Tough Girls MTB Team hits the scene

First the Luna Chix, then the Velo Bella girls, now you can add another all-women's mountain bike team to the domestic scene; The Tough Girls -- pro racer Lisa Matlock (formerly of the Ford pro cycling team) and experts Lynn Bush, Janis Sandlin, and Brittany Walker -- announced their intentions to the mountain-bike world this week.

Fully outfitted in Gary Fisher bikes, Smith optics, Crank Brothers pedals and a custom-painted pink Chevy Astro van, the team, directed and founded by Fisher-sponsored ultra-endurance racer (and soon-to-be Cyclingnews diarist) Nat Ross, will be promoting the sport through racing, riding, clinics, and travel. "This first year the team is small but tough," says Ross. "The girls are well rounded and will be racing everything from cross country, short track, marathons, 24 hour races, super D, downhill and cyclo-cross to road races."

The team's first appearance is scheduled for March 24th at the NOVA Desert Classic in Fountain Hills, Arizona. For more information and to keep up with or support the Tough Girls MTB Team, visit www.toughgirlproductions.com.