Gravity East Windham round to benefit Arthritis Foundation

In support of the Arthritis Foundation, the Gravity East Series announced the Lars Tribus Masters Challenge to be held during the series' next round on Saturday, July 9 at the Windham Mountain Bike World Cup Festival in Windham, New York.  The non-World Cup downhill race will be held in conjunction with the World Cup festival although the track used for the Gravity East competition will be different than that raced by the pros in the World Cup.

A sort of race within the race, the Lars Tribus Masters Challenge is a special masters category charity race in support of the Arthritis Foundation with 100 percent 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 nine 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 downhill license holders. 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; and a "Big Wheel" race down a steep, paved course (BYOBW).

Windham will serve as round five of the downhill and cross country World Cup on July 9-10.

For additional information including details about registration, visit the Gravity East Series website at www.gravityeastseries.com. For more information on the Windham World Cup festival, visit www.racewindham.com.