Pro GRT Gears Up for Tahoe!

Jun 11, 2010 at 23:17

Source: Pro GRT

The ‘Northstar-at-Tahoe’ Resort hosts the third stop of this dynamic five-race mountain bike series, known as USA Cycling’s Pro Gravity Tour (Pro GRT), from Thursday, June 24 through Sunday, June 27, in Truckee, California.

More details inside,

Photo by Ian Hylands

The Pro GRT brings top athletes, from across the nation and from around the world, together to compete at the highest levels on America’s best terrain! Current Downhill World Champion Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate), World Cup series leader Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Jared Rando (Giant), Kieran Bennett (DRD Tomac), Olympian Jill Kintner (Transition Racing), as well as many more riders will be competing in what has quickly become one of the world’s premier cycling race series!

Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is located in Northern California, just minutes from breath-taking Lake Tahoe. The Resort offers ample lodging and dining options, and just a couple miles from the resort is Truckee, California offering many more. The Mountain Bike Park is centrally located on the mountain, with hiking or Gondola access to Mid-Mountain where most of the action will happen the Pro GRT event weekend; with the Pit Area, Vendor Village, Awards Ceremony and the Finish Lines. The Lodge at Big Springs, located at Mid-Mountain, offers delicious food options, restrooms, a bar and an excellent place to relax during the day on the deck.

Pre-register for the event! There will be a cap for amateur classes at 350 racers total and 100 for the 4-Cross.

$95.00 - Includes Friday Downhill practice, Saturday Downhill Practice and Saturday Four-Cross race entry fee and course access, Sunday Downhill race entry and course access
$75.00 - Includes Saturday Downhill practice, Sunday Downhill race entry fee and course access
$45.00 - Includes Saturday Four-Cross race entry fee and course access
$45.00 - Includes Sunday Downhill race entry fee and course access

*$30.00 - Thursday Practice lift ticket

For a complete schedule, lodging info, event registration, movie premier, and much more, visit www.progrt.com/tahoe2010.htm.

Team & Vendor Village spaces are still available for the Expo at Mid-Mountain, all necessarily information regarding prices, insurance, and registration can be found on the attached forms. If interested, please e-mail Whitney Wall at wwall@boothcreek.com.

For race course information, please e-mail Todd Kelly at tk@boothcreek.com.

For vendor and sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail Nadia Guerriero at nguerriero@boothcreek.com

For more information on the Pro GRT, tour sponsorship opportunities & media inquiries, please visit the Pro GRT website at www.progrt.com or contact Dylan Dean at jdd@dylan-dean.com.

*Title photo by ianhylands.pinkbike.com.*

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29 Comments

Score Time

curtiso (Jun 12, 2010 at 0:25)

This is going to be awesome, even if you are not racing please come up to cheer for your favorite racers.
I read on www.dhreno.com that the race course is going to be gypsy. Maybe northstar should start
on live wire then feed into gypsy because of the amount of racers at the start line.

westcostdownhiller (Jun 12, 2010 at 10:06)

i think they should to karpiel..not gypsy

rideayeti (Jun 12, 2010 at 12:41)

yeah. karpiel and dog bone are the only real legit RACE courses there... karp and dog bone would actually callenge the pros and make the comp a lot more interesting. I mean yes, gypsey is fun to ride and dick around on.. but not to sprint down for 41/2 mins on.. just saying

westcostdownhiller (Jun 12, 2010 at 13:07)

agreed

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dylandoe (Jun 13, 2010 at 8:45)

It's Sunday June 13th and I just got home from Northstar. The top half of the mountain is still closed due to snow and run-off, so all the trails worth making the trip for (Karpiel, Dogbone, Sticks'n'stones, Livewire, etc.) are NOT OPEN. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME going up until they open the top lifts unless you like waiting in line for over 30 minutes to get to mid-mountian for a 5 minute run down "Liftline", the only diamond trail open. WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE NEXT RACE SERIES AND CONFIRM THE TOP LIFTS BEFORE MAKING THE TRIP. Just trying to help.

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justbob (Jun 13, 2010 at 21:54)

Yes, Northstar can't compare to the Whistler Bike Park. It is what it is. The soil type and lack of summer rain will also make it into Dust-Star. And Livewire doesn't have anywhere the dlow of A-Line or Dirt Merchant. But for us Norcal riders it is what we have. At Sea Otter they told me that there were dramatically increasing the trail maintence. Hopefully that will be the case. By the end of the season the berms has bomb craters throughout.

Anyone have any idea if the upper mt will be open for next weekend?

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rffr (Jun 12, 2010 at 12:15)

Btw I added all you local guys. Would def be nice to know a few more people who always ride northstar. been many years since I've been up there... so this summer will be full of Nstar trips.

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GoinDHreno (Jun 13, 2010 at 22:19)

I overheard some of the trail crew talking, they have been digging out gypsey, boondocks and livewire to make them ridable, granted the weather stays nice and hot Zephyr will be open next weekend but NOT vista.

stormrider194 (Jun 13, 2010 at 23:25)

I have been a pass holder at N* for a few years now and last year was terrible. This year is already different. They have been doing a-lot of work on the lower mtn and have been busy working on the upper mtn removing snow and re-routing gypsy for the race. N* is not a perfectly manicured mtn and that is what I like about it. There are no jumps to flat and you don't need a plow bike to ride there. But there are two things you do need. One, 7 inch's of travel minimum and balls (reallybigmantis). Some of you guys might like the flume trail, I heard it has a really nice view.

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ginop-towndh (Jun 12, 2010 at 10:52)

they made a course for 4X http://www.northstarattahoe.com/info/calendar/calendarevent.twocross_mtnb_race_1.item.asp

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codywomack (Jun 12, 2010 at 6:33)

racing 4x and dh. should be an awesome weekend!!!

jptothetree (Jun 12, 2010 at 8:12)

hell ya cody get some! just some dh for me Smile

can't wait

rffr (Jun 12, 2010 at 12:13)

Shucks If my wheel wasn't scheduled to be done on the 29th I'd be there.

If you guys ever wanna do a northstar run Kevin let me know. I got a few buddies who are more than down. Would be nice to get a good booze cruize goin haha.

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thom (Jun 14, 2010 at 18:19)

Why is seeding on Friday? That makes no sense whatsoever. I hope that is a typo and it really is Saturday.

-KT

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norcalracer23 (Jun 12, 2010 at 10:08)

What course are they doing the 4x on? livewire? Thats Shits way too bumpy for a hardtail.

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kev1n (Jun 12, 2010 at 0:59)

Northstar baby!
look forward to the race vibe and just seeing all the contenders hanging out on such a great mountain.
no better mountain could have been chosen to host the event.
see ya'all up there!

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T-woot (Jun 13, 2010 at 11:33)

yeah I was wondering abt the snow... but hey itd still fun to go watch some pros

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DHmental (Jun 14, 2010 at 4:57)

Haha, yeah go ride the flume. The most fun i had at northstar was on boondocks!

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T-woot (Jun 15, 2010 at 18:46)

is the snow gonna melt in time?????????

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TheDukeSowle (Jun 12, 2010 at 13:22)

Kickin the gnar at the home trails

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SLCrider (Jun 12, 2010 at 9:25)

lucky people

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iluvbackforks (Jun 12, 2010 at 9:23)

got my season pass yesturday

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reallybigmantis (Jun 12, 2010 at 18:53)

too bad northstar is without a doubt the lamest resort on the west coast. lets go jump to flat over and over guys! if they tore down and rebuilt every landing it would be worth the lift ticket, otherwise i'd rather push my bike up and hit something that wasn't designed and built by an 8 year old who just got into the sport.

singletrackman (Jun 12, 2010 at 23:52)

Northstar isn't all about jumps or A-Line type trails. Sure, Livewire is the first one you see, and it's awesome fun, though it may not be quite as perfect as Dirt Merchant or A-Line, but Northstar is really about trails like Karpiel and Dog Bone- the kind of trails that are rocky, rooty, and covered in dust so loose that a freaking mountain goat couldn't climb up without falling once or twice.

T-woot (Jun 13, 2010 at 11:36)

Jump to flat? Donno where you got that idea, yeah theres livewire (no jumps to flats, all table tops so people can have fun and not be sketched about gaps) but like singletrackman said theres a lot of pure technical dh stuff to enjoy, some xc stuff to enjoy and even a awesome dj park... not really just a mountain resort with jump to flats at all

teagues (Jun 13, 2010 at 11:39)

Oh, you mean the "primitive" trails of a decade ago? I tried to ride Dog Bone/Karpiel last season; it was the first time I'd been up there in probably seven years...those trails kinda sucked then, and they really suck now. Those sections are representative of trailbuilding mindset of "days gone by." Northstar, even the "smooth, flowy" sections of Livewire, tends to cater only to the "plow-bike" crowd (think about all the gnarly rocks and ruts in the corners, especially toward the bottom). I'm particularly discouraged after riding Diablo a few weeks ago. While the mountain wasn't as big, there were both rippin' flowy sections and rocky, rooty gnar...and I could have still gotten away there on my 5"-travel rig. Northstar blows.

T-woot (Jun 13, 2010 at 13:01)

first time i went i did ride a 5" travel bike, the trails tore me up, i had a blast! i dont know how you can complain so much, lift ticket was 32 bucks... we rode for 5 hours and had a blast, why bitch about the trails so much, just go ride em and ride em as fast as you can. If they open this year I'm looking forward to riding northstar on my 6" bike

teagues (Jun 13, 2010 at 15:36)

I guess that's one way to look at it. My solution has been to not patronize the resort for the past few years, hoping that they get their act together...a trail like Livewire was a start, but the mere fact that it doesn't seem like any trail maintenance ever gets done during the season is enough to keep me away. For every three lift tickets I don't buy there, that's gas for a trip to the Pacific NW instead. I'd rather ride non-lift-accessed trails for free than pay for mediocrity.

And remember, it's "okay" to not like some trails. You don't have to love every one just because you ride a mountain bike...because, frankly, some trails just suck.

T-woot (Jun 13, 2010 at 16:33)

that is true there does seem to be a lack of maintainance but i think there is just too much erosion and the soil conditions will not permit much to last... I did enjoy what they have built but yes indeed they could build more, i just think they dont make enough money to do it... i know they had to shorten riding days last season cause some riders built stuff somewhere the previous year and somebody got hurt and sued the park, so they couldnt afford to be open more than like 3-4 days a week... but riding is riding, some trails suck but we can have good ones without bad ones and its all progression on our own terms

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