Gt's Golden Bike Race Series

GT Bicycles is launching its amateur GT Golden Bike Series in spring 2009, with seven cross country mountain bike races through the United States. GT will crown the fastest amateur as the Golden Bike winner, with one catch: the winner must defend their title by racing the GT Golden Bike at the next event in the series - or they forfeit the prize package worth more than US$10,000 to the second-place finisher.The only way to get the Golden Bike is to crush the competition," said Jenni Cathcart, Director of Marketing for GT Bicycles. "There's no silver or bronze in this competition...it's all about the gold."

Each Golden Bike winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to the next race in the Golden Bike Series, a commemorative GT Golden Bike, a US$250 Sugoi gift certificate and a swag bag of cycling gear. At the race, the Golden Bike Winner will be supported by a professional bike mechanic and a personal cheerleading squad known as The Gold Diggers.


To defend their title, the Golden Bike winner will select one of two Golden race machines: GT's iconic Zaskar hardtail or the Marathon, GT's lightest full suspension bike. Both models feature a golden monocoque carbon fiber frame and top-of-the-line XTR components.


According to Cathcart, if the winner secures another victory, then they are flown to the next race in the series to defend the title again. If they lose, then the official GT Golden bike, the Golden Jersey, the Gold Diggers cheerleading squad, and the professional mechanic are awarded to the newly crowned winner.
"The Golden Bike isn't for pros," Cathcart added. "Any rider who gets paid to race, got their bike from a sponsor or holds a professional cycling license is not eligible for the Golden Bike. And sorry, all racers must be 18 or older."

The official GT Golden Bike website.

The GT Golden Bike Series kicks off on April 19, 2009 at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California and ends in September in Hingham, Massachusetts. Along the way, the series will make stops in Texas, Oregon and Colorado, just to name a few.

2009 GT Golden Bike Series
April 19, 2009: Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California

May 2, 2009: GHORBA Big Ring Challenge in Coldspring, Texas

May 17, 2009: Spring Thaw Mountain Bike Festival in Ashland, Oregon

June 7, 2009: Massanutten HOO-HA! in Harrisonburg, Virginia

July 4, 2009: Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, Colorado

August 8, 2009: Ore to Shore in Marquette, Michigan

September 13, 2009: Landmine Classic in Hingham, Massachusetts