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Sea Otter Happenings: GT Bicycles
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
From the initial BMX frame welded by namesake Gary Turner in 1973 to recent release of the world’s first Carbon fiber downhill bike, GT has a long legacy of fabricating fast-as-hell bikes.. Along the way, we’ve managed to help a number of riders win World Championship titles, achieve icon status, and pretty much define what it means to take a progressive approach to riding a bike. All the success hasn’t gone to our heads, though - we’ve still got as much fun as we do fast. But don’t take our word for it. In addition to featuring the newest bikes in GT’s line-up, GT’s Sea Otter booth has all sorts of stuff you can do to get your fun on – come on down and see for yourself.
1st ANNUAL Diversion for Overly competitive Riders who act like Kids (DORK) Challenge.
Ever wish you could go head-to-head on a DH course against reigning Sea Otter champ Mick Hannah, World-Cup winner and MTB ambassador Eric Carter, or living-legend Hans Rey? So do we. Don’t get us wrong – it’s fun as hell to ride with EC, Hansey, and Mick, but racing against them…well…that’s another story. After all, there’s a reason why they make their living riding bikes, and we make ours making ‘em.
To keep it interesting (and to keep the playing field level), we thought we’d take a different approach. Rather than asking you to prove your mettle against our guys on the DH course, we invite you to come throw down everything you’ve got against the GT rider of your choice in a full-throttle, pedal-to-the-metal, no-holds-barred contest…of ping-pong. Arbitrary? Yep. Relevant? Not really. Fun? Absolutely. Each day, we’ll be hosting a bracket-style tourney; in addition to vying for the title of King DORK, contestants will get their hands on some pretty cool swag, and be registered in a drawing for a sick new bike. Registration will happen in the mornings, but don’t let that stop you from coming by to either hang out, or challenge someone on Team GT during a break in the action. Personally we’d be stoked if someone could come over and take down the new Marketing guy. He’s been killing us all since we got the table – he could stand to be knocked down a peg or two.
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
When you’ve been in the game as long as we have, you accumulate a lot of good stories. Hell, after 22 years with GT, Hans is a Human Kindle for the brand all by himself. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, though, it’s that all of our stories (and even some of Hans’s) are never half as good as yours.
Rather than tell you classic stories about our brand, we’d like to have you share yours with both us and - if it’s good enough - the rest of the world. At any time over the course of the weekend, bring your classic GT bike by the booth, and tell us your favorite riding story. We’ll record it, and upload it to the GT website. If your story gets the most votes, you’ll win a new HD Riding Cam courtesy of Epic. If it’s REALLY good, we may even ask if we can keep your bike on display in the booth for the weekend, where it’ll be shown with other classic GT whips (don’t worry – if it’s your only ride, we’ll set you up with a Demo for your event). The best bike on display as voted by booth visitors will win a limited edition retro Zaskar Frame, complete with Hans’s signature. Even if you don’t think your bike is worthy, we’d still love to see it -after all, it’s always fun to see an old friend.
XCT AWARDS:
The road to being a pro X/C racer isn’t pretty, glamorous, or fun. Need a primmer? Gourmet meals consist of your two friends Kraft and Cliff, Deluxe accommodations include getting a blanket in addition to couch space, and a payday at the races has you accumulating ranking points rather than dollars. To help recognize the accomplishments of these athletes, and to reward those who’ve endured the journey, GT has teamed up with USA Cycling and the PRO XCT to offer a spot on the GT National Team to the Category 1 overall points leaders (male and female) in the 17/18, 19-24, and 25-29 age group categories.
What’s a spot on the National Team entitle you to? With complimentary bikes, uniforms, and a travel budget being the starters, let’s just say it’s more than what you’d get with a proform. Come check out the GT booth following the official awards presentation for each category 1 race for a rundown of the program, the presentation of the series leader jersey, and the opportunity to win a limited edition t-shirt we’ve developed for each stop on the tour.
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