December 10, 2012 – USA Cycling on Monday announced the 2013 edition of the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT). In its fifth year, the Pro XCT will feature nine events at which world-class athletes will race for Pro XCT ranking points and prize purses.

Mountain bike season will unofficially kick off in the U.S. in Dripping Springs, Texas as the Pro XCT makes its first stop with UCI C1 event, The Mellow Johnny’s Classic on March 2.

Top-level mountain biking will continue in March with a pair of US Cup Triple Crown races. After a successful first appearance on the Pro XCT in 2011, the US Cup Triple Crown – Bonelli Park is now a UCI C2 level event and will again be an important stop on the tour on March 16-17. It will be followed up by a fifth-year Pro XCT event, the US Cup Triple Crown – Fontana on March 30-31.

The Pro XCT remains in California for the Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic in Monterey on April 18-21.

One month later, the calendar shifts to the southeastern United States to contest the Bump ‘N Grind in Birmingham, Ala., on June 2.

The calendar concludes with four UCI-inscripted events. The Hammer Nutrition Missoula Montana XC is scheduled for June 22 in Missoula, Mont. The following week the action shifts to the northeast as riders will toe the line in Windham, N.Y., on June 29 for the Windham XC.

The penultimate event on the Pro XCT will be the ever-popular Subaru Cup, part of the well-established Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS), on July 13 in Mt. Morris, Wis. This fan favorite will again operate at the UCI C1 level.

The new closer for the Pro XCT is the UCI C2 Catamount Classic XC in Catamount, Vt., on Aug. 3.

The Pro XCT will rank the top male and female riders in the overall standings, award Pro XCT medals, and a guaranteed cash purse for each race. In order for teams to earn points toward the overall Pro XCT team title, they must be registered as a UCI Trade Team or as a USA Cycling Mountain Bike Domestic Pro Team.

In 2013, pro riders Todd Wells (Durango, N.Y./Specialized Racing) and Monique “Pua” Mata (Westminster, Calif./Sho-air-Specialized) will ride in defense of their overall Pro XCT wins from the 2012 season.

In addition to providing a sequence of international-caliber events where elite cross country racers can fight for end-of-season titles and earn UCI points, the USA Cycling Pro XCT will likely influence nominations to the U.S. squad for the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

For more information about the Pro XCT, please visit its webpage: www.usacycling.org/proxct.

For more information about the Pro XCT, visit www.usacycling.org/proxct.

2013 USA Cycling US Pro XCT
– March 2 – Mellow Johnny’s Classic – Dripping Springs, Texas (UCI C1)
– March 16-17 –  Bonelli Park US Cup – San Dimas, California (UCI C2)
– March 30-31 –  Fontana City US Cup – Fontana, California (not a UCI categorized race)
– April 18-21 –  Sea Otter Classic- Monterey, California (not a UCI categorized race)
– June 2 –  Bump ‘N Grind – Birmingham, Alabama (not a UCI categorized race)
– June 22 –  Missoula XC – Missoula, Montana (UCI C1)
– June 29 –  Windham XC – Windham, New York (UCI C2)
– July 13 –  Subaru Cup – Mt. Morris, Wisconsin (UCI C1)
– August 3 –  Catamount Classic XC – Catamount, Vermont (UCI C2)