The Mountain States Cup Championship Series headed to Crested Butte on June 20-22 for the 8th Annual Wildflower Rush. Although several of the top riders who frequent the MSC were in Italy competing at the UCI World Championships, riders rolled in from all corners of the region to contend for podium spots. Just three weeks prior postponement of the event had been seriously discussed as a monster winter had left the majority of the course covered in drifted snow. Three weeks of warm weather and lots of elbow grease and determination by the CB folks turned the trick however and riders were treated to some of the best course conditions in recent memory.

The Shimano XTR Cross-Country kicked off the event Saturday morning with the pro men scorching three 10-mile laps of steep single-track, fast roads, open ski runs and technical wooded sections and1800 feet of climbing. Ryan Trebon (Bend, OR - Kona) finished minutes ahead of other competitors with a 2:15.27. Tad Elliot (Durango, CO -Durango Devo / Durango Cyclery) rode in for second with a 2:20.01 and Kelly Magelky (Golden - Trek VW) in third with a 2:24.19.

On the women’s side, Jennifer Smith (Gunnison - Trek VW) took the hometown win powering through two laps and over 3700 vertical feet with a winning time of 1:47.48. Kelley Mattingly (New Castle, CO-Rocky Mt Racing) and Erin Huck (Lyons, CO - Tokyo Joes) came in second and third respectively with a 1:52.08 and 1:53.57. 

Sunday’s Super-D course sent riders running for a 12 to 15 minute all-out sprint descent. The winner of the open men category, Willy Curry (Crested Butte, CO-CB Builder/Brick Oven), completed it in 12:00.74, twenty seconds ahead of the rest of his field . . . on a hardtail.

The DH course was improved this year with an added road gap and a few new trail alignments that meant more downhill and less pedaling. Matt Fisher (Boulder - The Fix) followed up his monster third place seeding run from MSC No. 3 in Angel Fire and had the fastest time of the day with a 4:14.66. Chris Boice (Albuquerque, NM - Fox Shox/Yeti Cycles) and Cody Wilderman (Durango, CO-Team Totally Wired) were less than .3 of a second a part for second and third. The pro women flew down the mountain with Rachel Bauer (Aspen, CO-Team Dead Bros) and Jacqueline Harmony (Tucson, AZ- Aumbi/Loeka.Allman) taking first and second respectively with a 4:48.96 and 4:51.51.

A big thanks to Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) who modified an entire mountain (including plowing through 35-foot snowdrifts) to make this event happen. The resort’s commitment to the mountain bike community was further underscored by their announcement of plans for a new DH track for next year’s event. As if that wasn’t enough, the USFS has also granted CBMR the approval to build six new XC trails and what promised to be an epic-length dual slalom this summer, both of which will be included in next year’s MSC Series.

Next up on the MSC circuit: Blast the Mass on June 11-13 in Snowmass Village, CO. ‘Blast’ is a UCI Level 1 event for DH and MX, as well as a highlighted stop on USAC’s Gravity and Endurance Mountain Bike National Calendars (MBNC). Check out racemsc.com for further details and information.

Bigfoot Productions was established in 2006 in conjunction with Yeti Cycles to expand and improve the Mountain States Cup Series and promote bike industry involvement in racing. For further inquiries please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

All photos courtesy of Devon Balet Photography. Visit devonbaletphoto.com