Golden, Colo.- Riders looking to claim State Championship titles in XC, 4X, DH and SD, rack up UCI point, and compete against World Cup talent, will be coming to Snowmass Village, CO for MSC #5 Blast the Mass, August 7-9, 2009.

“The 2010 Blast the Mass is going to be a hot one with the new and improved courses and the early August temperatures in the high 70’s to mid 80’s!” said Keith Darner, race director.

Blast the Mass is a Class 2 level UCI event for downhill and four cross, with some of the best talent in the world going head-to-head in what may be MSC’s biggest race of the season. The 2009 Downhill National Champion, Aaron Gwin (Yeti / Fox Racing Shox) will be vying for the Colorado State Championship title in downhill along with Sam Blenkinsop (Yeti / Fox Racing Shox) who won the last World Cup downhill race of the season in 2008. Jared Graves (Yeti / Fox Racing Shox), who is the current UCI World Cup Champion will be racing in four cross and downhill.

We’ve got a new “Pro DH” with a brand new start and finish, several new and reworked sections, plus 600+ more feet of vertical. Riders will access the course via the Snowmass Express 6-Pack which is located at the bottom of Fanny Hill towards the new base area. “The downhill has also had a few minor improvements with new berms and improvements to the famous Hell’s Kitchen. This may very well be one of the best courses that we see all season long!” Darner said. Check out some shots of the DH featuers at Racemsc.com.

A weekend-long lift ticket is available for $30, starting Friday morning. VX Hiker and Spectator lift tickets are $10 per day. Ski CO Premier Pass Holders and Kids under 12 are free!

With all of the rain Snowmass has been receiving this summer, the cross country trails are hard-packed and much faster. Even Lance Armstrong was spotted riding the smooth, buttery course earlier this week.

“The new and improved cross country course is rolling, super fast, and will all the precipitation, it is packed like a super highway with very little dust.” Darner said. The new start/finish will be located in the Base Village and take riders on a similar course to last year. The notorious Powerline Climb has been eliminated, so get ready to rip down it instead. All course descriptons, distances and maps can be viewed at Racemsc.com.

The Super D will be the same course we have run for last years’ G3. It has a wide, open start down a fire road that drops into amazing singletrack. The 4X will be getting a face lift from the top to the first left hander that takes you into the existing lower course.

Primal Wear is presenting the Colorado State Championship Jerseys for all categories and classes in XC, 4X, DH and SD. Each state champion will be able to choose their jersey size and receive it in the mail.

The MSC Photo Contest is still in full swing. We are excited to announce the winner of the MSC Photo Contest from USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. Yosei Ikeda’s captured Soraya Khalje in action as she moved on to the next round in the Women’s CAT 1/2/3 Open Four Cross Race.

The winner from each race will be hooked up with Rooly Eyewear and entered as a finalist for the grand prize. Want to know more? Find out how you can launch your career as a professional photographer through the MSC Photo Contest . Make sure to read the submission guidelines very carefully so we know what photos in the MSC Gallery are intended for the photo contest. We will only judge photos that are properly named. Get on Pinkbike.com today and start submitting!

We have a lot of information posted at Racemsc.com, so check there for all the goods. For any other inquiries contact keith@racemsc.com or sarah@racemsc.com.

Bigfoot Productions was established in 2006 in conjunction with Yeti Cycles to expand and improve the Mountain States Cup Series and promote bike industry involvement in racing.

source: Bigfoot Production