Opening round of XC season kicks off in Arizona

January 29th, 2011 8:55am

Under beautiful blue skies and 73 degree temperatures, the first race of the year was hosted by the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona (MBAA) - in Fountain Hills AZ.

The race utilized the part of all three competitive tracks to give each race class it's own appropriate distance. No matter what the distance, it seemed that the riders on the Bicycle World TV team were ready. The team dominated the days events putting nine of their eleven riders on the podium including a 1-2 finish in the men's pro field to go with four other first place results in the Cat 1 class. More impressively, the team finished in the top three of every cat 1, 2, Masters and rock crusher category they had a racer in.

Probably one of the most impressive wins was in the very competitive Mens 40-49 Cat 1 race where Paul Broaderip (Bicycleworld.tv) flatted in the first two miles of the 30 mile race and still came back to take the class win by a minute and a half. The win gave Broaderip his third consecutive victory of the early season. Broaderip was also on the winning team at the 24 hours of Fury (bicycleworld.tv) and the 12 hours of Papago (bicycleworld.tv).

Final race results from the day can be downloaded here.

Regardless of the results it was great to see new racers come out for the first time and see the smile on their faces as they cross the finish line. It's great to hear about their experiences and feelings. It's what makes the sport so great.

The Arizona race series is the first held every year in the nation because of it's perfect winter climate. The 2011 MBAA series will consist of seven races plus a state championship. This years series will also the return to the venue in Williams, AZ near Flagstaff and a new course in Globe.

If you would like to get involved in Mountain bike riding or racing, volunteer or maybe reach this unique audience as a sponsor, visit the MBAA web site for all the information.