GT is looking for the fastest amateur at its new, seven-race cross country series called the GT Golden Bike Series in 2009. At each round, the winner will be crowned and awarded a Golden Bike, but there's a catch; the winner must defend his title by racing it at the next event in the series - or he forfeits the prize package worth more than US$10,000 to the second-place finisher.
"The only way to get the Golden Bike is to crush the competition," said Jenni Cathcart, Director of Marketing for GT Bicycles. "There's no silver or bronze in this competition...it's all about the gold."
The series is explicitly not for pros. "Any rider who gets paid to race, got their bike from a sponsor or holds a professional cycling license is not eligible for the Golden Bike," said a statement from GT. Participants must also be 18 or older.
2009 GT Golden Bike Series
April 19: Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, California
May 2: GHORBA Big Ring Challenge, Coldspring, Texas
May 17: Spring Thaw Mountain Bike Festival, Ashland, Oregon
June 7: Massanutten Hoo-Ha!, Harrisonburg, Virginia
July 4: Firecracker 50, Breckenridge, Colorado
August 8: Ore to Shore, Marquette, Michigan
September 13: Landmine Classic, Hingham, Massachusetts
