The 2008 Colorado State Championships were hosted under the cap of MSC No. 6 Sol Survivor and awarded 74 jerseys to new state champions in Dual Slalom, Downhill, Cross Country and Super D over the course of August 2-3 at SolVista Bike Park in Granby, Colo.

SolVista has exploded onto the mountain biking scene this year with new bike-specific lift chairs, new XC and DH trails and one of the best DS courses in the nation. The competition on the DS course went late into Saturday night with lights showcasing the final rounds of the fierce competition between pro riders Brian Lopes (Laguna Beach,

CA- Oakley/Ibis) and Christopher Herndon (Etowah, NC- Specialized/Decline North America). Herndon was the only rider to beat Lopes in the first round of the finals, but Lopes, a four time world champion, took the win in the final rounds when Herndon went down in the top section. Local favorite Petr Hanak (Winter Park, CO- Totally Wired Cyclery) came in third. From the get-go, it was obvious that Lisa Myklak (Boulder, CO-Spider/Black Market/Industry Nine) had the style and grace of a champion and she finished it out for the win against Rachel Bauer (Aspen, CO- Team Dead Bros) who took second.

The SD State Championships took riders from the top of Sol Vista to the bottom in only 7 minutes through new sections of singletrack and the bottom section of the DH course where riders rode through whoops, berms and a table top to the finish line. Chad Cheeney (Durango, CO-Durango Devo) had the fastest time of the day in open men with a 7:00.92 and Danae York (Indio-Velobum.com/Turner Bikes) won the open women's category by more than seven seconds with a 8:05.96.

Sunday's abrupt weather conditions shortened the Shimano XTR XC pro race with riders abandoning the course after two laps. One rider allegedly saw lightening hit a tree 100 yards away, others felt the electrical shocks through their brake levers. The pros were scored after two laps and Ross Schnell (Grand Junction- Trek VW) took first with a 1:13.32 and Jay Henry who is currently leading the Mountain States Cup for the pro endurance men, took second with a 1:14.00. On the women's side, Judy Freeman (Boulder, CO-Tough Girl/Contessa) took first and Erin Huck (Boulder, CO-Tokyo Joes) and Sarah Anderson (Glenwood Springs) took second and third respectively.

Young talent emerged on the DH course with up-and-coming rider Joey Schusler (Boulder, CO-Yeti/RPM Cycling) riding the fastest and smoothest for a winning time of 2:22.21. Chris Boice (Albuquerque,NM- Fox Shox/Yeti Cycles) rode strong for second with a 2:24.47 and Kain Leonard (Gunnison, CO- Crested Butte Academ/TLD/Marxx) came in third with a 2:24.49. Mylak showed up to crush the pro women's downhill by more than five seconds with a 2:48.24 and Jacqueline Harmony (Tucson, AZ- Zumbi/Loeka/All Mountain Cycle) and Sarah Elworth (Durango, CO-PTP) came in second and third.

The junior class had one of the strongest showings. With nearly 250 entries among all of the disciplines, the junior racers are rapidly becoming the pros of the future. On the downhill side for junior expert men Naish Ulmer (Park City-Go-Ride.com/Spy Optics) took first with a 2:32.00 and Kevin Aiello (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA-Yeti So Cal) and Dustin Coker (Sedona, AZ- Yeti So Cal) pinned it with a 2:33.02 and 2:39.85 respectively. Coker returned to win against Alex Cornwell (Boulder, CO-Staats Bikes) in the DS Finals. On the XC side, Adam Parke (Steamboat Springs, CO- Orange Peel) won the junior expert mens race with a 1:19:43 just over six minutes off the winning pro men's time. Alicia Pastore (Durango, CO-Durango Devo) has been winning all season and won yet another race for the junior expert women with a 1:36.16.

A total of $2,500 is on the line for the pros, semi-pros and vets.

$15,000 in merchandise and awards will be distributed to individual race winners and overall winners among the amatuer ranks in "Crusher's Monster Raffle." Racers can race for awards in single events, but the cash purse is for three stage competitors only.

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 spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .