32 Countries to be Represented at Windham Mountain Bike World Cup this Weekend

More than 400 racers representing 32 countries will converge on Windham, N.Y. this weekend (July 8 -10) for the seventh event in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series presented by Shimano.

Fans of downhill racing where riders race the clock on treacherous descents will be cheering as American racer Aaron Gwinn (Trek World Racing) and British racer Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing) go for their fourth wins of the series in the Men’s and Women’s Elite categories. Gwinn is the first American man in more than 10 years to lead in overall points and to be in a position to win the World Cup series.

In cross country Women’s Elite, Catharine Pendrel of Canada (Luna Pro Team) and Julie Bresset of France (BH – Suntour – Peisey Vallandry) will continue to jockey for the win at Windham and for the overall points lead. In cross country Men’s Elite, Jaroslav Kulhavy of the Czech Republic (Specialized Racing Team), who won the 2010 World Cup final, is the current overall points leader with two wins under his belt.

Hometown favorite Todd Wells of Windham (Specialized Racing), the highest placing cross country American racer, has had some great races this series and is holding on to the 20th position for overall points. American women Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Trek) and Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) are also strong contenders for Top 20 finishes.

In addition to World Cup events, a highlight of the weekend’s activities will be the Friday night block party on Main Street in Windham. The party, which runs from 8 to 11 p.m., will open with the Brooklyn Steppers drum line and the Taiko Drum Corps. Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers, a musical group, and the Albany All Stars women’s roller derby squad will also entertain the crowds. Six-time mountain bike trials world champion Mike Steidley will be on hand for the trials stunt show, and the Chatham Unicycle Club will perform its own stunt show and teach interested participants how to ride a unicycle. A 15-foot by 22-foot movie screen will be set up to show “Follow Me,” a movie featuring Windham athletes and others involved in the sport of mountain biking.

Main Street (New York State Route 23) will be closed between Mill Street and Church Street for the block party, which is free and open to the public.

Magic Number Three for DH Victors at UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Canada

Gwin leads the pack for win in Elite Men’s DH and looks to Windham to continue winning streak on American course

Great weather and tough courses made for interesting results as racers passed the half-way mark in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series presented by Shimano at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec.

American racer Aaron Gwinn (Trek World Racing) responded to the cheering fans with his third straight win in the DH Men’s Elite category. Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing), also won her third race in a row in the DH Women’s Elite category.

American DH racers in the Top 20 overall include on the Men’s side, Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing) ranked 1st and Luke Strobel (MS Evil Racing) ranked 18th , and on the Women’s side, Jill Kintner ranked 11th and Jacqueline Harmony ranked 16th.

In cross country Women’s Elite, Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) wins on home territory and Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) wins in the Men’s Elite. In spite of a crash in lap two, Todd Wells (Specialized Racing) the highest placing American racer took 18th. For American women, Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Trek) took 12th, Lea Davidson (Specialized Racing) took 19th and Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) took 20th.

The World Cup will arrive in Windham in July (7–10) and features cross-country and downhill courses similar to those praised last year by riders and officials. In addition to the UCI races, Windham World Cup festivities will include Pro-Am Race the World XC and Gravity East DH races, a Block Party on Main Street, live music on Saturday night (bands TBA), and a heart-racing "Big Wheel" race(BYOBW). Unlike most international World Cup venues, there will be no fees charged to enter the venue or the consumer and tech expos. To help defray the tremendous organizing costs and to keep the World Cup in the U.S., a minimal fee for parking - $10 for an entire carload for one day, or $25 for three days - will be charged.

Windham is the seventh stop on the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup tour; additional stops include Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Yorkshire, Dalby Forest, Great Britain; Fort William, Great Britain; Offenburg, Germany; Leogang, Austria; La Bress, France; Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic; and Val di Sole, Italy.

Windham World Cup News on 98.1 KZE

Listen to: 98.1 KZE Radio Interview with Nick and Lori

Lars Tribus Masters Challenge to Benefit Arthritis Foundation at Windham Mountain Bike World Cup Festival

In support of the Arthritis Foundation, the Gravity East Series is proud to announce the Lars Tribus Masters Challenge to be held during downhill race on Saturday, July 9 at the Windham Mountain Bike World Cup Festival in Windham, N.Y.

This is a special Masters Category charity downhill race in support of the Arthritis Foundation with 100% of the entry fees donated to the foundation.

One of the foundation’s “Heroes”, professional downhill mountain bike racer Lars Tribus has become a spokesman and avid supporter of the foundation. He was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 9 and battled symptoms throughout his childhood. When he was 12, he was told by his doctor he’d spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The doctor got it half right…he did spend his life on wheels, just not sitting down.

Eligible participants are all 30+ men and women Pro DH current USAC license holders. Entry fee is $80.00 and if racers are also entered in the Gravity East series race the fee will be discounted to $40.00 In addition all 30+ Category 1 – 3 racers entered in the Gravity East series race at Windham are also eligible to participate and the entry fee will be $30.00

Registration will be onsite ONLY and will be available from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 and from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, July 9.

There will be a minimum Pro purse of $500.00 and plaques awarded to the top 3 positions in both pro and amateur categories. In addition there will be special winners jerseys provided by Nema for both the Pro and amateur winners plus product prizes from Deity. For additional information, please visit the Gravity East Series website at www.gravityeastseries.com

Registration entitles racers to participate in all World Cup festivities at Windham Mountain including a Friday night Block Party on Main Street in Windham; live music on Saturday night (bands TBA); and a "Big Wheel" race down a steep, paved course (BYOBW). Unlike most international World Cup venues, there will be no fees charged to enter the venue or the consumer and tech expos. To help defray the tremendous organizing costs and to keep the World Cup in the U.S., a minimal fee for parking - $10 for an entire carload for one day, or $25 for three days - will be charged.

Windham is the seventh stop on the 2011 edition of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano; additional stops include Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Dalby Forest, Great Britain; Offenburg, Germany; Fort William, Great Britain; Leogang, Austria; Mt. Sainte-Anne, Canada; La Bress, France; Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic; and Val di Sole, Italy.

Talk to Local Organizers, Tour & Test the Tracks at Windham 2011 Mountain Bike World Cup Venue

WHAT:
Local, regional and national media are invited to meet with local organizers of the 2011 Windham Mountain Bike World Cup and tour – and even test drive – the courses. Several hundred mountain bike racers from 30+ countries will be coming to Windham, N.Y. July 7 – 10 to compete in the only UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race taking place in the U.S. this year.

WHEN:
Take a tour of the venue and test drive the course, if you dare! Wednesday, June 29 1:00 – 4:00 pm

WHERE:
Windham Mountain Windham, N.Y.

HOW:
If you are interested in an interview with the local organizers and/or touring and test riding the courses, you must make arrangements in advance with Jon Pierce at 518.427.1186 or via email at Jon@AlbanyPR.com. Loaner bikes and helmets will be available for the media to test ride a section of the cross country course.

Check out this cool video of what to expect in July.