Source Link: USA Cycling

(Nov. 21, 2017) – USA Cycling announced the national calendars for mountain bike and road disciplines on Thursday for 2018. The Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) will feature six events in six states, spanning March to September. The Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) will showcase seven events in five states. The Pro Road Tour (PRT) will include 21 events across 16 states. Both the Pro XCT and PRT events range from April to September.

“This is the third year for the Pro Road Tour. We continue to align the mix of quality criteriums, omniums, road races, stage races, and this year a time trial event, to provide a better balance for travel across the country,” said Chuck Hodge, Vice President of Operations for USA Cycling. “The Pro Gravity and Cross-Country tours feature four new events, with four returning events receiving upgrades from the UCI for higher points,”

The Pro GRT, which features gated events, such as dual slalom and four-cross, will launch the professional mountain bike season for a second year at the Windrock Pro GRT in Oliver Springs, Tenn. on March 8-11. This is one of the three returning events for Pro GRT, and it has been upgraded to a UCI Category 1 classification. It will be followed by NW Cup – Port Angeles in Washington, which moved from mid May in 2017 to April 14-15, 2018.

The next three Pro GRT events are all new to the schedule – Mountain Creek Pro GRT in Vernon, N.J. on May 25-27, NW Cup – Tamarack in Idaho on June 23-24, and Purgatory’s Revenge in Durango, Colo. on Sept. 1-3. The season concludes again at the Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. on Sept. 15-16.

The Pro XCT will focus on events in the western half of the country, with only one of seven events being hosted east of the Rocky Mountains. Pro XCT events are all UCI sanctioned and include cross-country Olympic-style and short-track cross-country racing.

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