The elite men's podium at the 2011 Bonelli Park US Pro XCT(Image credit: US Cup)
Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory Racing) drew first blood by winning the 2011 US Pro XCT opener in Bonelli Park(Image credit: US Cup)
A rocky climb on the Bonelli Park course(Image credit: US Cup)
Round two of the 2012 USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (US Pro XCT) will be hosted this weekend at Bonelli Park located in San Dimas, California. With weather predicted in the mid 70s, the course and elements should be near perfect.
The Bonelli Park US Cup Triple Crown presented by Kenda will take place over two days, starting with the US Pro XCT racing on Saturday, March 10 and finishing on Sunday with amateur cross country as well as pro and amateur short track racing. Over 700 racers are expected to descend upon Bonelli over the two days of racing, including cross country, short track and Super D.
Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory Racing) will be looking to defend his 2011 win at Bonelli Park as will 2011 women's winner Georgia Gould (Luna). Men's U23 series leader Brendon Davids put in an impressive ride at last week's opener, taking 10th overall coming from a mid 40s starting position. The Sho-Air/Specialized rider is looking to best that finish this weekend and retain his U23 series points lead.
Bonelli Park is an urban venue, located in the heart of the Los Angeles metropolis, nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountain range. The US Cup has spent countless man hours over the last few years transforming the terrain into a world class course, fit for hosting the world's best cross country athletes. Last year's course was met with rave reviews from pro and amateur racers alike.
The 3.1-mile, UCI regulation pro cross country course is a mixture of fast rolling fire road, short punchy climbs and steep twisting descents with four hundred feet of climbing per lap that will challenge riders to their limit. Natural and manmade obstacles have been strategically selected to elevate the difficulty of the course and offer pro riders a World Cup style experience.
Last year's pro winners Bishop and Gould will be looking to take the US Pro XCT lead from Canadians Max Plaxton (Specialized Racing) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna), who are both fresh off round one victories last weekend at Mellow Johnny's.
"We are excited to be a part of the 2012 Pro XCT calendar," said US Cup marketing director Ty Kady. "We look forward to offering both pros and amateurs a great weekend of racing and the weather looks to be really nice..it should be a lot of fun."
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