Hello Racers!

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve finalized our racing dates for 2010, and have expanded our series to include a couple of new multi-day format gravity races which we are calling the Fluidride Enduro. The Fluidride Cup is also back with a new course on Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho which boasts over 2,000 feet of vertical per run. Anyone who remembers racing there can tell you that this mountain is the real deal with terrain that just keeps coming.

Our 2010 season will kick off with a Fluidride 2-Day Enduro in Hood River on May 1st and 2nd. We’ll be racing the Dog River Trail just outside of town on Saturday, and returning for a second run down the trail on Sunday. Each stage of this race will be about 20 minutes in length, with the lowest combined times in each category deciding the winner of the event. Riders will be required to ride the same frame and fork in each stage of a specific Fluidride Enduro event, so choose your bike wisely. For the Hood River race, 5 and 6 inch bikes will likely rule the weekend.

The Fluidride Cup (Technical Downhill’s) will begin in June with riders returning to Mt Hood Ski Bowl to ride one of the toughest tracks around. Winner of the first round at Mt Hood last year, JD Swanguen had this to say of the track “This is a manly track that deserves a lot more recognition”. We now have two lines through the bottom woods, so look for some track changes between rounds.

August will bring new challenges to Fluidride Cup racers with the re-introduction of Schweitzer Mountain to Downhill Racing the weekend of August 20-22nd. Schweitzer has a quad chair with Whistler style bike loading which takes riders up 2200′ feet to the top of the track. This track will be a be brand new for 2010.

Mt Hood 3 Day Enduro: The Mt Hood 3 Day Enduro will take place in September the weekend of the 10th-12th and will serve as the final for The Fluidride Enduro Series. This is going to be the mother of all gravity stage races, with Stage1 starting one mile above Timberline Lodge at the base of Palmer Glacier at 7000′. The stage will drop over 4,000′ in 20 minutes and has a mix of warp speed roads and rocky singletrack during the first half, and ends with 10 minutes of perfectly buffed, dreamy single track. There are no real climbs on this circuit, but fitness is sure to be key in this stage. Stage 2 will be contested on the Technical DH tracks of Mt Hood’s Ski Bowl on Saturday the 11th. Courses here are fast, rough, and very physically challenging with times around 5 minutes. Pro Riders will tackle the extremely technical Pro DH track, while Category 1 and 2 riders will ride the “Sport” Course during this event. Stage 3 on Sunday morning will once again start high up above tree line where riders will repeat the first half of Friday’s Track (with a few changes likely thrown in). The course will end just before the “Cross Town Trail” section of Friday’s course, taking riders into Government Camp for a warp speed urban ending. Stage 3 will have fast times around 10 minutes. There is not a lot of pedaling required on this course, so hang on for a wild ride down the hill! As with our Enduro Season opener, riders will be required to ride the same frame and fork on each day. Full faced helmets will be required for ALL stages of this event for ALL categories. We understand that having a race starting on a Friday is not optimal for everyone, and hope riders will plan in advance in order to attend. We have very limited opportunities for permits for racing on Forestry Service Lands, and as such, had to schedule this event in September. A BIG THANKS goes out the US Forestry Service for their help and support in making this race a reality.

The Fluidride Cup Technical DH Series will wrap up on Mt Hood the last weekend in September (September 24-26th) where the new Series Champions will be crowned. There are currently four races scheduled for The Fluidride Cup Series, with the best three (including the final) counting toward the overall series.

We are hoping for more lift served opportunities here in Washington State soon, so keep an eye out in the future as we hope to bring more racing closer to home for Washington based riders. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank the guys at N’Dub Productions in Port Angeles for helping make the Fludride Cup such a success over the past two seasons. N’Dub has decided to put on their own series in Port Angeles, which is due to kick off with the Pro GRT opener April 23-25th. Thanks Guys and Good Luck!

I’d also like to welcome Integrated Project Group (IPG) to our organizational team. IPG has partnered with Fluidride to help keep NW racing going strong. IPG has put together a new website for the series called FLUIDRIDE RACING in order to make your racing experience as smooth as riding your bike. Look for online registration for both series’ to start on February 15, 2010.

We’ll be busy completing the site over the next month, so look for course preview videos and other great stuff to come soon.

Racing is alive and well in the NW!

-Simon Lawton/Owner/Fluidride