PRO GRT Breaks Ground at Fluidride!

Port Angeles, Wash. (April 30, 2009) – The nation's first professional gravity mountain bike series, the USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour will kick-off on May 3 with the Fluidride Cup in Port Angeles, Wash. Fluidride is the first of five events making up the 2009 Pro GRT. The top national-level gravity mountain biking calendar in the country, the Pro GRT is designed to offer a regular, competitive platform to recognize the best gravity athletes on U.S. soil. 

"I'm extremely excited to see the Pro GRT underway! We're finally in a new era of gravity racing here in the U.S.," stated Jeremiah Dylan Dean, series coordinator of the Pro GRT. "With everyone taking a mutual step in the right direction, we're looking at a bright future ahead. This new series reflects the desire and passion for gravity racing in the states. It's thrilling to see top national and international riders, credible venues, teams and companies alike, all support the Pro GRT. By offering a joint national series, we will be able to develop current and future mountain bike riders and champions!  We're able to redefine what it means to race here within the United States at an elite level. It's going to be one great ride!"  

A stacked field of top male and female pro riders will be showcased in Sunday's Pro GRT downhill races. Port Angeles local Lars Sternberg (Transition/Fox Shox) is sure to be a favorite in his hometown along with J.D. Swanguen (San Diego, Calif./Intense), Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo./Yeti-Fox Shox) and Curtis Keene (Freemont, Calif.) Darian Harvey (Durango, Colo.) and Leana Gerrard of Lake Tapps, Wash. are two of the stars set for the women's pro downhill event.

The course, maintained by Ndub Productions and the Olympic Dirt Society, offers a mix of bermed turns, lush rain forest single track and wide open lines with big jumps. Set in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the area coined "Dry Hill" receives less rain than much of the Pacific Northwest. Qualifying for the Pro GRT race is set for Saturday, May 2 at 2:30 p.m. with the finale scheduled to go off Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The May 2-3 races will also mark the second race in the Fluidride Cup series and will include various amateur events.

The Pro GRT series will include a leader's jersey and number plates for the top 15 downhill riders as well as comprehensive series rankings. Visit the Pro GRT website, here, for complete series information. Stay tuned to www.usacycling.org for updated series rankings following each event. 

"With the support of the organizers, riders, and various sponsors the Pro GRT looks to be a strong in its first year," predicts Kelli Lusk, USA Cycling's Mountain Bike Events and Program Director. "I'm excited to see how the season unfolds as the top gravity racers compete for the number one pro plate and leaders jersey in both DH and 4X." The Pro GRT will continue with the Chile Challenge, May 23-25 in Angel Fire, N.M. Downhill and 4-cross competitions will both be a part of the series second event of the season. Visit www.racemsc.com for more information.  

About the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT)Created in 2009 to provide world-class athletes with a consistent competitive arena on American soil, the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (ProGRT) consists of five total races, including three UCI sanctioned events in 2009. As the top national-level gravity mountain bike calendar in the country, the Pro GRT recognizes the best professional gravity athletes competing on U.S. soil. The tour employs a season-long rankings system that will identify overall men's and women's series leaders with a unique leader's jersey. Upon completion, the overall winners are recognized by the mountain bike community as the best professional Gravity riders in the U.S. For more information on the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour, visit www.usacycling.org/proxct, or to become a part of the nation's premier Cross Country mountain bike calendar, contact USA Cycling Mountain Bike Events and Program Director, Kelli Lusk at 719-434-4285 or klusk@usacycling.org.   

WORLD CUP PARTY by Cedric Gracia!

PODIUM Café Lounge will be open every day to 8 AM and all day during the world cup week. Food to take away (breakfast & lunch) and every evening BBQ from 7 to 10 PM.
We will be open for you guys to make your day easier! Don't forget the bar have WIFI ! Then you could work, drink and eat : )

'Days of Dirt' Northwest Premiere at PRO GRT!

WHERE?

The Lyre's Club - 229 West 1st Street, Port Angeles

WHEN?

Friday, May 1 @ 8pm!

*This is a Bar w/ a restaurant... so there won't be an age limit until the "bar atmosphere kicks in" (so about 9pm-ish)... then it's 21 & over!

There will be LIVE MUSIC on Friday night & a mellow atmosphere. However, the Lyre's Club will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary (the real celebration will be on Saturday night w/ live music from the "Rhythm Test" & a ALASKA Brew Promo!

for more info, contact Dylan Dean at jdd@dylan-dean.com

Pro Men DH Results (unofficial)

I'm on track and heard these real quick... So I donno how accurate they are

1. Mick Hannah
2. Greg Minnaar
3. Andrew Neethling
4. Justin Leov
5. Brian Lopes

Pro DS results

Women
1.Melissa Buhl
2.Jill Kintner
3.Kathy Pruitt
4.Mio Suemasa

Men
1.Samuel Hill
2.Cody Warren
3.Jared Rando
4.Gee Atherton

Sea Otteer DS Quali

1 Jill Kintner
2 Melissa Buhl
3 Mio Suemasa
4 Claire Buchar
5 Lisa Myklak

1 Mick Hannah
2 Sam Hill
3 Eric Carter
4 Kyle Strait
5 Cody Warren
6 Dan Atherton
7 Mike Haderer
8 Jared Rando
9 Bryn Atkinson
10 Greg Minnaar
11 Gee Atherton
12 Michal Prokop
13 JD Swanguen

The Tipping Point N American Premier

Congrats to Clay Porter on a packed house of the N Amer premier of the tipping point!

World Cup DH Results! - Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

WOMEN

1 MOSELEY Tracy 4:20.15
2 RAGOT Emmeline 4:26.53
3 JONNIER Sabrina 4:28.61
4 GRIFFITHS Fionn 4:32.93
5 BUCHAR Claire 4:34.20
6 PUGIN Floriane 4:35.85
7 BUHL Melissa 4:40.90
8 NICOLE Myriam 4:41.91
9 PETTERSON Joanna 4:42.48
10 SIEGENTHALER Emilie 4:47.28


MEN

1 MINNAAR Greg 3:43.44
2 HANNAH Michael 3:45.69
3 PEAT Steve 3:49.25
4 HILL Samuel 3:50.18
5 ATHERTON Gee 3:52.01
6 COLE Cameron 3:53.20
7 LEOV Justin 3:54.01
8 GRAVES Jared 3:54.32
9 BEAUMONT Marc 3:54.83
10 CAMELLINI Julien 3:54.95


Full Results

World Cup 4X Finals - Pietermaritzburg

Mens Final:

1. Jared Graves
2. Michal Prokop
3. Rafael Alvarez
4. Roger Rinderknecht


Womens Final

1. Anneke Beerten
2. Fionn Griffiths
3. Romana Labounkova
4. Jana Horakova

World Cup 4X Quali Results - Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Men
1. Graves 1.09.85
2. Prokop 1:10.03
3. Fischbach 1:10.16
4. Wichman 1:10.71
5. Rinderknecht 1:10.86
6. Tatarkovic 1:11.24
7. Atherton 1:11.24
8. Tschugg 1:11.33
9. Saladini 1:11.91
10. Beaumont 1:11.93


Womens
1. Kintner
2. Beerten
3. Horacova

World Cup DH Quali Results! - Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Men

1. Mick Hannah 3:48
2. Greg Minnaar 3:50
3. Chris Kovarik 3:53
4. Steve Peat 3:56
5. Gee Atherton 3:57
6. Justin Leov 3:57
7. Filip Polc 3:57
8. Sam Hill 3:58



Women

1. Tracy Moseley 4:29
2. Emmeline Ragot 4:38
3. Clair Buchar 4:42

PRO GRAVITY TOUR Sets to Rock in Port Angeles, WA!

Greetings Gravity MTB Race Fans!

It’s less than a month away until the highly anticipated start of the PRO GRAVITY TOUR (Pro GRT), in the picturesque town of Port Angeles, Washington (April 30 – May 1, 2009)! This event is also home to the renowned Fluidride Cup race series. After the overwhelming turnout of racers at their first event, we’re anticipating a huge turnout for the Pro GRT! In order to make this a fun & successful series for us all, we’re working around the clock (literally) to bring you the best our nation has to offer!

PINNEDmtb.com is now the official e-zine for the PRO GRT! So if you have any questions regarding schedule/dates, race info, lodging, travel & more… check out PINNEDmtb.com ! It’s your ultimate guide for Pro GRT action! We’re also receiving a ton of support from media, industry & racers alike! Top pro riders who will be in attendance, at the Port Angeles stop, include Bryn Atkinson, Steve Smith, Kieran Bennett, Ryan Condrashoff, Chris Boice, Joey Schusler, Curtis Keene, JD Swanguen & many more! We’ll also see the event featured on web & print in publications such as Decline Magazine. A number of teams & support vehicles have expressed interest in attending the event as well. If you plan to bring a truck, trailer or ez-up, contact us immediately – space is limited!

If you haven’t seen it yet, Bike Magazine did a interview with me regarding the Pro GRT. You’ll find a rundown of how this endeavor came about, who’s involved & what we’re looking to accomplish! Check it out here!

The Pro GRT is now on FACEBOOK! Stop by & become a fan! We need your support! Remember, we want you involved in order to make this the series successful!

Here’s a quick rundown on news & notes for anyone interested in attending the Pro GRT – Port Angeles. For additional information, here’s a direct link to the Port Angeles stop of the Pro GRT!

DOWNHILL ONLY
This is a downhill only event. Sorry gated riders, as of this time, there won’t be any dual slalom racing at this stop.


AMATEUR RACING
YES, there is amateur racing at the Pro GRT! We are working together with the Fluidride Cup to put on a stellar event from everyone from beginner (Cat 3) to Pro! However, due to the anticipated high numbers of racers for this event, organizers will be capping off the entry to 350 amateur racers. So sign up early!
(The Pro entry is unlimited)


ROAD CLOSURE WARNING!
The Hood Canal Bridge (which is the only access to the Olympic Peninsula from anywhere north of Olympia, Wa.) will be closing at midnight the evening of Thurs the 30th. If you are coming from the north and will be taking the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry this does not affect your route. If you are planning to take the Seattle to Kingston, Bainbridge, Bremerton, or Southworth ferries this will affect your driving plans!


HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
The only way we’re going to get this series rockin is with everyone’s support! I’ve made the work easy for ya. On the widget below, click “SHARE” and you’re on your way!

Size: 300px x 173px




As always, feel free to hit me up anytime should you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the Pro GRT. I will be in attendance at the Dean Optics / NEMA booth (#300) at the Sea Otter Classic. If you would like to discuss any details further, feel free to drop by! Thanks for your support & I hope to see you in Port Angeles!

Cheers,

Dylan


--
J Dylan Dean

760.443.3344
Skype/IM: JDylanDean
jdd@dylan-dean.com

JILL KINTNER & BRYN ATKINSON 2009 Sponsorship Update!

from JillKintner.com...

I've been getting a lot of questions about what is going on for 2009 with sponsorship stuff, so I guess it is time to fill you in... After completing 2008 with an Olympic Bronze medal in BMX, and a successful Re-construction of the ACL ligament in my right knee, 2009 is dedicated to a full return to World Cup mountain biking under a new program.

I have assembled a privateer gig for myself to be able to race mainly 4x and slalom, with Bryn as a satellite member racing a select schedule of Dowhhill, so that we can continue racing at an elite level representing sponsors and products of our choice. With any new business or campaign, the initial start up takes a ton of work, especially in this economy, but the benefits and personal fulfillment has been worth the adversity. I am super proud of the overall look and feel of what I created with this package, and can't wait to unveil the bikes (tomorrow), final helmet, sprinter design, and new website :).



I am grateful for long lasting relationships within the industry, continued support, as well as
this opportunity to work and grow with several new companies!! A fresh start is the best thing sometimes,, Intense bikes ride like a dream, and I am confident in my preparation...

Game on....

JILLKINTNER- 4X/SLALOM/BMX

SCHEDULE- All World Cups, Sea Otter, Crankworx, US national Champs, Other US events, and 2-3 Skills camps for women.
SPONSORS
RED BULL- For energy needs
Oakley- Eyewear and Gloves
CrankBrothers- Wheels and Pedals
Intense Cycles- Bikes
SRAM/ROCKSHOX/AVID/TRUVATIV- Drive train, Suspension, Brakes
Kenda- Tires and Tubes
Kore- Bars, Stems, Seats
Powercordz- Derailleur cords and housing
The- Helmets
Camelbak- Hydration
ODI- Grips
e.13- Chain Guides
Park tool- Tools
No Fear Gear- Race apparel
Freelap- Timers
Cane Creek- Headsets
Dirt Magazine- media and photos
Esoles- Custom insoles
CTI knee braces.
_______________________________________________

BRYN ATKINSON- DH/Slalom

SCHEDULE- 6 of the 8 World Cups, several Fluid Ride cups, and other US events.
SPONSORS
Intense Bicycles - Bike Frames
Crank brothers - Wheels and pedals
Oakley - Eyeware
Sram/Rock Shox/Avid/ Truvativ - Drivetrain, suspension and brakes
Kore - Bars, Stems, Seats
e13 - Chain Guides
Maxxis- Tires and tubes
No Fear Gear - Race apparel
Freelap - Timers
ODI - Grips
Powercordz - Derailleur cords and housing
Cane Creek - Headsets
THE - Helmets
Dylan Dean Designs - Paint
Pinstripe - Knee Pads

Intense Cycles to launch New TOP SECRET Model at Sea Otter!

Press Release

Intense Cycles to launch New TOP SECRET Model at Sea Otter

The New Intense 951

Fast Just Found A New Area Code!

It has been an amazing year of design and development for Jeff Steber and his team at Intense Cycles. It was Sea Otter 2008 where the Tracer VP trailbike was first introduced. In terms of sales and awards, it has gone on to become Intense’s most successful model ever. Since then, Intense has released the new Uzzi VP, the Spider 2 and the Tazer FRO VP. Now exactly one year later, Sea Otter 2009 will witness the launch of the most exciting new Intense model yet! Please be sure and stop by booth number 635 to see for yourselves.

Paul Cusick
Director Sales and Marketing
Intense Cycles

MEETING: "Bring a Gravity Bike Park to BIG BEAR!"

Local Big Bear resident and downhill racer, Amy Cone, has begun a serious effort to help bring gravity mountain biking back to Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear, California. If you'd like to be a part of the solution, you can start by attending a meeting being held at Nottingham's Restaurant on April 11th at 5 pm. Here's some quick info on the event:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Several Years ago Snow Summit, a ski resort in Big Bear California offered Some of the best mountain biking in the U.S. Due to an unfortunate accident that led to lawsuit at a race the resort decided to no longer offer any mountain biking more than cross-country. Mountain biking is an amazing sport available for all ages and experience levels. It is a great way to keep our kids out of trouble and build self-esteem. Please join the many of us in support of having a gravity park come to Big Bear!

At Nottingham’s Restaurant April 11th 2009 at 5 pm
Will be playing movies Klunkerz and Pinned

For more information, contact Amy Cone at lil__missy@hotmail.com

Nick Van Dine Injury Update!

Hello everyone!

First, I want to send out a huge thank you to all the people flowing the positive healing vibes in my direction. They are working. It is hard to believe it has been a week already since the accident, but the difference is incredible. Docs said that the surgery went much smoother than expected, they only used three incisions instead of the five that they had originally planned on using. The big bonus was that they didn't need to use the ear to ear coronal cut to peel my face off, which was a very real possibility... so that was good. The swelling has gone way down, and I'm almost back to my previous GQ facial characteristics. My vision is getting a little better everyday and will soon be back to normal. I have a gnarly red eyeball, but compared to not having an eyeball, I'll take it. Still get dizzy from movement or standing up for more than a few minutes, but that is supposed to pass before too long. Unfortunately, I have not regained any feeling in the right side of my face, I'm not sure if I ever will, but again, compared to what could have happened I'll take it. Again, thanks so much for all the support, it has really helped me keep a positive focus through all of this.

Flow on...
Nick Van Dine

Fluidride DH #1 Results - Port Angeles,

1 Curtis Keene (takes win due to fastest Quali)
1 Lars sternberg tie

3 Casey northern
4 Joey schusler
5 Chris boice

Kovarik & Moseley win South African National Rd. 4 in Pietermaritzburg!

COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES SHINE A MTN NATIONAL MTB CUP

Australia’s Chris Kovarik and Great Britain’s Tracy Moseley led a Commonwealth country domination of the men and women’s podiums when they each grabbed victory at Round 4 of the MTN National Cup downhill mountain bike racing series in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on Sunday.

In downhill racing, the top five finishers get a podium spot, and for the past three years, Australia, Great Britain, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand have excelled in the discipline. With eight of the 10 podium spots, Sunday’s race was no different.

Riders from 12 countries contested the event, most using it as a build-up race ahead of this week’s first round of the 2009 Nissan UCI World Cup, presented by Shimano, sponsored by DCM Chrome, which will be held at the same venue.

Kovarik (Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense), currently 11th on the UCI world rankings, clocked a quick time of 3 minutes, 56.09 seconds on his second of two runs, which gave him a one-and-a-half second victory margin over South Africa’s Andrew Neethling (Trek World Racing), who clocked 3:58.54 on his second run. Great Britain’s Marc Beaumont (GT Racing) was third in 3:59.36 and the last of the riders to beat the four-minute mark.

“I’m really happy to have won today. It’s been ages since I last did a race so to win on the first competitive outing of the new season is quite a boost for my confidence,” said Kovarik, adding: “There’s quite a lot of pedaling required in the middle section. Luckily I was able to power through that quite well with a mixture of standing and sitting at the right times.”

Kovarik’s second run was more than four seconds quicker than his first, which ironically, he put down to using his brakes more.

“On my first run I slid out a few times on corners which I felt cost me some time. So on the second run I braked more into the corners and it made for a smoother and faster run.”

Former two-time world champion, Fabien Barel of France, was forced to miss Sunday’s race following a crash in practice on Friday that dislocated his knee and may see him miss next week’s World Cup. And current World Cup champion, Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), who lives in Pietermaritzburg, opted to spend the weekend in Cape Town to ease the pre-race pressure on him ahead of next week’s World Cup opener.

In the women’s race, Moseley (Trek World Racing), had two almost identical runs, her second, just nine-hundredths of a second quicker than the first to give her a winning time of 4:34.50. She was six seconds ahead of Canadian Claire Buchar (Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense) with Frenchwoman, Emmeline Ragot (Suspension Centre) rounding out the top three positions.

“We had three of the top-six riders in the world here today, so it’s a good result for me,” said Moseley. “It’s good to get a race like this ahead of the World Cup because you never go as fast in practice as you do in a race so it’s good to be able to see where I can still improve.”

MTN National Cup, in association with MiWay
Round 4, Pietermaritzburg
Leading results
Pro-Elite men
1 Chris Kovarik AUS 3min56.09sec
2 Andrew Neethling RSA 3:58.54
3 Marc Beaumont GBR 3:59.36
4 Justin Leov NZL 4:00.17
5 Fabien Cousinie FRA 4:01.13
6 Filip Polc SLO 4:01.48
7 Florient Payet FRA 4:01.67
8 Duncan Riffle USA 4:02.12
9 Julien Camellini FRA 4:02.68
10 Damien Spagnolo FRA 4:05.05

Pro-Elite women
1 Tracy Moseley GBR 4:34.50
2 Claire Buchar CAN 4:40.00
3 Emmeline Ragot FRA 4:43.36
4 Fionn Griffiths GBR 4:51.95
5 Joanna Petterson RSA 5:02.33

Junior men
1 Kevin Aiello USA 4:06.44
2 Timothy Bentley RSA 4:11.82
3 Laurie Dinham AUS 4:12.59

Youth men
1 Tiaan Odendaal RSA 4:27.76
2 Sven Pottow RSA 4:50.86
3 Alisdair Fey RSA 4:56.79

Sub-junior men
1 Alan Hatherly RSA 4:48.21
2 Luke Evans RSA 5:42.24
3 Christopher Rigby RSA 5:52.00

Sub-veteran men
1 Mark Hopkins RSA 4:50.72
2 Dan Forsyth RSA 5:00.18
3 Tyrone van Rooyen RSA 5:05.39

Sport
1 Patrick Morewood RSA 4:40.09
2 Duane Searle RSA 5:01.97
3 Cobus Truter RSA 5:08.52

Fluidride #1 DH Quali Results

Curtis keene
Lars sternberg
Andrew mitchell
Bart mcdaniels
Casey northern
Dean tennant
Chris Boice
Eric looney
Joey Schusler
Phil weiring
Alex mcguinnis

PINNED's JDD Interviewed on BIKEmag.com

PINNED's very own JDD (Jeremiah Dylan Dean) was interviewed on BIKEmag.com regarding the Pro GRT (Professional MTB Gravity Race Tour).

Check it out!

Nick Van Dine Injury Update

from DeclineMagazine.com

Nick Van Dine took a hard fall on his snowboard a few days ago. We checked in with him and he was able to type us back and give a quick update of his current status...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From Nick Van Dine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Just giving you a heads up about my current situation. Utah just got hit with about 2 feet of snow in a late season powder storm. Unfortunately, I tagged a log hidden under the snow's surface while snowboarding at Solitude on Monday and face-planted into some big rocks on the edge of a cliff ban. I have been bouncing around between CAT scans, Neurological Critical Care units, and Intensive Care Units since and talking to neurosurgeons, optritians, ear-neck-and-throat specialists, etc, etc. Despite wearing a helmet and other protective gear, I have some brain trauma and hemorraging, several serious facial fractures, and my right eye is somewhat in limbo due to issues with my optic nerve and some occulomotor muscles/structures. Reconstructive surgery is scheduled for Thursday and I should be home on Friday. The prognosis is for a full recovery. I still plan to follow through with my race schedule, but may have to miss some of the early season events. More than anything I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has been flowing the positive healing vibes my way, I am already feeling better daily and can't wait to get back outside to enjoy fresh air and a bicycle.

The generous boys at the local shop White Pine Touring are arranging a small fund raiser with beer, bands, silent auction, etc. to assist with the large medical bills are are accumulating. Contact Scott House at 435-655-5009 if you are interested in helping the cause in anyway. Thanks again for all the support!