Bump & Grind organizers explain US Pro XCT series withdrawal

After news on Wednesday that the Bump & Grind race had withdrawn from USA Cycling's cross country national series upon deciding not to pursue UCI categorization, the US Pro XCT, race organizers explained their decision.

"Due to the extra costs associated with hosting the Bump & Grind as a UCI-sanctioned event, coupled with the loss of series organizer sponsorship, the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (B.U.M.P.) made the difficult choice to present the race as a non-UCI categorized event for 2010," read a statement issued by the B.U.M.P.

"The Bump & Grind attracts many racers from the Southeast who view it as a premier event on their racing calendars. BUMP will take this opportunity to focus our limited resources on serving this core group of racers, to improve their prize awards and overall event experience . We look forward to another great race this June 5th and 6th and have not ruled out again making the Bump & Grind a source of UCI points in the future."

The Bump & Grind was part of the US Pro XCT in 2009, when the series was run by the US Cup. The US Cup withdrew as organizers for the 2010 series in December, but USA Cycling will continue to run the national series on its own. After the series' organizational shuffle and the inclusion and withdrawal of several events, the US Pro XCT presently stands at five events for 2010.  Due to the timeline for UCI race inscriptions, it is unlikely that additional races will be added to the series.

The Bump & Grind may be run as part of USA Cycling's National Mountain Bike Calendar of cross country events or as part of the American Mountain Bike Calendar (AMBC) series.