Blast the Mass is the fifth stop on the Mountain States Cup tour, the Rocky Mountain Regional Championship Series, and will have regional, national and World Cup pros battling it out for state championship titles in cross country, four cross, downhill and super d.

          “As the director of the series and staff of Blast the Mass, we are ecstatic to have the caliber of Lance Armstrong racing here,” said Keith Darner, race director of the Mountain States Cup. “It is a real mountain course, and it will be interesting to see how Lance performs in our regional pro tour.”

          Regional pro Jay Henry who is the current points leader for the Mountain States Cup raced against Lance in 12 hours of Snowmass last fall, on a very similar course.

          “Believe it or not, Lance is actually great on his mountain bike, even on a technical course. Assuming he has good fitness after coming off of the Tour, he’s do just fine,” Henry said. “I think, however, being the State Championships, the Colorado guys have got to pick it up a bit and certainly not let a Texan beat them.”

          Armstrong's presence at the local and regional races brings lots of attention to the mountain bike scene."It's great when he comes out and attends these races. It brings attentions and a lot more respect. He doesn't walk away with victory, he is battling for it. It proves the legitamacy of mountain biking," Henry said.

          Armstrong is not the only cycling celebrity to be competing this weekend. On the gravity side Jared Graves (Yeti / Fox Racing), the 2009 UCI Four Cross Champion, will be racing four cross and downhill for UCI Class 2 points. The 2009 National Downhill Champion, Aaron Gwin (Yeti / Fox Racing), is set to continue his recent streak of a national championship, and two consecutive World Cup podiums.

          "The level of competition will definitely be stepped up for everybody because they are racing," said Damion Smith, team manager of the Yeti / Fox Racing Shox Factory team. "All of the riders are excited to come to this course. It is one of their favorite."

          Armstrong and the rest of the pro cross country field will take off at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 8. The 23 mile course will take pro riders over almost 4,700 feet of climbing on a new cross country course. The pro four cross finals will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday and the pro downhill finals will take place at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 9.

            For a full schedule and event details, visit Racemsc.com.

          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 Sarah Rawley at 720-407-6142 and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Keith Darner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .