It was announced at the Local Associations of USAC meeting last weekend that USADA is developing a testing program that will provide education and testing resources of athletes at the amateur level of cycling and that program will be coming to Colorado in 2013. The program was piloted in the Florida area already where apparent drug usage was high and so high that some could say that Florida is leading the effort to clean up amateur racing by creating their own Florida Clean Ride Fund. But even so, tempers are still high as earlier in September a race director in Florida refused WADA access to riders

When WADA drug testers showed up unannounced at the 2012-13 Florida State Championship Series last weekend, race promoter Dave Bergen refused to allow the technicians to collect samples because “he had no prior warning or notification” and he had “never seen dope testing conducted” for a local amateur event.

From the Daily Camera

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge should return to Boulder, but probably not in 2013, the co-chairman of the local organizing committee for the city's stage of the elite race told elected officials.

Author, Cheri Felix rides Fruita

I threw a lot of balls around when I was a kid. I played volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, baseball and when I wasn’t doing those things I played a mean game of dodge ball. If there’s one thing kids have now that I wish I had when I was a kid it’s a mountain bike team. It’s unique. It’s supportive and nurturing and I couldn’t say it any better than Emma Vigers one of our team captains for Boulder High; “The mountain bike team is really what made high school bearable for me. It is such a good community of people and it gives riders a lifelong way to have fun and stay fit. The races are especially inspiring because people cheer for everyone, not just those on their team.”

Boulder High has the largest team in the state. This year the roster was at about 52. That’s a lot of kids on bikes. The very cool thing about Boulder High is that part of our motto (if we have one) is any rider, any speed. And so yes you will find the fast kids that you might expect to find but you’ll also find the kids that haven’t been on a mountain bike “since they were kids.” And you will find the kids who have the bike you wish you had but for the most part the kids either have regular bikes or they have to borrow one. And at the end of the day I always say it’s what you do on the bike that matters not what kind of bike you ride.

Last weekend Colorado High School MTB held their State Championships in Fruita. MounainFlyer covered the event as highlighted below. While the final race was won by Fairview the overall Championship victory went to Boulder High. This is because in High School MTB they award the championship victory to the series winner, not to who wins the final race.