10. Windham World Cup

The first World Cup stop in the United States in five years was, by all accounts, a success. Prior to pulling into Windham, New York in late August, the international mountain bike scene hadn’t touched U.S. soil since 2005 at Angel Fire, New Mexico, which by all accounts was underwhelming.

For fans to get up close and personal with the likes of Julien Absalon, Nino Schurter, Irina Kalentieva, Greg Minnaar, Gee Atherton and Jared Graves was pretty cool.

What’s extra cool is that the organizers of the Windham event and the UCI have inked a contract for at least two more World Cup stops in upstate New York, which leads nicely into the 2012 Olympics in London. The 2011 Windham World Cup, which includes XC, DH and 4X, is July 9-10.

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