The Dale’s Pale Ale Off-Road Time Trial kicked off the series on Saturday with riders gunning out of the start gate every 20-30 seconds in a race against the clock on a crazy, twisty middle-to-big-ring course laid out on Trails 3,4 and 5. By sending the riders off individually, the distinctive singletrack stayed single and the backcountry remained raw. Riders scurried up the climb and across the technical ridge to descend on smooth rollers to the finish. The pros crushed the nearly six miles of technical time trialing with Ross Schnell (Trek VW) taking first with a 15:23.4 and Olympic hopeful Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) setting high standards for the pro women with a 17:57.7.

For most riders, this was the first weekend without arm and leg warmers. Pre-riding the scenic Western Rim a treat. Racing it on Sunday - even better. The 10-25 mile course was ideal for well-rounded riders whose skills sets blend both fitness and technical prowess. There was an especially large showing for the women’s field, with more than 60 women participating. “Our field was gigantic! Twenty plus women in the Expert 19-29 women’s field. That is one of the largest fields I have seen in this category. Way to go MSC for growing women’s mountain biking!” said Lynn Bush of Tough Girls Cycling.

Pros completed the course in just over an hour with Ross Schnell (Trek VW) finishing in 1:06:39.2, and Kelli Emmett (Giant Bicycles) with 1:17:29.4 for the wins. The expert classes were not far behind with Reed Wycoff (Contedners/Sam Buccu) finishing in 1:14:03.8 and Melissa Marts (Tough Girl/Contessa) finishing in 1:26:05. Series Director Mike McCormack was ‘pleased overall’ with the weekend, but added that he’d “definitely put a bit more mileage into the XC for the Pros and Semi-Pros in 2009.” McCormack summed up the weekend with the following comments: “As most folks know, last year presented its challenges with the 11th hour defection of our timing company just 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the season. Rabbit Valley was an opportunity to get back on track in the hearts and minds of our customers by putting out a race product of the quality and organization that the MSC has come to be known for. It was also an opportunity to really blow the doors off the expectations of our endurance riders. It’s been a personal goal to introduce a bit more backcountry riding to the series. Here in the Rockies we’re uniquely positioned to be able to do that. I think that most folks in attendance would agree that Rabbit Valley’s a pretty amazing venue with some unbelievable terrain.” On a final note, McCormack praised the community of Fruita, the BLM and the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau for all their hard work on behalf of the race. Nothing but sunburns and Dale’s Pale Ale rounded off a perfect weekend of mountain bike racing in April and an eclectic mix of race stories to carry us through until the next race – MSC #2, The Chalk Creek Stampede in Nathrop, CO May 2-4.