August 29-Sep 1, 2008 | SolVista, CO
DH/SD/DH
- G3 format (gravity stage race)
- Nat'l MTB Calendar (Gravity)
- MSC Gravity Series Finals
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WHY G3?:

Why G3? Well, a couple of reasons. The first is that there's a lack of quality gravity events in the U.S. You can't really say the same of the endurance disciplines - they enjoy broad-based support from USAC because they're Olympic medal sports and on top of that, there are 50 XC events for every gravity event in the United States. There just aren't enough racing and money-earning opportunities domestically for an aspiring gravity pro or semi-pro to make the leap to the international level. Providing a series of gravity events with decent sized purses helps those guys and girls on the cusp of making it big keep their dream alive. (To be fair, we have the same philosophy regarding purse on the Endurance side of things.)

The lack of quality gravity events also underscores one of the major issues facing cycling as a whole; participation. There are roadies who would have you believe that their discipline is the only 'real' aspect of our sport. Sadly, there just aren't that many 10 year-olds jonesing to submit to the metronomic boredom of climbing a 45-minute mountain pass. They're not mentally hard-wired that way. Not yet anyway. Plus there just isn't any sort of selection in terms of equipment for kids wanting to try road biking. Not compared to what's available on the mountain bike side anyway.

We love road bikes. We love all bikes. But kids have to physically mature enough to be able to fit on adult-sized road bike offerings and this typically happens when they're between 13 and 14 years old. We as a sport and an industry don't have the luxury of waiting 'til their 14 to get 'em on bikes. If we wait that long we've lost them to football, soccer, hockey or Playstation. Some of the roadies may look down their nose at the mountain bike side, but lemme tell ya, it's a much shorter jump from a DH or 4X bike to a road bike than it is from a set of golf clubs or an ice rink. It's easy for a kid to say yes to gravity and for that simple reason cycling needs it (although 'cycling' may not recognize or acknowledge this fact.) We're not gonna let the shortsightedness of one user group who happens to own the seats of power of our sport continue to hamstring it's future.

And the last reason; it's fun. Years of putting on Final D down in Angel Fire have proven that the format of a 'hang-out-with-your-buds-gravity-only' type events are in short supply. Our answer to that is the incorporation of the G3 format into this year's MSC Series.

FAQ...or, "The Rules":

Can I use a different bike for Super-D? Oh yeah you can. Why not? The Super-D will be pretty gravity-centric, but your full-on DH rig might not be the perfect weapon of choice. Feel free to bring your Klein Rascal with that punk-rock flex-stem you've been hanging on to all these years. All kidding aside, we'll be making all Super-D's as DH-like (DH-lite?) as possible. We're calling it 'Super-D' because we need to use that discipline's start format to allow us to get two gravity stages off in once day.

Can I take my competitive DH runs with my bros? Oh yeah, bruther. Oh wait. Change that to "Oh maybe, bruther." CJ Timing is coming out a day early to see if they can make it happen. If not, well then we'll race like we always do...which seems to work pretty well. With this year's inclusion into the MSC Series we may have to leave that cool little piece of the original G3 series behind.

Is this a NORBA event? Yup. Because they have that sweet, sweet insurance that makes the resort attorneys smile. Standard licensing rules will apply.

So how's this stage race thingy work?: Easy. There are 3 events at each G3. Your combined time for each stage determines your place in the overall (and for a fast handful, your place on the box.) For 2008 we're considering moving to a points system due to the undue influence that SD-ers have on the overall. Stay tuned for more info.

What if I win one stage, but don't race all three? Show 'im the steak knives, Johnny! Just kidding. Steak knives would be a lame prize. We'll have awards for each stage and for the overall, but the cash is reserved for placing in the overall. All pro categories will be paid out 5 deep.

Can I just race Super-D? Can I race just one DH? Yup, awards go 5-deep for each stage in each category, but the cash purse is for 3-stage competitors only.

So what're the categories? Good question. We'll use our standard MSC categories, which are:

The 2008 Snowmass G3 is proudly supported by resident SnowmAspenites, The High Society Freeride Company. Legendary ski torturer Chris Cawley skis their stuff and gets a funny gleam in his eye when he talks about it. Cheggem' out at: www.highsocietyfreeride.com.

TECH/EXPO SPACE, VOLUNTEERS, SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES:

Download tech/expo info here: 2008 MSC TECH/EXPO GUIDE. If you're interested in volunteering of finding out about sponsorship opportunities, please give us a shout at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .