Sea Otter earns spot on international calendar

The popular, four-day Sea Otter Classic will host one of the most important races on the US Mountain Bike Calendar this spring in Monterey, California. With the highest cash purse and one of less than a dozen UCI-sanctioned races in the US, Sea Otter's cross country race is expected to draw a top notch field of elite athletes. The category one race is also part of the brand new US Cup, a nation-wide series, and the Kenda Cup West, a western regional-series.

"Sea Otter is the shining star of the US Cup," said Tom Spiegel, director of west coast operations for the US Cup. "Its high-caliber racing has been making it one of the most important events on the calendar for years. We are thrilled that we can include it in this new national series. With higher stakes, it makes the competition better and a podium spot more valuable."

The four-day event from April 16-19 will feature cross country, short track, super D, four cross and downhill events as well as a tech expo, bike demo area, free ride skills practice area, road races and fun rides - on and off the dirt.

Racers like Manual Prado, who won the semi-pro cross country race in 2007 and was California state champion in 2008, and pro downhiller Kathy Pruitt are among those expected to compete.