The team is back from the first whirlwind of major events, photo shoots, and testing sessions.  It was quite the trip!  We traveled over 10,000 miles by air and by land over the past month.

First up - Michael's trip to Columbia

A little over a month ago, Mike was selected to represent the USA at the 2011 Pan American Championships in Bogota, Columbia.  It was a quick trip - fly in, practice, race, fly home and head to Port Angeles.  Our new 2011 bikes and kits weren't quite ready just yet, so he rocked last year's look one last time.  The event went very well, and he reached his personal goal of attaining several valuable UCI points and eligibility at future World Cup level events.

Mike's bags for the trip.  Can you believe that there's a DH bike and gear in there?!?

The USA squad during opening ceremonies.  Mike is second from the left.

Ready for business.  Mike practiced all weekend with Steve Smith, Mitch Ropelato, and Kyle Smith.

Mike went on to finish in 24th place in the Pro Men's field, which made him the 3rd fastest USA downhill racer on the weekend.

Port Angeles

After Mike's return from Columbia, the team loaded up the trailer and headed to Port Angeles, Washington for the first Pro Gravity Racing Tour event of 2011.  This event was our official entrance into the season, with our new bikes, kits, and Pro team members all assembled for the first time.

When we arrived at Port Angeles, we were greeted by several shiny new frames direct from Banshee. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday building up and testing our 2011 race bikes.

Thursday morning came pretty early, but everything came together and we donned our new Wrex Racing apparel and headed for the hill (yeah, we had a little fun with this photo!).

Despite constantly changing weather conditions, it didn't take too long for the guys to start feeling at home on the course.  This is Jess getting after it during practice.

A clean ride is a happy ride, right? Brian makes sure everything is ready to roll for race day.

Click play to join Brian on his qualifier run

Race day went pretty well, especially for getting used to brand new bikes in just a few days.  Here Mike charges to a 74th place finish in a stacked field of 91 pro riders.  He and Lear (68th place) had a few bobbles in the mud which set them back a little bit.

Brian came down in first place and held the hot seat for about 12 minutes.  He would end up in 24th place and the fastest time on the team.  Jess (in the foreground) came in 50th, despite only being able to ride his new bike for 3 days prior to his race run.

It was just a little sloppy up on the hill ;)

One of the DH bikes sans mud and grime.  Each racer's bike has a unique parts spec this year, which helps to set them apart.

View the Port Angeles Photo Gallery

Black Rock

Following the Port Angeles event, the team loaded up and began the trip down south to Sea Otter.  While on the way there, we took advantage of the off days and headed to Black Rock, Oregon for a test session.  Anticipating a short practice schedule at Sea Otter, the crew decided it was necessary to take a day to get used to their little bikes before the big event.

Jess with his new 4X race bike after a few laps at Black Rock.  If you ever get the chance to ride there, jump on it!  This was a highlight of the trip.  The trails are amazing and there is a lot of variety to keep everyone happy.

Sea Otter

Moving on to the big show! We arrived at Sea Otter with plenty of time to set up the pits and displays for the tens of thousands of people that would spectate at the event.  Our pit space was graciously provided by Banshee this year, and we were pleased to share the space and help run the show.   Thanks for hosting us, Keith, Dalen, and Jon!

Our 2011 pits. The booth got a lot of attention this year, with several media representatives dropping in to check out the latest products.  Banshee was displaying their new prototype Prime 29er paired with a prototype Manitou Tower fork which attracted a lot of eyes.

New for 2011, we're showing off what's under the jersey.  Our manikin is outfitted with all the protective gear our racers wear so people can check them out up close.

The team's first race at Sea Otter was dual slalom, which is notoriously hard to even qualify for in the Pro ranks.  

Here Jess rails a turn during practice.  He just missed the cut during the qualifier round, getting edged out by less than a second.  Unfortunately Brian had a mechanical as he came out of the start gate and was forced to sit out for the remainder of the races.

Lear had the most successful time in the slalom event.  He qualified for the main show and was narrowly beaten out by Danny Hart, who would go on to take 3rd in the race. Expect to see Lear's name near the top of the 4X and Slalom results sheets soon.  In addition to several North American races, he's also planning to attend a few European 4X World Cups this summer.

That's the face of determination!  The team decided to do the Speed and Style event just for grins.  It was similar to a dual slalom event in that riders went head to head with another rider.  They had to land a trick, put in two quick laps on the pumptrack and then land another trick before the other person.  Lear had the most success, advancing to the round of eight before being eliminated.

Choo chooo! There's a Geronimo train coming in hot.  Because the downhill course was relatively smooth, the team decided to race our small bikes.  The Buell brothers rode their Spitfires, Jess raced his Rampant, and Lear opted for the Prime 29er which worked out well.

Jess throws a table top for the crowd.  Of 108 Pro downhill racers, he finished in 52nd place, besting more than half the field.  Brian had a great run, coming in at 21st.  Michael also did well with a 47th place finish.

Lear turned a lot of heads when he raced the 29er to a 36th place finish.

View the Sea Otter Photo Gallery

Photo Shoots

Following Sea Otter we participated in a few photoshoots - one with Andrew Wilz in San Luis Obispo on our all-mountain rigs, and one in Virgin, Utah on the big bikes.  You'll soon see images from the Utah trip in a few Dainese ads on a few major websites and select print publications.

Brian taking the prototype Banshee Prime for another "test run."  When we test components, we really try to put them through the paces.

Looking Ahead

The team is currently at home, resting up for the next back-to-back set of events.  We're putting in extra time on all of our bikes to ensure we're fully accustomed to them for the remainder of the year.

Our next big trip kicks off with the Ranchstyle slalom race in Grand Junction, Colorado on May 8th.  From there we'll travel to the Highland and Plattekill ProGRT events, then back to Colorado for the Sol Vista Triple DHip.  At that point Lear is hopping on a plane to Europe where he will race two rounds of the UCI World Cup 4X series at Fort William and Leogang.  The rest of the team will continue on to Angel Fire for the Mountain States Cup Series opener.

See you at the races!