USA Cycling Announces Dates, Locations for ProXCT Racing

USA Cycling has announced the dates and locations of the nine races that will comprise the 2015 USA Cycling Professional Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) calendar. At the end of the nine races, the top five men and women riders will be awarded an equal share of USA Cycling’s $15,000 prize purse. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) and Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna Pro Team) topped the men’s and women’s standings, respectively, and the Luna Pro team topped the Pro XCT calendar team standings following the 2014 campaign.

The Pro XCT calendar, which enters its seventh year in 2015, features the premier domestic cross-country mountain bike races and will crown the top professional male, female and team as calculated by season-long standings. The calendar boasts a stellar lineup of races with high level UCI categories.

The USA Cycling U.S. Cup Series presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group provides five of the nine races as it enters its second year with four familiar venues and one exciting, classic addition, as the Subaru Sea Otter Classic will join as the fourth of five rounds. The series will be bolstered by the full support of the UCI, as the Fontana, Bonelli and Colorado Springs events have been awarded HC status. As a result, the overall U.S. Cup prize purse, combined with the payouts for the individual races, will approach $100,000. Nash and Geoff Kabush (CAN/Scott-3Rox) walked away with the top prizes at last year's U.S. Cup Pro Series competition.

The Pro XCT calendar and U.S. Cup Pro Series kicks off on March 14 with the Bonelli Park US Cup C1 event in San Dimas, Calif. This is followed up the next weekend in Fontana, Calif., at the Fontana City US Cup for an HC and UCI Juniors event on March 21. Three weeks later on April 11, Bonelli Park returns to the schedule with its Bonelli Park US Cup HC and UCI Juniors event being held one week before the Subaru Sea Otter Classic (a UCI C3 event) on April 18 in Monterey, Calif.
 
The lone Pro XCT event in May is a new addition to the calendar, the Nordic Valley Stage Race (UCI S2), which takes place May 8-10 in Ogden, Utah. The calendar picks up again on June 20 with the Missoula XC UCI C1 and UCI Juniors event in Missoula, Mont.
 
The overall U.S. Cup Pro Series champions will once again be crowned in Colorado Springs on June 27 at the UCI HC-rated finale near the USA Cycling headquarters.

"I would like to thank Scott Tedro and his team at Sho-Air for their extraordinary support of the series," said USA Cycling CEO and President Steve Johnson. "We are thrilled to see the U.S. Cup Series grow in both stature and number as we head into the second year of competition. To have three of the events awarded HC status adds even more prestige to the series and we look forward to hosting the final race once again in the hometown of USA Cycling's headquarters, Colorado Springs."

The final two races on the Pro XCT calendar include the newly added Boston Rebellion XC (UCI C2) in Walpole, Mass., on July 11, and the returning WORS Cup (UCI C1) event on July 25 in Portage, Wis.

2015 Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour
March 14 Bonelli XC #1 (U.S. Cup) — San Dimas, Calif. (UCI - C1)
March 21 Fontana XC (U.S. Cup) (Jrs) — Fontana, Calif. (UCI - HC)
April 11 Bonelli XC #2 (U.S. Cup) (Jrs) — San Dimas, Calif. (UCI - HC)
April 18 Subaru Sea Otter Classic (U.S. Cup) — Monterey, Calif. (UCI - C3)
May 8-10 Nordic Valley Stage Race — Ogden, Utah (UCI - S2)
June 20 Missoula XC (Jrs) — Missoula, Mont. (UCI - C1)
June 27 Colorado Springs U.S. Cup (U.S. Cup) — Colorado Springs, Colo. (UCI - HC)
July 11 Boston Rebellion XC— Walpole, Mass. (UCI - C2)
July 25 WORS Cup — Portage, Wis. (UCI - C1)

About USA Cycling: Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 64,000 members; 2,700+ clubs and teams; and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions over 3,100 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit usacycling.org.