Quick note for those of you looking to race Sunday at Folsom Prison:

Online Registration for the FIRST race this Sunday closes on Friday, March 25 at 10pm

The season opener is HERE. Sunday March 27 will kick off the Prairie City Race Series season on the new Prison/Rodeo course.  There will be several bike shops and vendors at the new season opener "Expo". Be sure to stop by and say "Hello and Thank You!" for sponsoring the Series.     This first race is on the  Folsom Prison course, staging out of the Folsom Rodeo arena - this is a points race. This is a very unique and limited use venue with lots of brand new singletrack.    Check out the BikeCam video and race photos from the Sierra Nevada High School race on the Prison course last weekend... awesome!          Online registration for this first race closes Friday March 25 at 10 pm (limited to first 500 racers)

Via Prairie City MTB Race on Sun, March 27 is 3/4 full - online reg closes Fri

Results from last weekend's Lake Sonoma Series opener have been posted HERE.

US qualifiers are now up ... but none in NorCal:

USA Cycling revealed the complete calendar for its 2011 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) on Friday.

AMBC cross country events will serve as qualifiers for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships, on July 14-17 in Sun Valley, Idaho while AMBC gravity events will qualify riders to compete at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships, September 24-25 in Beech Mountain, North Carolina.

American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC)

• March 20: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Gainesville, Florida
• March 27: Chickasaw Trace Classic - Columbia, Tennessee
• April 3: Southeastern Regional Championships Series (SERC) - Bryson City, North Carolina
• April 9: 17th Annual Barking Spider Bash XC - Boise, Idaho
• April 17: Stump Jump 2011 - Spartanburg, South Carolina
• April 30 - May 1: The Idyllwild Spring Challenge - Idyllwild, California
• May 1: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Winder, Georgia
• May 15: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Ducktown, Tennessee
• May 15: Tymor Park Challenge - Lagrangeville, New York
• May 22: Greenbrier Challenge - Hagerstown, Maryland
• May 29: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic - Durango, Colorado
• June 4-5: Bump ‘N Grind - Pelham, Alabama
• June 12: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Chattanooga, Tennessee
• June 18-19: Magic Cycles Mountain Bike Race Weekend - Beech Mountain, North Carolina
• June 26: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Clemson, South Carolina
• July 10: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Huntsville, Alabama
• July 17: 16th Annual Bulldog Rump presented by Cycle Craft - Andover, New Jersey
• August 7: Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) - Fontana, North Carolina
• August 14: Bear Creek Challenge - Macungie, Pennsylvania
• September 2-4: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival - Rocksprings, Texas

Via Cyclingnews.com

As they no longer appear on the SV Endurance website, it appears that this year's Dirty Gears XC series has been canceled.

This rounds out the USA Cycling 2011 Pro schedule (and the Northstar event is back !):

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 Cup 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.

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.

For more information, visit the USA Cycling Pro GRT page.

Here is USA Cycling's 2011 Ultra Endurance schedule:

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.

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

For more information, visit the USA Cycling Pro UET page.

Having lost the Colorado Spring event, the US Cycling XC tour is down to six events (three in California !):

After the Colorado Springs round of the US Pro XCT was cancelled earlier this week, the US Pro Cross Country Tour (US Pro XCT) will officially comprise six events according to USA Cycling. Prior to the withdrawal of the Sand Creek International Classic from the American national cross country series, there would have been seven total events in the series.

USA Cycling has still not released its US Pro GRT [calendar], the gravity version of its national series ... It has, however, just released its Pro Ultra-Endurance Tour, which includes four events: one six-hour race, two 50-milers and a 100km.

2011 US Pro Cross Country Tour (US Pro XCT)

March 12: Bonelli Park, California
March 26: Fontana, California
April 16: Sea Otter Classic, California
April 30: Mellow Johnny's, Texas
June 25: Subaru Cup, Wisconsin
July 23: Missoula Cross Country, Montana

2011 US Pro Ultra-Endurance Tour

March 12: Spa City Extreme 6-Hour, Hot Springs, Arkansas
July 4: Firecracker 50, Breckenridge, Colorado
July 23: Galena Grinder, Boise, Idaho
August 21: Hampshire 100, Greenfield, New Hampshire

2011 US Pro Gravity Tour (US Pro GRT)

To be announced.

Via Cyclingnews.com

Fun rides are back for 2011 ...

Saturday, March 5th starting at 9AM (on the nose!) MOJO 2 GESTALT MiXeD TeRrAiN "FUN" ride.

It's gonna be a super day in the saddle!

Start @ 9AM sharp at Mojo on Divisadero, head out to Gestalt in Fairfax over hill and dale. Pavement, fire roads, single track (not much in the way of rocks) and hills and dips and berms. 

Snacks, raffles, stuff, the bike equivelent of "door prizes" and swag. Route map and cue sheets provided. $10 cash donation please, to cover the costs.

8am-9am Coffee, bananas, bagels and socializing/taunting then roll out at 9am sharp. End at Gestalt in Fairfax with beer, snacks, food and prizes. Take the flat road way home (1 hr 30min - 2hr ?min depending on your level of interest) or the ferry from Larkspur ($8.25, maps and schedules provided @ the finish line).

Ride your MTB or your CX bike. Your road bike... not so much.

More details coming soon.

Head up, next weekend's CCCX will be at Fort Ord, not Toro Park:

Due to recent rains, CCCX XC #2 will now take place at Ft. Ord - same location as CCCX XC #1, NOT TORO PARK.

Please also note that due the the Nor-Cal High School MTB League event the following day in Ft. Ord, all Sport/Expert/Pro racers will start in waves at 11:00 a.m.

The course for the upcoming Saturday Feb. 26 CCCX XC race at Ft. Ord is going to be a extra special loop of 6 miles with 600+ feet climbing per lap.  This race is going to be a instant classic!

Via CCCX CYCLING

This weekend's Dirty Gears #1 has been canceled:

The Fort Ord MTB race has been postponed.  We do not have a makeup date yet.  Low registrations were the primary cause.  We do get lots of emails asking why or what happened.  It is critical that if you are interested that you actually register.  We cannot run these events with less than 75 people

Via South Valley Endurance.

The 2011 Rockhopper has been added (returned) to the calendar:

The 2011 Rockhopper course includes challenges for all abilities at 9.5 miles with 1600’ of elevation gain per lap. This course will test your fitness and bike handling ability, with some lung burning steep climbs, awesome and fast-downhill; experience tasty singletrack or fireroad climbs for passing and twisty/turn rolling terrain. Great observation areas for spectators to observe the progress of their favorite racer and an available screen for live results (yep, timing chip). You can see 60% of the course from the start/finish line or venture out on the course for a view from the top. If you have a burning desire to have unique mtb experience; come enjoy a day of physical play and enjoyment, under the Vacaville sun!

The race will be held May 7th, 2011 at Lagoon Valley Park (Pena Adobe Regional Park). The park is located in Vacaville, CA just off I-80, making it about halfway between SF and Sacramento.

This is a little late (sorry Chris), but registration is open for this year's Big Sandy, NorCal's only point to point race:

Its time to sign up. Registration for the Third Annual Big Sandy Point to Point Mountain Bike Race is now open. Register online Now. We love online registration so much, we are paying the service fee.

Or visit the udated website to download a registration form.

Our little race is starting to get recongnized as a must do California Race. In order to maintain the level of quality the event is know for, we have decided to limit the field size to 300. Register early and secure your place in one of the best mountain bike events you will race this year.

We are Proud to be a part of the Northern California State Championship Series this year.

The Big Sandy is a point to point XC race held northeast of Fresno. See full details at bigsandyrace.com.

... in about 1 hour ...

We’ll be running a classic MTB XC team relay-style event at a 3500 acre swath of pine forest known as the Boggs State Demonstration Forest, about 2 hours north of SF Bay.

Registration Nation! Oh right, the reason you’ve actually opened this email. Registration will open at 9:00 AM PST on January 7th, 2011. That’s this Friday. Not unlike a Harry Potter movie or an iWhatever product release, our fans have already begun camping out at our stoop, despite regular police patrols, pepper spray, and heavy doors that unexpectedly swing out. The rest of you may want to go over to http://boggs.bikemonkey.net to register. It’s a simple process and will cost you $75 bucks, for which you get a meal, a t-shirt, and the chance to look sunken-eyed after a day on the course. This event has sold out every year, despite raising the rider limit time and again, so get quick or get left behind.

Via Boggs Baby at Bike Monkey.

In addition to a date for Boggs VI, we now know when registration will begin:

The inquisitive minds want to know when Boggs registration will open. The answer? Friday January 7th in the morning hours, let’s say around 9:00. Okay?  Good.

However, the Bike Monkey needs some help before the race:

Friends of Lake Boggs has put together a trail maintenance schedule and we’re going to be there lending a hand. Here are the dates.  If you have a spare weekend please come!

• Sunday, January 9 at 10 a.m.
• Saturday, Feburary 12 at 10 a.m.
• Sunday, March 13 at 9 a.m.
• Saturday, April 9 at 9 a.m.

Allow 2-3 hours; bring water, gloves and a hand tool. Some tools are also available. The meeting spot is at the Boggs parking lot by the forestry manager’s office.

Via Boggs Trailwork Days at Bike Monkey.

Big Blue Adventure, longtime local adventure racing promoters, are putting on their first MTB endurance race in Tahoe City:

Lake Tahoe is famous for its amazing and endless single-track.  The Lake Tahoe 4 & 8 Hour Mountain Bike Race takes advantage of the area’s beautiful trails for a challenging and fun course.  The main venue is located at the Highlands Community Center a few miles east of Tahoe City.  The course is approximately 12 miles on single track and some fire road.  Fast lap times should be around 40 minutes. Race as a solo or on a team of 2, 3 or 4 (teams of 3 and 4 apply to the 8hr race only).

For more information about the race and to register, visit the event’s website or email angel@bigblueadventure.com.

Look for more details as the date draws closer.

For those of you looking for sponsorship for next year's campaign:

Honey Stinger has introduced a new grassroots sponsorship program called “The Hive.”

The Hive offers preferred pricing on Honey Stinger products and merchandise to athletes and teams identified by Honey Stinger as influential in their sport, region or community, according to a press release.

The program is open to individuals and teams in Honey Stinger’s targeted cycling, running and triathlon markets, but participants in all athletic disciplines are encouraged to apply. At present, The Hive is only available to U.S. residents.

Those interested in the program may apply via the online form available on Honey Stinger’s Web site, www.honeystinger.com, which includes a code of conduct that must be agreed upon by the applicant prior to submission. Honey Stinger’s marketing staff will review applications upon receipt.

Via Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

This sounds kinda serious ...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Seattle Bike Supply, has issued a voluntary recall of about 200 Redline D640 bikes.

The head tube can separate from the frame, causing the rider to lose control and fall. This poses a risk of serious injury. SBS is aware of eight reports of head tubes separating from the frame, including four reports of minor scrapes and cuts.

This recall involves all 2008 Redline D640 bicycles. The bicycles were sold in black and have aluminum frames. "REDLINE" is written down the frame's tube. The model number is written on the frame's top tube.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bicycles and contact a local Redline bicycle dealer to receive a free frame replacement.

Via Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

Nothing in California ...

The Kenda National Ultra Endurance (NUE) Series is adding three events for 2011, bringing the total for its tentative schedule to 11 rounds. In addition to its eight established venues, the series will visit Mountain View, Arkansas, Alta, Wyoming and Park City, Utah.

What will remain constant is that series standings will continue to be determined by the best four of the now eleven possible results for each racer. Ties will be broken at the series finale at the Shenandoah Mountain 100 near Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Labor Day weekend.

The series schedule is tentative and subject to change as race organizers are still in the usual process of procuring forest service permits and other logistical race planning details.

2011 (NUE) National Ultra Endurance Series tentative schedule

April 30: Cohutta 100 Ducktown, Tennessee
May 14: Syllamo's Revenge 100, Mountain View, Arkansas
June 4: Mohican 100, Loudonville, Ohio
June 18: Lumberjack 100, Wellston, Michigan
July 16: Breckenridge 100, Breckenridge, Colorado
July 23: High Cascades 100, Bend, Oregon
July 30: Wilderness 101, State College, Pennsylvania
August 6: Pierre’s hole 100, Alta, Wyoming
August 20: Fool’s Gold 100, Dahlonega, Georgia
September 3: Park City Point to Point 80, Park City, Utah
September 4: Shenandoah Mountain100, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Read the entire article at Cyclingnews.com

Preliminary dates have been posted for next year's CCCX Cross Country series:

2011 MTB Cross Country Dates

• Race #1 - Saturday, Feb. 13
• Race #2 - Saturday, Feb. 26
• Race #3 - Sunday, March 6
• Race #4 - Sunday, March 27
• Race #5 - Sunday, May 8
• Race #6 - Sunday May 29
• Race #7 - Sunday, June 5
• Series Final - Sunday, June 25

For those of you who haven't raced CCCX before, these races are held near Monterey, CA. More information can be found in the archives. More details (few at the current time) at CCCX Website.

Thanks to Kevin from Santa Cruz for the heads up.

If you're into cyclocross but couldn't make it to Bend this year, fire your computer Sunday afternoon:

Watch the Cyclo-cross Nationals elite races live online!

USA Cycling will be presenting live streaming coverage of the men's and women's elite races from the 2010 Cyclo-cross National Championships on Sunday, December 12.

Schedule of Elite Races (coverage begins approximately 10 minutes before each race)

• Women's race - 12:30 p.m. PT
• Men's race - 2:30 p.m. PT

Via USA Cycling (use this link to watch)

Here is the preview of the CCCX DH Finale this weekend:

At press time, the course for the Series Final will be the extremely fast Hauer/Amaral trail.  This race route opens with a bombing fire road roller coaster ride, with gravity heavy portions that streak the speeds upward of 40 miles per hour.  The trail then dives into tree lined single track, with small jumps, berms, and off camber sections.  More switchback trail send riders toward the lower portion of the route where there is some pedaling near the end.  This course is one of the fastest and rolls down the most steep route of the series.  Please remember that Toro Park features really good trail riding, so pedal hard, rip up the trails as fast as you can, and have fun doing it!

The race will be Sunday at Toro Park near Monterey, California.

Hot off the twitters ...

So that is April 2nd, 2011 for the Boggs 8 Hour.

Results from this weekend's CCCX DH #6 have been posted. Congrats to pro/semi-pro winner Ben Cruz (WTB-Fox Shox/NOB) and Women's pro winner Kelsey Anderson (LVMBC).

Photos from the race are available at Rick R's smugmug site.

For those of you not already asleep ... Murphy Mack has another North Bay ride/adventure for this weekend:

Hey fatty... how about getting off the couch Saturday and helping out the Marin County Food Bank?

It's a super fun bicycle-riding-scavenger-hunt that starts and ends in Fairfax.

Burn off those Thanksgiving calories and do something useful eh?

Join us at the Java Hut to start (at 10am on 11/27). If you don't have a good time I'll personally drag you out for an additional thirty miles or hills to ensure your satisfaction.