The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
This weekend’s Gravity Slave: fast racing, cash purse for pro riders
Crested Butte Mountain Resort has put a lot of focus towards their mountain biking terrain since 2009. The Evolution Bike Park is becoming one of the best bike parks in Colorado. With 18 trails covering 25 miles, the riding opportunities continue to grow and evolve into an awesome network of trails.
To add to the excitement around the bike park, the resort has teamed up with Monster Energy and Budweiser to elevate the annual Gravity Slave Downhill Mountain Bike Race—now a pure DH format down the trail Avery, with a $2,000 cash purse for the winners of the Open Pro Class.
The event is designed to coincide with Mt. Crested Butte’s annual Chili & Beer Festival the weekend of September 7-8, 2013. Racers can ride the Evolution Bike Park on Friday evening for the weekly Free Twilight Ride from 4 to 7 p.m. and then all day on Saturday with a $15 racer ticket, while the Chili & Beer Festival takes place in the base area of the resort.
Qualifying for the pro category will also take place on Saturday afternoon. The racing begins on Sunday morning, with course training from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and a 10:30 a.m. race start time.
Registration is now available online at www.skicb.com/mygroup with the package code: gravityslave2013. The $50 registration fee includes a race day ticket for Sunday, September 8 and a chance to win a raffle prize from sponsors at the awards party following the race.
Men and women riders can sign up for the Open Pro category or as an Amateur racer, with the following age classes: 12 and under, 13-18, 19-29, 30-49, and 50+, where prizes will be given to the top three in each category.
Special racer lodging rates start at $99 per night, plus a resort fee and taxes, and can be reserved by calling 800-810-7669.
“DH racing has been an important part of the history of riding in Crested Butte and has helped guide the development of the Evolution Bike Park over the past five years,” explains Christian Robertson, Evolution Bike Park manager. “Avery is a really fun track that has proven to be a test for racers of all abilities. With some new features at the bottom it will again showcase the best riders on race day. September is such a great time of year to be riding in Crested Butte and we look forward to seeing racers from around the region pinning it top to bottom.”
For more information, visit www.ridecb.com/gravityslave or call Patti Hensley at (970) 349-2217.
