The US Cup is withdrawing as the official management organizer for the 2010 Pro XCT series, due to unforeseen changes and requests beyond the US Cup’s control.
“We have extended an offer to USA Cycling to host two Pro XCT events for 2010 however at this time they would not be inscripted events and that may or may not meet with USAC approval," says US Cup Chairman Scott Tedro.
“The US Cup supports the efforts of USA Cycling and is proud to have USA Cycling sanction their events, however at this time; The US Cup will not commit to inscripting them with the UCI, which USA Cycling is requiring for a Pro XCT event," continues Scott Tedro.
“It was a hard choice for us, as we really wanted to support USA Cycling, however do to the changes being imposed on us; it became disruptive to our US Cup business model to operate within the frame work requested,” elaborates Scott
“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t make things come together for 2010, says Ty Kady, US Cup marketing director. “I know there are a lot of rumors floating around, but this was strictly a business decision to move forward in a new direction for 2010. We don’t want to make this a “Them vs.“US” issue, because we will still be sanctioning our events with USA Cycling,” continues Kady. “The only thing that has changed is we will not be funding the races for UCI inscription.”
“As a mountain bike events management company, we have to carefully budget where our resources are allocated. In that context, we felt that our sponsor’s funds and our efforts were better spent on increasing the Pro prize money so elite, regional and local riders can at least have a chance at earning a living racing their bikes. The way current UCI inscripted races are structured, only a select few are benefiting, while the rest are left in anonymity struggling to make ends meet,” elaborates Kady.
“Also, we want to invest heavily in the amateurs. Money spent on providing better swag, awards, and ultimately giving them a better racing experience, is a top priority for the US Cup. We hope the US Cup and its network of races will develop the next generation of Olympic mountain bikers. But if we don’t try and make professional mountain bike racing a sustainable living, I think a lot of our youth will move onto other sports, where they see high dollar athletes riding snow boards, surfing, motocross etc.”
“The US Cup is now working on the soon to be released MBRL, “The Mountain Bike Racing League” where we have over 20 events committed to being a part of the US Cup MBRL and we are very excited about that!” says Scott Tedro.
Look for a fully detailed announcement on the US Cup MBRL with full event venue and dates later this week.