USA Cycling announces 2011 Pro GRT and Pro UET

Colorado Springs, Colo. (February 25, 2011) – USA Cycling announced today the dates and locations for its 2011 Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (ProGRT) and its 2011 Professional Mountain Bike Ultra-Endurance Tour (Pro UET).
 
The two announcements round out USA Cycling's three 2011 Pro Mountain Bike Tours as the Professional Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) was announced previously. Click here to read the Pro XCT release.
 
PRO GRT
 
In its third year, the Pro GRT boasts five races and will continue to provide a consistent stage of international-caliber events for the nation’s elite gravity racers.
 
The downhill-only series will visit five states between April and June. For the third year in a row, the series will open with the NWCup in Port Angeles, Wash., April 9-10. The month of May will see the series move to the east coast for a pair of races – the Highland Bike Park event in Northfield, NH, May 14-15, and the Plattekill Gravity Open at the Plattekill Bike Park in Roxbury, NY, May 21-22. In June, the Pro GRT will make its penultimate stop in California for the Northstar-at-Tahoe event in Truckee, June 18-19.  The fifth and final event on the tour will be the Wildflower Rush in Crested Butte, Colo., June 25-26.

The top finishers at each of the five stops will earn series points. At the end of the season, the male and female with the most points will be named overall Pro GRT champions and will be recognized as the best gravity athletes on U.S. soil.
 
In addition to fighting for series points and a worlds invite, Pro GRT competitors will have two chances to earn international ranking points as two of the six races are inscripted on the UCI calendar. The Plattekill Gravity Open is a UCI C3 event while the Northstar-at-Tahoe race is a UCI C2 event.
 
For more information, visit the USA Cycling Pro GRT page.
 
PRO UET
 
In its debut year, the Pro UET will feature four events that offer various disciplines of racing for endurance athletes, including 6-hour, 24-hour, marathon, and ultra-marathon contests.
 
The ultra-endurance series will open with the Spa City Extreme 6-Hour in Hot Springs, Ark on March 12. It will then take a break for three months before a pair of events heat up the month July – the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, Colo. on July 4 and the Galena Grinder –in Boise, Idaho on July 23. The Pro UET will conclude on August 21 with the Hampshire 100 in Greenfield, NH.
 
Individual rankings will be offered to riders in the Pro/Solo category and overall male and female champions will be crowned at the end of the season.
 
For more information, visit the USA Cycling Pro UET page.
 
 
2011 USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT)
April 9-10: Northwest Cup- Port Angeles, Wash.
May 14-15: Highland Bike Park – Northfield, NH
May 21-22: Plattekill Gravity Open– Plattekill Bike Park, Roxbury, NY
June 18-19: Northstar-at-Tahoe– Truckee, Calif.
June 25-26: Wildflower Rush - Crested Butte, Colo.
 
2011 USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Ultra-Endurance Tour (Pro UET)
March 12: Spa City Extreme 6-Hour – Hot Springs, Ark.
July 4: Firecracker 50 – Breckenridge, Colo.
July 23: Galena Grinder – Boise, Idaho
August 21: Hampshire 100 – Greenfield, NH


About the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT)
Created in 2009 to consistently provide world-class athletes with a competitive arena on American soil, the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) recognizes the best professional gravity teams and athletes competing on U.S. soil by employing a season-long rankings system to identify overall men’s and women’s series leaders. For more information on the USA Cycling Pro GRT, visit www.progrt.com. Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross.
 
About the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Ultra Endurance Tour (Pro UET)
Created in 2011 to consistently provide world-class athletes with a competitive arena on American soil, the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Ultra Endurance Tour (Pro UET) recognizes the best professional athletes competing a U.S. soil by employing a season-long rankings system to identify overall men’s and women’s series leaders for Pro/Solo categories in 6-hour, 24-hour, marathon, and ultra-marathon mountain bike events around the country. For more information on the Pro UET, click here. Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross.


This Article Published February 25, 2011 For more information contact: