The Dirt Rag Mega Event Calendar is chock full of action for the month of July. Find an event near you and join the fun.

I’ve been testing the Top Fuel 9.8, Trek’s 100mm travel full-suspension race bike, for over four months. During that time, I’ve taken the Top Fuel on a winter vacation to Florida that included a 6-hour race, made road trips to some of the most rugged and beautiful MTB trails in my home state of Pennsylvania, and raced the bike in both XC and 100k mountain bike races. Now, as I roll up my sleeves and start working on my product review for Dirt Rag Issue #144, I find myself reflecting on the current state of mountain bike technology in general, and full-suspension bikes more specifically.

When I bought my first mountain bike, fully rigid was the only option. I remember the early days of full-suspension bikes—there was a lot of trial-and-error involved in sorting out what worked and what didn’t. I found those early full-suspension bikes inefficient, heavy, sloppy and prone to mechanical troubles (other than that, they worked just fine, heh, heh). In full-suspension’s “formative years” I gladly stepped aside and let other product testers sign up for the dual-boingers. My legs and back were strong, and there were plenty of hardtails to catch a young man’s fancy. In those days, I’d have argued that “full-suspension race bike” was an oxymoron.

My, how things have changed. Now I’m older, perhaps wiser, and the aging back just ain’t what it used to be. And full-suspension race bikes are no joke—they’re a serious reality. Bikes like Trek’s Top Fuel are efficient, lightweight, well-mannered steeds—with amazing suspensions that allow me to ride faster and with more control than I could ever dream of riding on a hardtail. If I’m going to race, especially at “endurance” distances, it’s full-suspension or nothing at all.

I know, I know, there are plenty of studs and studettes ripping up the endurance race circuit on dual-rigid singlespeeds. But that’s their personal choice. I’m telling you what works for a 52-year-old guy who likes to sit and spin, and has to get by on guile. I’m all about conserving energy where possible, making up time in the technical sections and letting ‘er rip on the downhills. I also love a snappy-handling bike. Without spilling the beans on my upcoming Dirt Rag product review, suffice it to say that the Top Fuel was my cup of sweet tea.

[Click on thumbs below for full-sized photos. For complete specifications, geometry and close-up beauty shots of my Top Fuel 9.8 test bike, click here. ]

         

For the first time since 2005, the USA will host a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event when the series finale rolls into Windham Mountain Resort in New York on August 28-29th, 2010. Windham will offer cross-country, downhill, and four-cross competitors one last chance to hone their game before heading to Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec for the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, slated for August 31st – September 5th.

“We are very excited to have a UCI World Cup in the U.S. again,” said USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Events & Program Director Kelli Lusk. “Rick and his crew at Windham have shown great enthusiasm and support of mountain biking in the United States with their successful bid.” For more information regarding mountain biking at Windham visit www.windhammountainbike.com.

The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will include six rounds each for the cross-country, downhill, and four-cross disciplines.

2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Calendar
April 24-25: World Cup XCO #1, Dalby Forest, Great Britain
May 1-2: World Cup XCO #2 & 4X #1, Houffalize, Belgium
May 15-16: World Cup DHI #1 & 4X #2, Maribor, Slovenia
May 22-23: World Cup XCO #3, Offenburg, Germany
June 5-6: World Cup DHI #2 & 4X #3, Fort William Great Britain
June 19-20: World Cup DHI #3 & 4X #4, Schladming, Austria
June 7-10: European Continental Championships, Haifa, Israel
July 24-25: World Cup XCO #4 and DHI #4, Champéry, Switzerland
July 31 - August 1: World Cup XCO #5, DHI #5 and 4X #5, Val di Sole, Italy
August 8: World Marathon Championships, St. Wendel, Germany
August 28-29: World Cup XCO #5, DHI #6, and 4X #6, Windham, New York, USA
August 31-September 5: World XCO, DHI, & 4X Championships, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec

The Tour Divide, a self-supported mountain bike race that covers all 2,745 miles of Adventure Cycling’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, gets underway on June 12th, 2009 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The routes includes dirt roads and jeep trails that follow the Continental Divide through the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia—and the American states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Riders will climb nearly 200,000 feet of vertical over the course of the route.

SPOT Inc. has once again partnered with the Tour Divide to equip each racer with a SPOT Satellite Messenger, which provides online GPS tracking of each racer on Google Maps via the Spot Leaderboard. The race blog on the Tour Divide website will provide updates during the event.

Speaking of blogs, Princeton Tec frontman and friend of Dirt Rag, Justin Kline talks about his Tour Divide preparations on www.livingonthedash.com. Check out Endurance Jay Petervary’s blog for the story of the custom Vicious Cycles tandem that he’ll pilot on The Tour Divide, with Tracey Petervary providing stoker power.

Dirt Rag wishes good luck and safe travels to all the hardy souls attempting to conquer the divide!

On Sunday, May 17th the Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest in Cobb, CA hosted 374 high school mountain bike racers for the 2009 California High School Mountain Bike Championships, presented by Touchstone Climbing and Fitness. Racers from the well-established NorCal League squared off against the new kids on the block from the recently-formed SoCal League.

The six-mile loop through Boggs Demonstration Forest offered a wide range of conditions that favored the all-round rider with good bike handling skills. The trails were dry, the dust was up, and the mercury climbed into the 90s—adding to the physical demands placed upon the young competitors.

“Once again these kids, and their parents, and the coaches leave me speechless with admiration. We now have more than 600 school kids competing in California high school leagues. The SoCal riders did just great, we can see there is a lot of talent already in that league. There is so much going on in high school mountain biking, but as the pinnacle of what we are doing, this event made me proud,” said League director and founder Matt Fritzinger.

2009 California High School Mountain Bike Championships Race Results

Varsity Girls Top Ten

1. Shayna Powless – Independent
2. Christine Weir – Nevada Union
3. Lauren Catlin – Drake
4. Carolina Gomez Villafane – Los Gatos
5. Lauren Mcquinn – San Marin
6. Kelsey Anderson – Novato
7. Lauren Freudman – San Rafael
8. Karli Haugen – Folsom
9. Charlotte Perry-Houts – Albany
10. Mary Brosnan – San Rafael

Varsity Boys Top Ten

1. John Bennett – El Cerrito
2. Nate Byrom – Nevada Union
3. Will Curtis – San Rafael
4. Davis Bentley – Redwood
5. Alex Stevenson – Berkeley
6. Clayton Herrick – San Rafael
7. Nick Newcomb – Drake
8. Tony Smith – Marin Cath
9. Sam Bassetti – Drake
10. Christopher Convis – Nevada Union

For complete results in all of the age groups, and the final 2009 California High School Mountain Bike team standings, click here.

With over $50,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking is hard evidence that America’s mountain bike gravity racing scene is alive and well. The event, which takes place at Diablo Freeride Park/Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, NJ on May 22nd-24th, 2009, offers up-and-coming athletes a unique opportunity to compete against the world’s elite gravity pros.

With improvements including an updated Downhill course, a new Giant Slalom/IndyCross discipline, and a new Junior class racing category, the 2009 edition of the U.S. Open should prove to be the largest to date. The total pro purse is $25,000 in cash, with the pay-out scale being equal for both the men’s and women’s categories.

There will be demo opportunities and an exhibitor expo for those interested in checking out the latest gear. For more information and/or registration visit this link.