Scott Tedro’s Call To Action: If You Want A US Race Series, Now Is The Time To Act

The US needs a national mountain bike series to showcase our top riders and create a unique and prestigious racing experience for amateur racers.

I support Scott's efforts to create the US Cup. It is clear he has an extensive background in business and is capable of running a successful business. He has also made it clear that he is willing to make the necessary changes to the current national series format to bring positive improvements in the sport. If we don't have a national series what hope do we have of making it better for everyone? I think Scott is on the right track but it will take us all to help get the sport back to where it once was. We can't just sit on the sidelines.

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Shannon Boffeli
MTBracenews.com

The United States needs to have a National Series to highlight the top talent in mountain biking and to create a unique and prestigious racing experience for amateur racers.

Scott clearly has a great deal of business experience and seems to understand that the current format for the series is not the ideal. I fully support Scott and the US Cup. The current format is clearly not the best but Scott seems more than willing to make changes and adapt to the current state of mountain bike racing. If we don't have a national series we can never hope to make it better.

Shannon Boffeli
MTBracenews.com

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Shannon Boffeli
MTBracenews.com

The United States needs to have a National Series to highlight the top talent in mountain biking and to create a unique and prestigious racing experience for amateur racers.

Scott clearly has a great deal of business experience and seems to understand that the current format for the series is not the ideal. I fully support Scott and the US Cup. The current format is clearly not the best but Scott seems more than willing to make changes and adapt to the current state of mountain bike racing. If we don't have a national series we can never hope to make it better.

Shannon Boffeli
MTBracenews.com

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Shannon Boffeli
MTBracenews.com

I'm all for this!

As a younger Pro trying to make it to higher level events (i.e. World Cups, World Championships, Olympics), I fully support a series that has a good pay-out and awards UCI points.

I have a lot of admiration for all of the people who have kept the series going the past couple of years, and I hope that some new faces, more sponsors, new ideas, and elbow grease will get the sport of mountain bike racing going again in the US!

Macky Franklin
Team DEVO U23 Pro racer

Just a few questions:
1. What makes anybody think that Americans will come to watch XC mountain bike events, we are not crazy cycling fans like the Euros?
2. Why not try to attract racers more than fans, make the events racer friendly? I feel like the races for the beginner class (now Cat 3) have been too hard, make sure they get in under 1 hour and have a positive experience. For all the sandbagger beginners that complain that a beginner race is too short, UPGRADE to Sport/Cat 2!
2a. Will anybody take responsibility to automatically upgrade sandbaggers out of the Cat 3 and 2 to keep it fun and competitive for those that belong?
3. Why did the Downieville Classic have nearly 800 XC racers show up and why was the Deer Valley national a ghost town?
4. If race courses are shortened to be like the World Cup courses then it will not be any fun to be a slow Pro, you will probably get pulled after 1 or 2 laps because you are in danger of getting lapped. Does making the shorter courses mesh with the ping of the Semi Pro class and USA Cycling's attempt to make the pro fields larger?
5. Why include Sea Otter in the series? I have not been there personally but that is because I have not heard one good thing from my friends that have attended, they could not find anybody who knew where their races started and the race course markings were not clear.
6. Personally speaking, I am most likely to attend races that have fun courses and where camping is available, like most racers I'm not sponsored and I pay for my own lodging, I go to races where I can camp, it is the only way I can afford to go.

The idea of reviving a national race series in this way is fantastic. Yes, while the event calendar looks similar to the national racing scene from the last couple of years there seems to be a fundamental difference in that the proposed series will invest significantly more effort and resources at promoting the series as a whole, and through it, the sport. From what I read, it will bring a level of professional sports management to mountain bike racing, which has been critical to the success of many other sports.

While the events in the calendar are not new, it would seem that none of the promoters in and of themselves had the resources to market their events beyond the borders of their local market. This proposal seems to create the infrastructure and business plan needed to market the series and the sport on a national level. Now all we need is for the industry to provide the seed capital to fund the plan.

Put additional marketing dollars into a series like this and additional riders and spectators will be attracted to the events. Additional riders and spectators will bring back media attention. Additional media attention will attract additional sponsorship dollars, and hopefully sponsorship dollars from non-industry related companies. In corporate America $30,000 for title sponsorship of what effectively amounts to a sport league with top level pro and grassroots amateur participation, should be a bargain. Big companies are known to spend more on a weekend golf outing for clients. Companies that have nothing to do with cycling will sponsor events that attract broad spectator participation and media attention (like Amgen and Union Bank of California sponsor the Tour of California, AT&T sponsors the Tour de Georgia). Mountain biking can’t seem to attract that level of sponsorship dollars simply because its events are not attended by nearly as many people (other than maybe the Sea Otter Classic). If the marketing efforts proposed in this plan bring half as many people and attention to the 6 other events as we have with the Sea Otter, corporate America will take notice of the Cup. With smart sponsorship management that should bring more money into the Cup. Their sponsorship dollars can then help in upgrading other major regional races in other areas of the country to a national level allowing for the expansion of the event calendar to places like the Mid-West and the South. This further grows spectatorship and participation which will result in growing bike industry sales.

I recently started racing and this year have been to all of the SoCal events on the national calendar. I also raced in the East last year. In every race I imagined the difference additional marketing dollars could make and wondered what I could do to help bring those dollars in. Like others here have proposed we need to appeal to the MTB industry and, if we are in a position to do so, we should take Scott’s letter and talk about it with the marketing management of the companies we work for.

It’s a great plan and it seems to be managed by someone who has the leadership and management skills to make it happen. Best of luck Scott !

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VladPop

The NISSAN Mountain bike World cup, presented by Shimano ? what gives, nissan & shimano dont think enough about mountain biking here in the states to back a series ? Last time i heard our country buys a bunch of stuff from both those companies, isnt it about time companies such as those value us as customers ?

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skullybones

Couple of Comments/Questions for Scott Tedro, Steve Boehmke, and others:

(1) I'm so pleased that Sho-Air has made a significant investment in MTB racing, and that Sho-Air is willing to do more. Thanks!!!! a million times. I expect that your investment in MTB racing so far has been worth itI had never heard of Sho-Air until the Brian Head AMC. I'm a business owner, and I may have an opportunity to use Sho-Air in the future, now that I know about it. Also, to be clear, none of my comments below are intented to criticize Sho-Air or Scott or Steve rather, Scott said that he is relatively new to MTB, so I want to share my views, having been racing amateur XC MTB off and on for around 15 years and having represented some pro MTB athletes in their business dealings.

(2) Why isn't Deer Valley Utah on the proposed Venue list? It's 45 mins or less from a major airport and it seems to have been a popular venue with the pros and it seems to have plenty of amateur participation and it's in the mountains. I agree with the person who said that Utah and Colorado shouldn't be left out for 2009 or beyond. There are tons of amateur MTB folks in Colorado and Utahlet's acknowledge them. I'm biased, of course, because I live 45 mins from Deer Valley. :)

(3) How about paying independent agents to seek out and obtain out-of-industry sponsors? Example: If you sign up in advance to be an independent agent for the series, and after signing up, you cause a company to inquire about the series and that company eventually signs on as a sponsor of the series, you get 30% of the fee paid by that company to be a sponsor. That's what athletes' agents dofind sponsors for athletes that the athletes cannot find on their own, and the agents take a 30% fee (sometimes less, but 30% is usual) for getting the sponsor on board. The fee is high, but it's justified in my mind because, in theory, it's a sponsor that the athlete (or series) could not obtain unless the agent stepped aboard, and often, the agent spends significant time and money to obtain the sponsor (sometimes without actually obtaining one). For example, maybe a large marketing agent like Octagon could be hired to find sponsors? Octagon manages/owns tons of sporting events. They may not want it, but let's at least find out. OR, maybe any person who wants to be an agent should be hired to be an agentif someone thinks he or she can get a sponsor to sign up, great, let's sign that person up as an agent! I personally might be willing to connect some folks I know, but I would want to be paid to do it.

(4) USA cycling "no longer gets money for the MTB budget" except for license feesthis is hard to understand. I'm guessing it's not a complete story. Does USAC support any races financiallyroad, track, cross, BMX? If so, it seems that MTB races should also be supported by USAC. If not, fine.

(5) Why have bike industry folks chosen recently to shift their marketing budgets away from pro MTB XC racing in the US? I'm sure there are business/financial/other reasons for it. If we understand the reasons, we might be better able to get them involved again. Telling industry folks that they will lose the XC series or that they are essentially free loaders does not seem like an effective way to address industry folks. Can we change the reason why they left in the first place?

(6) Are the sponsorship categories listed at the end of Scott's proposal for bike industry folks or out-of-industry folks or for either one? Industry folks (and anyone who might be able to help out of industry) will need to know.

(7) It seems like title sponsorship should cost more than it does, compared to the cost of corporate sponsorhip. It seems that the title sponsor would receive at least 100% more exposure (if not 200% more, simply because its name is constantly bantered about when referring to the name of the series). In short, the pricing for each category needs to be proportionate to the benefits otherwise, you have a hard time selling the category that seems over priced. I'm not sure the pricing is proportionate as proposed.

(8) Adding magazine advertising (in virtually all of the industry mags) as a benefit of sponsorship is interesting. It's almost as though you are controlling how the sponsors choose to activate their sponsorship. It's definitely vital to make sure your sponsors activate their sponsorship somehow (otherwise, sponsorship is worthless and unsuccessful), but I'm not sure I like doing it this way. As far as using the magazine ads to benefit the series itself, I don't think that the magazine ads will bring more amateurs to the races. (Having internet web sites for the series and paying for a few well placed internet ads, on local web sites, seem like the most economical ways to get amateurs to know about, come to, and race in the races.) But, if I'm an industry person, I might rather activate my sponsorship differently. In short, you could make the sponsorship cost significantly less by cutting the magazine ads and then letting each sponsor use that freed up money to activate their sponsorship as each one pleases. Some sponsors will spend a lot to activate, others will spend very little to activate, but it seems to me that you can make the right/opportunity to be a series sponsor cost quite a bit less (and thus, easier to sell) by cutting out the magazine ads.

(9) I like most of the proposed organization for the operation of the proposed seriessuch as UCI points, festival atmosphere, including Sea Otter, etc. Just want that Utah venue! :)

That's it. :)

Checking back I can't help to comment on a few developements. I don't think any of this constructive criticism is intended to bash Scott, Shoair, or the valiant effort to improve the race situation. I applaud your willingness to help!
However, I couldn't stand behind another failed system. The NCS died now the NMBS died and I don't want to see this plan fail too. Simply having a nice guy step in a pony up a bunch of cash to prop thing up for another year is ridiculous.
If Team Big Bear wasn't making money that is their own fault. We are in a free market and the market has said "no". This is flawed business plan plain and simple.
Now, as for those who are goose stepping in line here: why? are you ignorant or simply a taker willing to hang Scott out to dry? I have raced these events off and on since 1996 and not many of them got rave reviews from anyone I know.
I am a "pro" and don't get paid. I have never finished in the money at a National event (when there was a prize) so I can speak freely.
Manny and JB have to support this... Why? Manny is part of Shoair team and JB just got one of the biggest payoffs of his career at AMC. I have all the respect in the world for you guys but get serious: you aren't going to bite the hand that feeds you, right?
Anyway, there are very few "pros" making any money at all in this country so anything to insure their livelihood is taken hook, line and sinker.
As for being competitve on the world scale that requires competition not a series. Racers need something to race for here...
The Olympics are a great sign of how low we have gone. What a disaster. USAC mountain bike development plan is another failed business model. These are the "chosen" ones we will support them. It is the same guys and gals. No real new talent? Why because the same people are on the take. The sponsors, teams, USAC, has chosen the "best " racers and thats it. Period. Maybe if other people got a chance to cover their expenses, train, recover, and not start at the back of the "national" field, you may see some new faces in the magazines.
So I digress but it is critical to get to the heart of this issue before another "series" goes broke. I love racing but I will not stand idily by while Shoair burns its money away supporting my cause.
Maybe USAC new category plan will solve everything or nothing... *chuckle*

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promtbracer

I attended and raced the American Mountain Classic, but unlike Mr promtbracer, i thought it was the best money i ever spent on any race ive been to in the last 8 years,( he must have crashed or didnt win his class and needed a cry towel ). and i would recommend it to anyone who is serious about racing their legs off, it was awesome!!
Well at the awards Scott Tedro spoke for a few minutes. What he spoke about was the decline of mountain bike racing in America, about our country inventing the sport and now being unable to field competitive racers and taking a back seat to the Europeans. What he spoke was the truth, we the tribe must unite to bring back the glory to the stars and stripes, so ideas are what will make this happen. I remember growing up in the motocross culture, the euros came over for decades and kicked our asses constantly. It wasnt until the 80's that we got serious and showed the world how talented we were on two wheels, now the world cant hold a flame to the USA, Its time to do the same thing with our sport, we need to rare our heads up and fight to the finish. So whats going on with the ideas is going in the right direction, doesnt mean that they are all good ideas, it just means that the more we have the better decision we can make. Scott is headed in the right direction, and all that he wants is to make our sport stronger, for us to compete against the world and win. Because of that he has my support. Now with that in mind i do have a few concerns with whats being discussed. Along with most other comments i have read i dont understand having three dates in california ? Why not call it the california cup ? Now i may be wrong here but mountain bike racing should take place in the mountains, yes? Not one date in Utah or Colorado ? I understand not going to Colorado, they are dedicated to the MSC and they have an elitist attitude that makes it a drag to go there sometimes, but Utah has always been a wonderful host to the national series and has a number of venues to bring first class racing to the rank and file. And look at the lack of anything close to the midwest or to Texas, last time i checked a lot of people live in the midwest and Texas, that means a lot of people ride bikes in those places too. I guess there are no easy answers to this situation. As far as the questions surrounding where the money will come from, its time the bike companies stop treating us all like sheep and more like valued customers, i know i would feel better about buying a $5000 bike from a company who supports what i do. The Big Bear people were treated like step children by the industry, all everyone wanted to do was [censored] and cry about this and that. Well Tom did a thankless job for how many years now with little or no support and all the community did was complain. If it wasnt for Team Big Bear there wouldnt have been any racing, thanks TBB. So we are at a crossroads, its time for the tribe to stand and take control, we can complain like a bunch of snotty children, or we can unite, stand up and kick some [censored] like the motocross tribe did !!!!

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skullybones

I've known Scott Tedro for over 5 years, with a big company to run and 1000s of things to worry about he is taking the time to help the USA racing scene, so far him and his company has spend over $300.000 supporting our sport and community, from sponsoring events like the AMC, Vision Quest to sponsoring individuals like me and Sid Taberlay as well as the local Velo Sport club, there is no direct return for a freight company like Sho-Air in the MTB industry, but Scott does it because he loves the sport that saved his live got him to be fit and healthy again.

I feel honored that he is taking the time to make this happen, sure I have things I will like to see at the events, but first the series needs to happen before we make plans, as it is it looks like there will be no series for 2009, so lets all step up and support this.

One thing I wanted to note is the current situation of the series, I always though that Tom Speagel from team big bear was bagging tons of cash and always felt angry that pros were racing for no price money, before I knew anything about him or his team of hard working people I used to have my opinion, but now that I know all the #s I came to realized that they barely make it each year and the last thing they have money for is for price money, I now feel lucky to have had the chance to race the 2008 NMBS series, I want this race series to continue to happen and get better with the support of the bike industry.

The ones that should be steeping up to support this should be companies like Specialized, Trek, Giant and all the other major bike companies that make a killing out the bikes and product we purchase, not Sho-Air not Team big Bear not USA cycling.

I support 100% what Scott is doing and hope that the race scene in the USA will be as good as it is in Europe where 1000s of spectators got to check out the race and TV covers the event.

Ben has a point. If we are to compete Internationally, we need more courses that mirror the technical WC courses.

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john fish

Hey Dana! For the "demographic" question... I haven't checked my demographic info in a year, but at last look, the average DH racer in North America had about an $80,000 per year annual income. That's a ton of bread for just about anywhere..except CA, where it would only cover the cost to water a 10 X 10 lawn in a month. XC racers ranked a bit under that...I think it was about 65K. Those figures are going to be off though, for the current economic situation...just not sure how much.

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Chris Sharp
Backbone Adventure Cycling
www.backboneracing.com

Santa Ynez? Seriously? How about a real mountain bike race. I like the idea of the new series but Im not hauling my [censored] to California 3 times to race shitty races. I did that last season and Im not doing it again. Why would I drive 14 hours to race in lame [censored] Santa Ynez when I could drive a couple hours and race a Mountain States Cup race. If you want to attract more people to the sport of mountain bike racing, don't include races like Santa Ynez. How can you call it the United States Cup when 3 of the 7 races are in California. It doesn't make sense. With that said I think it is a step in the right direction. However it ends up it cant be worse than the NMBS series has been for the past couple of sesons.

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www.benkraushaar.blogspot.com

AJ here, my memories go way back to the days when there was lots of $.
I think the sport is not well. Like an infirmed person just getting up from the sick bed who you don't ask to go back to work right away MTB racing does not need to go straight back to where it needs to be.
JB, sorry. The sport is not ready to support you guys needs. I think with races like Sea Otter you will get some UCI points, but to ask that much from a start-up series, as you can see, is putting a lot of strain on the planning and causing these guys to make a lot of compromises that the regular person is not too happy about. Without the regular guys entry fees coming in there is no series.
We have to build the foundation before we can add the penthouse, so to speak.
Imagine the MTB NRC series with 10 races all at appropriate locations across the country.
Imagine if Sho-Air only needed to work with each of the 10 promoters to link each event, leaving Sho-Air to do the marketing.
To be brief, it sounds like Shoair is talking of investing a lot of money so a few guys can have a good start position at a UCI event. Save yourself the headache and just pay these guys to live in Europe and race a few events, it would be cheaper.
I think the US did great at the Olympics and we can be proud of them, but the Olympics are doing nothing for our sport here n the US that I know of. This is still a sport of participants, not fans.
Let's turn inward and fix our situation, then we will be healthy enough to worry about UCI points and sending a couple of guys to some Olympic race, even if it takes a few years.
Again, great to see ShowAir working here. thanks

Scott - a couple questions:

Do you know who at USA Cycling can racers write to asking that more funding go towards mtn bike promotors (especially a national series)?? Their "National Ranking Series" calendar looks nice on the website - but not a single racer considers that an important series. From your above post it sounds like we need USAC to show more support to the national series.

Possible option for 09?? I agree that UCI status should be required for the series in the future. But adding a midwest event (non-UCI) for 09 will make the series stronger and have appeal to more riders throughout the country. I live in CA and love driving to the races, but even I think ping one of the CA races in favor of something central would be a positive. This might a few $ from the series cost to promote as well.

Has anyone put together demographic info that can be sent to potential sponsors? This is easy to gather via e-mail surveys. While not as important for industry sponsors, it will be hard to reach non-industry sponsors without it.

-Dana

We are happy that something positive is being done to improve the national series situation and we will race all of the races however as a future request, the future of racing depends on the juniors and with 4 races during the school year and 3 in CA, it makes it very difficult for non CA junior racers to compete and also attend school. More summer races and a variety of courses (more technical courses) would be nice but we are happy that at least something is being done. The shorter European style courses and separating the DH from XC is good. At any NMBS race, there were $100,000s of amateur purchased bikes from each major bike company. The bike companies need to step up.

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john fish

I have to agree with Scott on the "greedy race promoters" comment. I don't know any promoters OR team owners/managers that do this and make $. The cost for forest/land use permits and insurance is rapacious. I have several TV studio contacts I am working with as we speak to cover these events, but we will certainly need to give the DH guys a Championship event, and my monopoly worries still remain.

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Chris Sharp
Backbone Adventure Cycling
www.backboneracing.com

Chris and all,

Thank you very much for your comments those for, against and neutral are all welcome and appreciated!

To address some of the questions:

First and foremost, this is just a starting point, there are lots of details to work out and the most important thing is to get the ball rolling. The #1 priority is to improve the experience for the amateur racer as well as provide UCI points for the Pro riders. TV is not an option for this year, I was approached at the end of July to put this together and I just don’t have the time to pursue the option, nor do we have anything to sell to TV at this point. We need to put together a good year with success so we have something to offer.

Race locations and venues, yes I realize that this is heavily waited toward the west cost, however, we have to have a starting point and this is what we could get committed on such short notice, we are trying to add a few locations, but we had to get in our requests to the UCI by September 1st, so we had about 30 days to get this thing put together. Cost is also a factor, we are looking to develop a partner on the east coast that can put on a separate “East Coast Series” that would be combined with the West/Midwest series that would establish our Pro #1 plate and amateur champions, that will be a definite for 2010 but we just didn’t have time this year. We may still be able to pull it off for 09, as Kelli Lusk and USA Cycling are assisting us with that possibility, however if we cannot get the support need for what we have now, that can never happen.

I am not sure if you all know why the UCI Points are so important. To the amateur and for the most part the average pro, they mean nothing, but to the top tier and up and coming riders they are very important as they establish a riders starting position at the world cup races which is imperative for a good result, if our riders are starting in 95 place at the start, a top 20 is virtually impossible. Another point, if we want World Cup riders to consider racing here, they need to be able to get UCI points and a decent payout.

Having the races UCI ranked is very expensive and last year the only races that were UCI ranked out of the entire 36 events on the USA Cycling Calendar were the NMBS races, which is a big reason why they lost money. It costs approximately $4500.00 for a UCI 1 ranked event, plus you must pay for the UCI mandated Referees at a cost of approximately $6500.00, so it is between $10000.00 and $12000.00 just so the PRO riders can get points for World Cup rankings and more importantly UCI points establish what PRO riders qualify for the Olympics and how many riders a country can send to the Olympics.

I know that to the average racer this may not be important, but, I consider it a tragedy and an embarrassment to us all if our PRO riders cannot obtain points in the USA to qualify for our own Olympic Team. If this series does not happen, they will be forced to race outside the USA if they want to earn points to qualify for the Olympics!

Trust me, it is not my great desire to run a National Series, quite the contrary, I was perfectly happy sending my riders to race at the NMBS and not having to get involved, however, they are broke and out of business and if we don’t all get together and try to do something, there will not be a series in 2009. The plan I have put forth is not perfect, far from it, but I am working with industry people to bring it together as best and as fast as we can. To be honest with you all, I should not be the one leading the charge, I have little experience on a bike (4 years) and know very little about how things used to be back in the glory days, but, nobody else is stepping up. Why, because the manufactures don’t see the value in this series, because you the public are not unified in the support of it and you are not demanding that they get behind it! In fact to me, the National Series should be run by the manufactures, it should be the Manufactures Cup. That being said, I will say that several manufactures are stepping up and at least we are talking, so please keep the posts coming, get everyone to post, even if it is just to say, “for it” or “against it” they are watching and reading and we need lots of people to post and show them you care.

Bye the way I do want to address one comment that was made, a poster stated

“The industry has been bleed for long enough by greedy race promoters. Running a National Series should be looked at as a privilege”

I am not sure what “greedy race promoters” you are talking about, the NMBS went broke! Tom and Frosty are heroes in my broke, these two guys put up the money and paid for everything with very little help from the rest of the industry and they lost their buts, but they tried! Back in the glory days for NORBA they were paid $30000.00 per event from USA Cycling for each National event in the series, for the last 5 plus years, they get nothing! Why, because USA Cycling no longer gets money for the MTB budget other then the $65.00 they collect for a license and that money has to support everything they do. Do the math, I have seen all of the numbers and I will tell you, these guys did see it as a privilege and they busted their buts to try to keep it going, and all they got was complaints and bulls#it from people that don’t know what they are talking about!

If you all want this, I will try my best to make it happen, if not, then I will put my time and resources elsewhere. Please spread the word and make posts, For/Against all are welcome and appreciated.

Happy riding everyone!

R. Scott Tedro
President
Sho-Air International

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Team Sho-Air

I feel USA Cycling and Manafactures are to blame.
They need to learn from the AMA (American Motorcycle Assoc.)
Instead of trying to put 200lbs. of crap in a 50lbs. bag on race weekend, USA cycling should have seperate racing series throughout the year where riders that excel at a particular event choose to compete. And an appropriate Pro purse is presented from the sponsors envolved.
Example, AMA Pro racing has Supercross, Motocross, Enduro , GNCC, WORCS, Hillclimb,...etc.
Manafactures send full factory support to each race venue.
You don't see "Bubba" Stewart finish his Supercross main and an hour later compete in an enduro.
The bike companies could afford this, afterall $6500.00 for a bike with no motor!!
So they will have to be wise when choosing race venues based on climate in some areas, but we should be also be able to race in any condition if we are true competitors.
There should be a DH series, XC series, Short Track series, Super-D series, 4-cross series, ..etc.
All these should be at different venues from each other so the race weekend runs smoothly.
Run Pro qualifiers to weed out the the competition in some events where only the best will be in the main events.
Also, we need it to be advertised in the mainstream media. By a billboard, a commercial on cable, an ad in a newspaper,... etc.
It cost $$, but in America now a days it takes money to make money so dig in.
Just My Thoughts I am Sure I Ill Have More.

While an ambitious plan, I did not see any mention of television coverage.
At this point without a network carrying the riders, teams, venues and
vendors into the homes of people outside cycling's sphere of influence (or
in the states between the race venues), we will quickly find ourselves back
at square one. I can find bowling and women's golf, the WNBA and even
BASEBALL (god save us) on television, but no mountain bike races on even a
fringe network. I am also very concerned with what would quickly become a
monopoly /conflict of interest. If the series is run by SHO-AIR will there
be true impartiality with a protest against a non SHO-AIR racer?

USA Cycling's recent change in rider categorization does not address the
condition that exists with sandbagging. Eliminating an entire category
(Semi-Pro) certainly won't help this with racers not upgrading themselves as
a result of "top 5" race finish placement or being asked/required to
upgrade. If they (USA Cycling) are understaffed and have NO ability to
enforce rider upgrades now, removing an entire category level beneath the
Pro level certainly pushes this in the wrong direction.

It appears this proposal does not include a downhill Championship race, of
which without lacks incentive for gravity racers to compete in a series.
SHO-AIR focuses on XC riders while the rest of the disciplines are forced to
play second fiddle. Gravity racing is more spectator friendly and has a far
greater potential to draw a major (or minor) television audience/network.
A large portion of the industry rely on sales of gravity related goods
(tires, wheels, pads, helmets, frames, etc.) to pay their bills, by not
tapping into this market resource weakens the overall proposal.

"Current timing" Over the last several years the timing/scoring has forced
very long race days waiting for result tabulation and award presentations.
Perhaps an updated system would be one less thing (next to race fees) that
racers will continually complain about.

A "festival atmosphere" sounds awesome too, but there was little mention of what might
propagate this. Are there ideas of...bands coming, Roller Derby chicks?
Circus midgets? I love (height challenged) circus employees!

Swag is awesome too, but as far as I know, there really aren't a ton of
companies that have the cash for swag during good economic times...let alone
the current situation. Where will the swag come from?
What is the ENTRY FEE PRICE going to be? Has that been established? No
mention of that was made either, and it should be clarified. Riders and
team budgets can barely sustain the costs now (a big reason for the crappy
turnouts), how much does it go up? The "Top Scoring Team" idea is great,
except that when you field 5 out of 7 of the riders in every class and every
age group, you kind of stack the deck. That would bring us back to monopoly
issues again. Oh, and FREE PARKING AND PIT AREAS cost 12 thousand
dollars? How is that free? Teams should get free parking for coming to the
events, and should be allowed room for at least a 10X20 foot E-Z up for
their riders. Without the teams, there are no riders...without the riders,
there are no races.

I applaud SHO-Air's willingness to sink cash into this venture, but we will HAVE to court television first. I am very pleased at the efforts, but we should fine tune this thing a bit and make it a little closer to perfect so it can stick.

-----------------------------
Chris Sharp
Backbone Adventure Cycling
www.backboneracing.com

4 races in 6 weeks?! all on the west coast? Even though I live in Colorado, which is much closer to these early season races than many other people living on the East Coast, that still sounds rough for anyone trying to make it to every race (because all 7 count!).
I love that this series is getting a new face because the more people who voice their opinions the more the promoters will know what we want. And I feel many good things will come just from the fact that we are talking about it.

The dates for these races simply will not work, especially for a racer in school... either college or high school. No student is out of class around this time of year (March-April). Lets use summer what it is for and race bikes during summer time.
If we are to support the U-23 and Junior ranks of this sport, it doesn't make much sense to host the majority of the season at far-off venues where a student would have to miss several days of class (right before finals) in order to be competitive at these races. While going to school and trying to race bikes professionally is something us U-23 guys and girls have decided to do all on our own, it would still be a great help if more people were informed of our situation of being poor and trying to get an education.


Prize Money: I think Prize money could be filtered through more categories. When lots of money is being thrown into a sport things can get out of control. (I.E. the doping situation in the European Peloton.) When the stakes get raised due to money, people will start to do whatever it takes. This is why I have grown to love the Sport of American Mountain Biking where no top pros in the last several years have been doping. It has sustained itself as such a clean sport because it has not been 'corrupted' by lots of money.

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www.trevordowning.com

I'm disappointed that the southeast is being left off the calendar. Bring back Helen,Ga, Texas and Traverse City, MI.

Thank you Scott and Steve! This is a great step towards a revitalized national series and we all need to support them. Of course we all have our own feedback and constructive criticism on how things “should” be, but without the proposed Sho-Air series we have nothing – so let’s all get behind it!

The sport of mountain biking is alive and well – it’s just racing (especially at the pro level) that needs to be re-energized. I don’t have statistics, but know that in SoCal mountain biking is every bit as popular as road cycling. Yet the NRC road series is a financial success while the NMBS was barely existing. The mountain bikers are out there, potential racers and fans alike, but the event promotion has been missing. Many recreational cyclists know who Hincapie or Lephiemer are, but have never heard of Todd Wells or Geoff Kabush! Scotts proposed sponsorship and marketing options are the direction we need to go – let’s spread the word.

A few other things that will impact the success of the series in the future:
1. A Midwest race is a must. Several Midwest states (TX, WI) already promote races with bigger turnouts then the NMBS, they NEED to become part of the series. Bigger turnouts sponsors and money.
2. Ease of venue access makes a difference – turnout at Santa Ynez and Brian Head proved this. Santa Ynez and Angel Fire will face this challenge in 09.
3. Short track (pro and jr x only) on Saturday with XC on Sunday is hugely more spectator friendly than the current race schedule. Spectator friendly sponsors and money.

Thank you Scott and Steve! This is a great step towards a revitalized national series and we all need to support them. Of course we all have our own feedback and constructive criticism on how things “should” be, but without the proposed Sho-Air series we have nothing – so let’s all get behind it!

The sport of mountain biking is alive and well – it’s just racing (especially at the pro level) that needs to be re-energized. I don’t have statistics, but know that in SoCal mountain biking is every bit as popular as road cycling. Yet the NRC road series is a financial success while the NMBS was barely existing. The mountain bikers are out there, potential racers and fans alike, but the event promotion has been missing. Many recreational cyclists know who Hincapie or Lephiemer are, but have never heard of Todd Wells or Geoff Kabush! Scotts proposed sponsorship and marketing options are the direction we need to go – let’s spread the word.

A few other things that will impact the success of the series in the future:
1. A Midwest race is a must. Several Midwest states (TX, WI) already promote races with bigger turnouts then the NMBS, they NEED to become part of the series. Bigger turnouts sponsors and money.
2. Ease of venue access makes a difference – turnout at Santa Ynez and Brian Head proved this. Santa Ynez and Angel Fire will face this challenge in 09.
3. Short track (pro and jr x only) on Saturday with XC on Sunday is hugely more spectator friendly than the current race schedule. Spectator friendly sponsors and money.

All sports are subservient to one incontrovertible truth they are in the entertainment business. US Road Cycling has only recently discovered that there is no exception to this rule. Without fans, there is no business. Attract fans to the venue and provide them with a compelling product. Then you sell to them, which funds everything else.

Up to now, the sport seems to have been participant-centric, with little thought to the fan base. This model is not financially viable.

How does one make it as easy as possible for enthusiasts to engage in this product ? 1. They must be located near urban markets with critical mass - this immediatly eliminates most ski resorts. 2. It must hold their attention - you cannot send racers out into the woods for two hours, Beijing's 8-lap course was great for audience participation and facilitated easier camera coverage. It was also held in an urban park. The digital update/scoreboard - even a video monitor (horrors/sacrilege) is a great idea. And 3. It must be affordable - excessive travel cost and travel time commitment are currently a barriers (see 1).

-----------------------------
Dave Curtis

America invented the sport of mountain biking. Wake up people it’s time to do more than talk about what could be better and pick up the shovel. Thank god there is someone with the balls to propose something dynamic exciting and new! Scott Tedro and Sho-Air International are proven successful. He is the president of a multi-million dollar cooperation. Not only does the dude get it, he has DONE it. And now, he is willing to share this experience to reinvigorate the United State’s racing scene!

Yes, many good points have been made and I agree with many of them. It is important that people care about the health of mountain bike racing in America and it is a good sign to see the up swell of comments on the topic.

Some have asked why will this series be different? There are major reasons!
Marketing!!!
Pre event media campaigns
Internet TV coverage
School visits from the Teams.
An action race calendar backed by USAC
Mountain Bike Action (I love U) Monthly ride with the Pro contests.

Logistics.
It costs less to drive less.
With the key races within a 1-hour drive of major markets this encourages more spectators and racers.

A group of events that includes Sea Otter means teams and riders can benefit from doing one less “national” and focusing on what is best in our country. I am lobby for the Cactus Cup in Las Vegas to part of the series for its continuity with these ideas.

Innovation makes this series different than anything before it.
Stage races,
Mountain Bike Action style short courses!
Major prize money that will attract top international riders, and increase the “stakes” adding to the suspense and raising the perceived integrity of events among spectators

This effort will be a work in progress. But better something good, than nothing.
The United States needs the UCI points to get its young riders to the World Champs and to qualify for Olympic spots. The future of our Olympic athletes depends on these efforts.
The future of American mountain biking’s place in the world is at stake.

Join me in endorsing this concept and spreading the hope that it is part of the answer.

Jeremiah Bishop
Trek/Volkswagen Racing Team

America invented the sport of mountain biking. Wake up people it’s time to do more than talk about what could be better and pick up the shovel. Thank god there is someone with the balls to propose something dynamic exciting and new! Scott Tedro and Sho-Air International are proven successful. He is the president of a multi-million dollar cooperation. Not only does the dude get it, he has DONE it. And now, he is willing to share this experience to reinvigorate the United State’s racing scene!

Yes, many good points have been made and I agree with many of them. It is important that people care about the health of mountain bike racing in America and it is a good sign to see the up swell of comments on the topic.

Some have asked why will this series be different? There are major reasons!
Marketing!!!
Pre event media campaigns
Internet TV coverage
School visits from the Teams.
An action race calendar backed by USAC
Mountain Bike Action (I love U) Monthly ride with the Pro contests.

Logistics.
It costs less to drive less.
With the key races within a 1-hour drive of major markets this encourages more spectators and racers.

A group of events that includes Sea Otter means teams and riders can benefit from doing one less “national” and focusing on what is best in our country. I am lobby for the Cactus Cup in Las Vegas to part of the series for its continuity with these ideas.

Innovation makes this series different than anything before it.
Stage races,
Mountain Bike Action style short courses!
Major prize money that will attract top international riders, and increase the “stakes” adding to the suspense and raising the perceived integrity of events among spectators

This effort will be a work in progress. But better something good, than nothing.
The United States needs the UCI points to get its young riders to the World Champs and to qualify for Olympic spots. The future of our Olympic athletes depends on these efforts.
The future of American mountain biking’s place in the world is at stake.

Join me in endorsing this concept and spreading the hope that it is part of the answer.

Jeremiah Bishop
Trek/Volkswagen Racing Team

America invented the sport of mountain biking. Wake up people it’s time to do more than talk about what could be better and pick up the shovel. Thank god there is someone with the balls to propose something dynamic exciting and new! Scott Tedro and Sho-Air International are proven successful. He is the president of a multi-million dollar cooperation. Not only does the dude get it, he has DONE it. And now, he is willing to share this experience to reinvigorate the United State’s racing scene!

Yes, many good points have been made and I agree with many of them. It is important that people care about the health of mountain bike racing in America and it is a good sign to see the up swell of comments on the topic.

Some have asked why will this series be different? There are major reasons!
Marketing!!!
Pre event media campaigns
Internet TV coverage
School visits from the Teams.
An action race calendar backed by USAC
Mountain Bike Action (I love U) Monthly ride with the Pro contests.

Logistics.
It costs less to drive less.
With the key races within a 1-hour drive of major markets this encourages more spectators and racers.

A group of events that includes Sea Otter means teams and riders can benefit from doing one less “national” and focusing on what is best in our country. I am lobby for the Cactus Cup in Las Vegas to part of the series for its continuity with these ideas.

Innovation makes this series different than anything before it.
Stage races,
Mountain Bike Action style short courses!
Major prize money that will attract top international riders, and increase the “stakes” adding to the suspense and raising the perceived integrity of events among spectators

This effort will be a work in progress. But better something good, than nothing.
The United States needs the UCI points to get its young riders to the World Champs and to qualify for Olympic spots. The future of our Olympic athletes depends on these efforts.
The future of American mountain biking’s place in the world is at stake.

Join me in endorsing this concept and spreading the hope that it is part of the answer.

Jeremiah Bishop
Trek/Volkswagen Racing Team

This is great. To see the sport get a breath of fresh air is very encouraging and long overdue. For the past several years the word promoter has meant develope a schedule and set-up the venue. Promotor implies "marketing" not event set-up. It has discouraging to attend races in places like Deer Valley and Fontana and see no local publicity, no newspaper or TV coverage and a community that does not even realize a National Bike Race is going on. Thank you. I would suggest that you consider a payout that goes deeper. At least 10 deep if not 15 or 20. The atheletes are starving and the motivation for a deeper payout will encourage better participation. For the spectators updated timing equipment with a board showing the riders positions and updates from mid-points of the race would really help get spectators involved. Small things like posting results within minutes of the race's completion will help those interested follow races. Race courses should take on the design of World Cup courses. Shorter laps, more laps, technical areas, etc. One could argue this is why spectators lack participation and why our riders typically do not fair well on the WC circuit. To keep the race truely national, in future years you should include at least one race in the "fly over states". Thank you for your efforts, this sport needs you.

This looks like a breath of fresh air to a dying sport. I would suggest you adjust the payouts to go deeeper. Say the top 10 or maybe top 15. In the future, consider at least one race in the "fly over states". Paying attention to the fans, courses more like World Cup courses, shorter, more laps, technical sections would help. Timing equipment needs to be brought into the 20 century so spectators can tell who is what place the last time thru start/finish area. Information from the course on placings at mid-points would help get spectators more interested. Make sure results are posted online within minutes of the finish rather than several days latter. These acts of professionalism will help. The additional marketing is paramount. It absolutely amazes me that races like Deer Valley and Fontana do not have local media coverage. No newspaper articles, no news up dates. The Promotor should be marketer not a venue set-up specalist. Thank you and go for it. Search for more out of industry sponsors!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From a non USA citizen, but casual USA racer, I’d like to give my opinion: It's about time someone stuck their neck out and tried to make a difference to the sport in America. I've seen the top of the sport of mountain biking, with several top 10 finishes in world cups and even won USA national series races (old NORBA series). I remember when NORBA's used to be the biggest MTB events in the world, now they are on par with club races in Europe. I personally believe things are what you make them. I've heard nothing but people complaining about racing in America and obviously I would expect the sport to continue on a downward direction with that attitude. How do you expect the sport to grow with higher participation numbers that will attract sponsors if you are always complaining or talking things down? You can either get behind this new enthusiasm or you can continue to be skeptical and complain, but your sport will end up being what you make it. I haven’t heard of anyone else putting their hand up to move the sport forward, it is you choice whether you want to get behind this or not, but in the end it will be either the improvement of your sport or the extinction of mountain biking at a national level. I hope for the future generations of young USA riders people will get behind this and grow American Mountain Biking back to what it once was: at the top of the international racing schedule.

-----------------------------
Mtb Racer

Glad to see you taking the reigns. I don't want to sound too down, but this sounds like a re-hash of the old, failed and miserable NMBS series. We have to lose this build-it-and-they-will-come reasoning. Mountain biking is not a sport of luxury resorts, expensive hotels, lavish settings and high-dollar everything. A National series should be one that spans the nation. You have a series that is heavily West Coast then jumps over the country to the Northeast for a couple of weeks. Very easy for all the westcoast riders to drive to 5 of them, then take a 10 day vacation to fly out and race in VT and NY. You have 3 races in one State. There are 50. Then the pro payout looks terrible. Payouts used to go 20 deep, which made it half worth doing for up and comers. I am in full support of those who can make the podium, but lets face it, they are not the ones needing prize money to eat that week. We should be ashamed of the income most of these pros live on. Local races are able to pay pros and experts 100% prize money, why is it so hard to do that at a big race?
What I would like to see is an AMBC styled National Series (7 races is fine). One that people can afford to attend. I would like to see a National race with MTB Tent City in the background instead of some @#$% ski resort hotel.
Downhill and XC are not the same sport. The only thing in common is the chain and cassette, and maybe the seatpost. The industry guys need to suck it up, these two sports need to separate. The XC courses always have to go where there is a chair lift, and that limits the XC guys and limits race venues to just a few places.
Downhill is big enough to survive on it's own. XC needs to be free to go where the good courses are. So what if it makes the venues smaller! Who are we trying to please? The National Series in the past seems to just be a hill-climb series, because so many of the courses do nothing but climb straight the mountain and back down. Not everyone in the country is used to this style of racing.
As racers we are there for the national competition. Just because we come together from across the nation does not mean we need all this carnival fan-fare. I don't need your big signs, your massive starting gate tower, and all that other stuff you drag around. Fine if you want to do it, but it's ultimately costing us, the riders, more money. Local races are what they are because that is what the sport is, nothing more. Stick to the true sport.
Let's put the focus on the riders to begin with. This sport is tiny, so please keep it all in perspective. We are not on TV and nobody is impressed that you want to dress it up to look like a bigger sport.
One last thing: Please don't charge teams to park at your race! If you have to rely on them to fund the madness then something is rotten at the core. These teams support the riders that enter your race, let them keep their money so they can support more riders and travel to more races! They are the show, not you. They can grow the sport. Give them a setting to do their thing, even if they make lots of money doing it. The more they make the better off the sport is. Don't try to horn in on their success. The industry has been bleed for long enough by greedy race promoters. Running a National Series should be looked at as a privilege.

About time someone came along and grabbed this ailing part of the sport and did something with it. Maybe it would be smart to associate this with Woirld Cups? Pro pay has been needed for awhile. Can't call ourselves a pro sport with out payouts. Not the ridiculus pay outs from the NMBS. Watching this from the outside (non racer) it was kind of stupid for them to say the payout was a pro class, 250 to win? Get a better pay out at a local race. The proposed payouts should be kept as they are in the breakout above. Look at the US Open. 5k to win. Brought out some serious competition. Don't think the belt is a good idea though. Model it around the Moto series with the number 1 plate, stars and stripes jersey ect. Remember WWF is more show than go. Maybe add or move some of the races to the middle of the country instead of flying over it to race?

Where will the next generation be racing? Dragged my kid to all the NMBS races - and nobody showed up. Where were these 100+ kids at NOVA? At NOVA our kid raced up to 18 because he was the ONLY 15-year-old, in any category, to show up. And NOVA is 20 minutes from the 7th largest city in the U.S. NOVA was a ghost town - as was Deer Valley (25 min from Salt Lake),Wyndham and worst of all - Brian Head. Great courses, no people. Makes me frightened for the future of this sport.

This is in stark contrast to the level of competition at the NorCal - and now SoCal - High School Races - where 500 kids are racing and 1000 parents and fans are screaming and ringing cowbells, minting hundreds of new cyclists at every race. It is crystal clear that the future of this sport is in the model that Matt Fritzinger and Quintin Easton (SoCal) are creating. It is this model that should be scaled Nationwide, as soon as possible.

-----------------------------
Dave Curtis

I'm totally behind your plan Scott, my only concern is that there are no races anywhere near the central/midwest united states. Getting sea otter on board is great, as is mt snow and others but we all can't just pick up and drive 14+ hours to an event.

I am behind this new racing cup initiative 100%! This is incredible and I think us as mountain bikers, whether you race or not would be turning your back on the sport if you did not support this. Sure it may need some tweaks, but this is a start, and an amazing one at that. Once again I am very impressed, I believe this will lead to a win win situation for the sport and it's sponsors as a whole. Very very excited to see this happening.

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www.ColinOsborn.com

i know a lot of racers that weren't going to bother racing if the series was around next year due to the disorganization and lack of respect given to the downhill community by the national series. we all found it odd at award ceremonies when there weren't enough medals or jerseys to go around. it seemed like math 101 to us. so your plan sounds like it would be a HUGE change for the better. i like the proposed improvements in the amateur division. it's important to support people who are trying to get serious about the sport and as it stands now sport/beginners are pretty much invisible. it would be nice to have water and portapotties at the top and/or bottom of the race runs. it would be even nicer if the downhill race course, specifically the sport/beg, were true downhill courses. more often than not the trails are super D so if you're on a 40 + pound downhill bike, that's not meant to pedal uphill, it takes some of the fun out of the event. if i wanted to race super D i would race locally and save myself the hundreds of dollars spent going to just one national race. it's an agreement: i sign up for a downhill race therefore, i expect the entire trail to be downhill. i hope your proposal gets off the ground and you bring with it a sense of passion and pride that seemed to be lacking in the recent national series. please let me know if there is anything i can do to help. i'm currently not working and have a lot of time on my hands. i would love to, once again, watch television shows covering mountain biking and the races. hopefully, we can get back there again one day.

After racing XC for 15 years (and climbing to elite statusnot "professional" since that would imply actually making a living), I have some opinions on where we have been, where we are, and where we should be going...

I believe that one of the biggest mistakes ever was to marry XC and DH events. The two have had nothing in common for at least 10 years. DH is exlusive, XC inclusive. DH is a "extreme" sport, XC is what the general populus can relate to and participate in. Why is this a mistake? Because DH dictates the venue and makes it next to impossible for the sport to be spectator friendly to anyone outside the industry or the event itself.

I am going to stick my neck out and say this just sounds like more of the same because it doesn't address the main requirements to return mountain bike racing to the mainstream of society. For there to be a "national events" these are the qualifications that must be met:

30 minutes from airport at any of the 20 largest US cities.
Different venues EVERY year spead evenly throughout the contiguous US. (yes that means the midwest gets a shot, too)
50% or more of the funding comes from outside the bicycle industry. Why keep biting the hand that already feeds us?
mandatory press from at least two major media (paper and tele). Too many races go without noticeeven within the industry.
Courses where spectators have access to parking and multiple race locations within 30 minute walk.
Realistic plan to drive spectator interaction with the racers and event. (signings, interviews, awards directly following, concessions, give-aways, etc)
Individual race ownership and commitment from each supporting community
Courses that encourage various lines and passing so the holeshot is not the end.
Start money for Elites rather than the highest entry fees. We pay enough for travel, hotels, rental cars, food, etc.
Accomodation for elite racers from the community, vouchers for expensesafter all, the plan is to bring economic stimulus to the communities hosting these events.
Oh, maybe some real prize money would be nice.
Point of all this is a that the NCS NMBS and national calendars all have the same thing in common: saddling racers and industry with huge monetary obligation that has very little measureable value. For the record, I was at the American Mountain Classic and I thought it was the biggest waste of time and money of the year for me.
Anyway, I know I sound jaded, but that is because I see my sweetheart, the sport I have loved dearly since I was nine years old, still on life-support and taking another low blow.
It is time to pull the plug and move on. No more incarnations of the same old failed model. Save yourselves and all of us time and money and re-write the script from the ground up! After all, the only really successful event on this list is the Sea Otter. Why in the world would they want to be associated with and have their reputation jeopardized by becoming part of another disasterous "national series"?
Thanks for the opportunity to sound off and good luck it looks like we all are going to need it!

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promtbracer

The only critique I have is for the schedule. Why front load the west events, then move entirely to the east? Those of us with day jobs would like to race throughout the season, not just the first half. I don't mean make it regional, what I mean is come back to the west towards the end of the season too. Also, only 1 race in the rockies? None in Colorado? If this is a supposed to cover all of mountain bike america, I think a huge chunk is missing.

You guy's are a breath of fresh air to a declining race arena! Hopefully this all gets legs and takes off! There is alot of support for change on all side, Pro and Amateur. Best of luck in this endeavor . da hui.

Like stupidbike, I am in full support and stoked for a fresh new national series. Ever since the loss of Big Bear, the series has been sliding. The idea for a national series might feel antiquated because it has been run poorly in the past. We need a "major league" for the best male and female riders in the country that is run by outside-the box- thinking. We also need a major league for the sponsors and companies to showcase themselves as well. I remember when NORBA used to be on ESPN. Now spelling bees and the rock, paper, scissors world championships have taken its place. It has come to this not because mountain bike racing is lame, but because the promotion of the sport is non-existent. If you build it, they will come. See you at the starting line.

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roblikeybikey

The Nova Youth Cycling Foundation would love to work with this new series on getting more kids from schools on bikes and into races...We'll put our 100+kids from Arizona into the NOVA and work on getting more kids involved throughout! Seeya in Vegas.

Scott Keller
www.NovaYouthCycling.org

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www.NovaYouthCycling.org

Though the sport certainly thrives at the regional level it is a shame if there is no where to go from there. Watching our best riders travel thousands of miles overseas just to qualify for events at the world level can't be allowed. We must provide races and promote events that secure competition at all levels. I for one enjoy participating in events that draw the top professionals. It is a rare sport that lets you participate at the same venue as pros. And to the Bike Industry........I buy the same parts as the pros and I notice which company's banners are hanging at the races!

I support this effort 100% and will assure the team of 80 racers I direct supports it as well

www.teamrevolutionracing.com

This is what we need. A major series that puts money back to the sport and brings the show across the country. The races that matter are the one with all the fastest riders there. Without a series of races that attract all the pro riders we will lose the top end of our sport and not be able to compete at the World Cup level. Over the past few year prize money has really deteriorated at the national level and for a while it was absent, with more money we will attract faster riders and be able to grow the countrys top talent. I loved the NCS and NMBS series but this builds on what was there. With money in the sport nothing but good will happen.
All the plans with getting riders to the people that are outlayed in this proposal will help recreate the buzz that the sport used to have. It will help be provide the worth of supporting the sport for the sponsors. We need races that attract all the top talent to venues accross the country so that a variety of courses are raced on and as many different spectators will get to see them race and to race on the same courses.
Having World Cup style courses will make our riders more competitive at those events and creating riskier options for riders to save time will make great spectator locations.
We have seen for the past couple of years that the USAC national calender does not attract anyone unless it was associated with the NMBS. This series will be part of the USAC NRC and hopefully it will help get that calender to grab a better hold and really take off, because it is a great idea.
In the end this could be the saving grace for our elite sport. We now have a new hero for mountain biking.

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codypetersonracing.com

I think a national MTB series is a great idea. It is something that I would like to participate in.

While I applaud the effort and motivation behind this goal of maintaining a national series, I can't help but think that this idea of a national series is an antiquated one. With so many great regional races and series across this broad country, racing has grown better by becoming more regional. This old paradigm of a national series that forced a handful of pro teams to travel thousands of miles across the country and back every year seems outdated. The bike industry, IMBA, etc, have all developed and deployed regional teams/demo vans/reps that can serve their targeted markets much better... why insist on a national racing structure that takes authority away from the teams to develop schedules that make sense to them, and force them to adhere to a rigid national series calendar?

In this free market economy, why not leave it up to enterprising promoters to pay the UCI fees in order to draw the top teams out and secure a place on the USAC Mountain Bike national calendar? Is central planning really the most effective way to strengthen pro racing in the US? It doesn't seem to me like that model has worked very well for the past decade. What's changed now?

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www.dirtcritic.com