OLIVER SPRINGS, TENN. - March 8, 2019 — Windrock Bike Park will host the 2019 Windrock Tennessee National March 8-10. It is the first stop of USA Cycling’s Pro Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) and is a Class 1 event sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the international governing body for cycling.
For the third year in a row, the Windrock Tennessee National will bring the best riders in the world to Tennessee. This race is known as the early-season event for elite riders and teams to test and prepare for the four-month Pro GRT season.
Part of the expansive 72,000-acre Windrock Park in eastern Tennessee, the Windrock Bike Park was created three years ago by professional mountain bike racers Neko Mulally, of Pisgah Forest, N.C., and Sean Leader, of Knoxville, Tenn. With a shuttle service and bicycle rentals, the Downhill Mountain Bike Trails consist of 550 acres and nine trails with more than 2,100 feet of vertical drop. The bike park crew built a new rhythm section, where spectators can watch several big features from the shuttle road. This year's track will feature all of the raw, natural terrain that makes Windrock unique, along with new, high speed jumps and berms.
The 2019 Pro GRT features four Downhill racing events across the country. Individual rider rankings will be offered for the Pro category. The gated events, such as dual slalom and four-cross (4X), may also be offered at some of the four stops on the 2019 Pro GRT. Series points are given to top finishers at each event and used to determine the individual men’s and women’s standings that rank the best downhillers competing in the U.S.
Last year, Samantha Soriano (Littleton, Colo.; COMMENCAL Junior Cartel) took the women’s category while Kiran MacKinnon (Santa Cruz, Calif.; Santa Cruz Bicycles) took the men’s category in the series.
2019 Pro Gravity Tour Calendar
DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | CLASSIFICATION |
March 6-10 | Oak Ridge, TN | UCI C1 | |
April 5-7 | Port Angeles, WA | UCI C2 | |
May 18-19 | Vernon, NJ | UCI C3 | |
June 13-15 | Tamarack, ID | UCI C2 |
For more information on the ProGRT visit: https://www.usacycling.org/national-calendars/pro-grt. Visit USACycling.org for more information on athletes, events and membership programs. Follow @USACycling across all channels for the latest on Team USA.
For more information, please contact Kelly Fox at apalermo@usacycling.org
