Winter Racing abounds in the Southwest for Downhillers and XC racers.

January 12th, 2012 11:03am

Birds, snow birds and bike riders are not dumb.  When the weather turns cold, they head south for the sunny winter months of the southwest.  The birds rest on the many golf course lakes for a life of luxury, snow birds do pretty much the same while clogging up local traffic and restaurants while mountain bikers, well - they race!

It all starts off with the Mountain Biking Association of Arizona (MBAA) kicking off the 2012 cross country mountain bike season for the rest of the country.

If you are sick of riding on a trainer in your dank basements then get a couple of buddies and get down to Arizona to mix it up with the locals on some great tracks.

Both men and women from casual riders to seasoned racers are welcome to race as the series offers a wide variety of levels of rider their own class and age group.

Since Arizona is a popular winter training ground for many top pro road teams and elite mountain bikers, it is not uncommon to get a Sam Schultz or Todd Wells to roll up to the start line and battle it out with the local pro's.


The first race of the Arizona State series is this Saturday, January 14, 2012 at McDowell Mtn Regional park in Fountain Hills. You can see the entire schedule and find all the information you need on  the MBAA web site.


If gravity is your thing, then just five hours down the road from Arizona you will want to be sure and attend one of the Southridge winter series events over in Fontana, California. "Fontucki" as it is often referred to, is loaded with pro talent preparing for the upcoming season. More than just a well known downhill series, Don Jackson - the series operator and local bike store owner has add the increasingly popular event  of Super D to Saturdays schedule. The Southern California XC riders also get some winter racing in as part of the program.

Like all good series - you can find the right class for your riding ability and age. So there are no excuses for not giving it a try. The feeling of completion of your first race is one you will never forget.

All the information including registration, location and results for the Southridge Series can be found here.

Here is the schedule for the 2012 Southridge series. Plan to make one of them if you can.

Southridge Winter Series Presented By: Shimano

          January 7 & 8               Fontana, CA
          January 21 & 22          Fontana, CA
          February 4 & 5             Fontana, CA
          February 18 & 19           Fontana, CA ** Double Points
          March 3 & 4                  Fontana, CA **Double Points Finals                 
 

(LEFT) Todd Wells, Sam Schultz and JHK battle for position on the steep loose section to start the climb in 2011.

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