Dirt

The Pro GRT Tour is a series of downhill races across the United States. The aim of the series is to provide a consistent stage of international-calibre events for elite gravity racers to showcase their skills. Each of the stops on the series offers ranking points to top finishers, resulting in overall individual titles for professional men and women.

The series was first staged in 2009, when it comprised five legs – overall winners were Chris Heath and Darian Harvey (downhill) and Mitch Ropelato and Harvey (4X). For 2010, when the 4X competition was dropped, Bryn Atkinson and Jill Kintner took the top spots. Kintner defended her title in 2011, and was joined on the top spot of the podium by Cody Warren. In 2012, the series expanded to six races and was won by Logan Binggeli and Jacqueline Harmony.

There was another change to the calendar in 2013, when USA Cycling announced that the competition would involve ten events – new additions included the Reaper Madness DH @Bootleg Canyon and the US Cup Fontana City National. Binggeli defended his men’s overall title, while Anne Galyean took top spot for the women.

For 2014, the series was reduced back to six events, kicking off in April with a new addition to the calendar, the NW Cup. Riders were then due to take part in the Mountain Creek Spring Classic, the Plattekill Gravity Open in Roxbury, New York, the Snowshoe Wild Hare, and North Carolina’s Bikes, Brews and Views, before finishing up at the Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth Lakes, California.