Pro XCT#1, Mellow Johnny's Classic, Dripping Springs, TX

The team converged in Austin, TX on the very first day of March 2012.  With Jordan and Matt having opened up the legs the previous weekend not too far from the location of the BIG race, and Seamus chomping at the bit to set rubber to dirt, we were set for a rad weekend.

Upon inspection of the course, the general consensus was that it was FAST and ROUGH!  This 5k lap took about 20 minutes to complete during practice and race day would be even faster!  The Pro men were slated for 5 laps.  With Seamus and Matt on their XtC Composite 29ers and Jordan on the Anthem X Advanced, it was the perfect stage to test out the new race bikes decked out with Sram, Rock Shox and of course, Stan's wheels.

The first lap was blazing fast and if you weren't first wheel, you were sucking in massive dust!  The trails didn't disappoint and we were going as fast as desert singletrack allowed.  Lap after lap we came through to feeds from Giant's own soigneur, Felice.  Thanks for keeping us hydrated!

Once the dust settled, all GMA riders had finished on the lead lap with Seamus leading the charge in 26th with Jordan and Matt just minutes behind.  With the first race in the books and everyone saying 'ouch!' for the next few days, it was a great early season test.  Now it's back to the Mid Atlantic to get some high-end fitness into the legs and prepare for the rest of 2012!

As a note, we want to express massive amounts of gratitude to Sheila for hosting us for the weekend... and not waking us up with armed robbery and helicopters flying around all night...  Thanks!