Remember, host housing is first come first serve, and we're cutting it off on May 15!

If you'd like to host riders, you can also shoot Joey an email!

The Season Kicks Off, from USAC

March signals start of Pro Cross-Country and Pro Gravity Tour calendars

Colorado Springs, Colo. (February 28, 2013) -- The calendar page turning to March means that things will be heating up for the mountain bikers as both the 2013 Pro Cross-Country Tour (XCT) and the 2013 Pro Gravity Tour (GRT) begin competition. In its fifth year, the Pro XCT will feature nine events and a new points system at which world-class athletes will race for Pro XCT ranking points and prize purses. The description of how points are awarded can be foundonline. Mountain bike season will unofficially kick off in the U.S. in Dripping Springs, Texas, as the Pro XCT makes its first stop with UCI C1 event, Mellow Johnny’s Classic on March 2. Top-level mountain bike cross-country racing will continue in March with a pair of US Cup Triple Crown races. After a successful first appearance on the Pro XCT in 2011, the US Cup Triple Crown – Bonelli Park is now a UCI C2 level event and will again be an important stop on the tour on March 16. It will be followed up by a fifth-year Pro XCT event, the US Cup Triple Crown – Fontana on March 30. The Pro XCT remains in California for the Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic in Monterey on April 20. One month later, the calendar shifts to the southeastern United States to contest the Bump ‘N Grind in Birmingham, Ala., on June 2. The calendar concludes with four UCI-inscripted events. The Hammer Nutrition Missoula Montana XC is scheduled for June 22 in Missoula, Mont. The following week the action shifts to the northeast as riders will toe the line in Windham, N.Y., on June 29 for the Windham XC. The penultimate event on the Pro XCT will be the ever-popular Subaru Cup on July 13 in Mt. Morris, Wis. This fan favorite will again operate at the UCI C1 level. The new closer for the Pro XCT is the UCI C2 Catamount Classic XC in Williston, Vt., on Aug. 3. The Pro XCT will rank the top male and female riders in the overall standings, award Pro XCT medals, and a guaranteed cash purse for each race. In order for teams to earn points toward the overall Pro XCT team title, they must be registered as either a UCI Trade Team or a USA Cycling Mountain Bike Domestic Pro Team. In 2013, pro riders Todd Wells (Durango, N.Y./Specialized Racing) and Monique “Pua” Mata (Westminster, Calif./Sho-air-Specialized), as well as team champion Subaru-Trek, will ride in defense of their overall Pro XCT wins from the 2012 season. In addition to providing a sequence of international-caliber events where elite cross-country racers can fight for end-of-season titles and earn UCI points, the Pro XCT will likely influence nominations to the U.S. squad for the2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. For more information about the Pro XCT, please visit its webpage. Also 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, Nev., March 15-17. Riders will then head west for the Fontana City – California Golden Statecompetition March 30-31. On April 21, the popular Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Calif., 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, N.J., on May 19, followed by the 2013 Plattekill Gravity Open in Roxbury, N.Y., on May 26. 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 7-9 event takes place in Angel Fire, N.M., less than two months before the venue will host the 2013 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships. Riders will then head to the China Peak Ski Resort for the California Golden State event on June 22-23 before crossing the country for the Windham Downhill in Windham, N.Y. on June 30, which is a UCI C2-inscribed race. July’s sole event is the Snowshoe Mountain Pro GRT in West Virginia, July 13-14. The Pro GRT concludes Sept. 4-8 at the Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 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 U.S. The 2012 men’s top-ranked rider was Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Factory Racing), while Jacqueline Harmony (Sedona, Ariz./IXS-510-Smith Optics) finished first in the women’s standings. The 2013 point distribution explanation can be found here. For more information about the Pro GRT, please visit its webpage.

Pro XCT Kicks Off

It's hard to think about riding a (non-fat) bike as the snow is still piling up outside the basement egress window at Hammer Nutrition Missoula XC HQ, but that time is upon us. Keep an eye on the Mellow Johnny's Classic this weekend at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch, TX.

Here's the whole Pro XCT schedule for 2013:




2013 Calendar
 

DATE	EVENT
March 2	Mellow Johnny's Classic
March 16	Bonelli Park US Cup
March 30	Fontana City US Cup
April 20	Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic p/b SRAM
June 2	Bump 'N Grind
June 22	Hammer Nutrition Missoula XC
June 29	Windham XC
July 13	Subaru Cup
August 3	Catamount Classic XC

This schedule is SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Saturday Trail Work

Trail work at Marshall Mountain tomorrow, Saturday, Nov 3rd!
Hope to see a few folks!

But wait, there's more!

Don't forget that the racing continues for the next three Wednesdays at Marshall Mountain, and you only barely have to ride uphill!

Race starts at 5:30 at the top! Course opens for pre-riding at 4 pm.  HERE for more information.

PRIZES!-
Series winner:
    Men: $100 credit at Le Petite Outre 
    Women: $100 credit at Betty's Divine
Weekly winners:
   Dolce dinners; Black Diamond gear; hugs.

See you tomorrow night!