USA Cycling’s National DH Series starts this weekend in Oak Ridge, TN with the Tennessee National. This year’s Tennessee National brings racers back to Windrock Bike Park in Oak Ridge, Tenn. with the premier southeast mountain bike weekend. While everyone will have their eye on the elite downhill races, the weekend will also hold enduro, freestyle and youth competitions.
Local riders, like 2019 Tennessee National elite women’s winner and 2020 Overall National DH Series champion Frida Roenning (Knoxville, Tenn.) and reigning elite men’s downhill National Champion, Neko Mulally (Pisgah Forest, N.C.) will take the start in an effort to gain back their titles for the event from previous years. American DH superstars like Aaron Gwin (Murietta, Calif.), Dakotah Norton (Knoxville, Tenn.), and Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C.), amongst others, will be competing on a technical sub-three-minute track. The race track which includes rocks, roots, which if the weather forecast holds true, should be muddy for finals on Saturday adding another level of difficulty.
The weekend’s cornerstone competitive events include the Elite and Junior, Men’s and Women’s Downhill final at 12pm ET on Saturday, and on Sunday the Pro Enduro race will be held. Amateur and youth riders will also have events throughout the week. New for 2021 the event will host Friday’s Red Bull Freestyle Jam slotted at the first big event of the weekend. The Freestyle Jam is expected to be a highlight for riders and spectators, including a big air competition with prizes for best trick and best whip. You can see the events full schedule here.
The National DH Series is comprised of the top gravity events in the U.S. and tracks the standings for elite riders in the fast-paced downhill discipline. Most events will have GROM and adult amateur races to round out their festival weekends. New in 2021, individual rider results will be tracked for the series in both Elite and Junior 17-18 categories and series champions will be crowned at the conclusion of the calendar.
The next stop in the National DH Series is the Mountain Creek Spring Nationals in Vernon, N.J. May 28-30, 2021.
USA Cycling works with event organizers from across the country to create various calendars and series that feature bike racing across several disciplines and ability levels. These calendars often include event support, rankings tabulation and additional promotion. For a full schedule of events and updated standings throughout the season, click here.
