Added Venues, New Events Highlight Evolution of Series
(scroll down for more racing news)
Colorado Springs, Colo. ? USA Cycling announced today the schedule for the 2004-05 NORBA National Mountain Bikes Series along with some of the exciting and significant changes that will be implemented in an effort to improve the series. Management of the series for the next two years will fall under the cooperative efforts of Team Big Bear and Blue Wolf Events in a newly announced partnership with USA Cycling.
One of the most notable and well-received differences includes the end of an overall series points system to determine the U.S. National Mountain Bike Champion. Although overall series champions will still be crowned, the title of National Champion will be awarded at a one-day event open to domestic riders only, aligning the U.S. with the majority of national federations in the way that their National Championships are awarded.
In an effort to bring the sport of mountain biking to a larger audience, the series also includes three new stops closer to major metropolitan areas. The 2004 series will kick off in Waco, Texas, while the ?05 series will begin in Comfort, Texas. Snowmass Resort in Aspen, Colo. will also host a round of the series in each of the next two years. Additionally, all five venues that hosted events in 2003 will return for the 2004-05 season.
Also in the works are extreme format changes that include a four-race marathon series, a proposed point-to-point cross-country race, and a pro team relay. A stage race format that includes off-road time trials, cross-country and short-track events will also be introduced at a couple of rounds.
These changes will combine with the classic four stand-alone disciplines of downhill, mountain cross, short-track, and cross-country to enhance the series while keeping the integrity of the traditional mountain bike events intact for the purists.
Gerard Bisceglia, USA Cycling CEO, is excited about the planned changes and the direction of the series. ?We?re excited about the changes that will inject renewed enthusiasm into an already well-established national mountain bike series. The feedback from members and teams alike has been extremely positive as we take the series to the next level. The ability to expose the sport of mountain biking to new markets and give the members of USA Cycling more options and opportunities in terms of competition is great. Along with the one-day National Championship, we?re excited about the future of the series.?
Jeff Frost, Owner of Blue Wolf Events, expects the changes will benefit members of USA Cycling. ?The changes we are implementing for the 2004-05 NORBA National Mountain Bike Series will give NORBA license holders more value for their membership dollars. The position of the schedule, more racing on the weekends, and a higher number of events will allow people to pick and choose the ones they want to compete at. More options available will hopefully translate into greater participation. One of our goals is to service all categories of racing and attract riders, and we think that can be accomplished by thinking out of the box. We are also excited to bring racing to major metro areas, an idea that was encouraged by many pro teams in order to access new markets.?
The NORBA National Mountain Bike Series is North America's premier off-road cycling series. USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling in the United States. Blue Wolf Productions and Team Big Bear are the series management and promotions company, and are recognized as the USA's leading cycling and events management group.
2004-05 NORBA NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES
DATE VENUE EVENTS
March 11-15, 2004 Waco, Texas XC/ST/TT
Cameron Park/Broken Oak Ranch Marathon
March 3-6, 2005 Boerne/Comfort, Texas XC/ST/TT
Tapatio Springs Resort/Flat Rock Ranch
May 13-16, 2004 Snow Summit Resort, California XC/ST/DH/MTNX
May 12-15, 2005
June 10-13, 2004 Snowshoe Resort, West Virginia XC/ST/DH/MTNX
June 9-12, 2005 Marathon
June 17-20, 2004 Mount Snow Resort, Vermont XC/ST/DH/MTNX
August 25-29, 2005 Series Finals
July 29-August 1, 2004 Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho XC/ST/DH/MTNX
July 28-August 1, 2005
August 5-8, 2004 Aspen/Snowmass Resort, Colorado XC/ST/DH/MTNX
TBA 2005
August 26-29, 2004 Durango Mountain Resort, Colorado XC/ST/DH/MTNX
August 4-7, 2005 Marathon
New Format for U.S. MTB Nationals Announced
Mammoth Mountain to Host One-Day U.S. Mountain Bike Nationals
Colorado Springs, Colo. ? USA Cycling announced today its plans for a new method of determining U.S. National Mountain Bike Champions. Replacing the current points system will be a one-day, Americans only race to be held at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. in September. The new event, like the newly announced NORBA National Mountain Bike Series, will be co-organized by Team Big Bear and Blue Wolf Events.
The inaugural U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships are slated for Sept. 23-26, 2004 with the 2005 edition scheduled for Sept. 22-25.
The change, welcomed by virtually everyone involved, will align the U.S. with the rest of the world in the way it crowns its National Champions. It will also provide the opportunity for Americans to contest a true national championship against each other, with no foreign riders being allowed to participate.
A qualification process will also be implemented to qualify for the U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships, the guidelines of which will be released in the near future.
We?re enthused about the switch to a one-day national championship,? commented USA Cycling CEO, Gerard Bisceglia. ?This is something the members have asked for and wanted for a long time. The opportunity for Americans to race against each other for the stars and stripes in a ?winner take all? format will allow for more riders to seriously compete for a national title who otherwise may not have under the old system. This makes for a true national championship.?
Jeff Frost, Owner of Blue Wolf Events, feels the inaugural U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships are right where they belong at Mammoth Mountain. ?The creation of a one-day national championship is fantastic and holding it at Mammoth, a legendary and almost mythical spot with deep mountain biking roots just feels right.?
Park City Cycling Festival Unites National Championships
100 National Titles to be awarded during 11-Day Cycling Extravaganza
Colorado Springs, Colo. ? USA Cycling, along with Blue Wolf Events and Team Big Bear, announced today the creation of the Park City Cycling Festival presented by USA Cycling, an 11-day event that will host national championship competition for junior, espoir, and master categories.
Hosted by Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah and co-managed by Blue Wolf Events and Team Big Bear, the Park City Cycling Festival presented by USA Cycling is scheduled for August 12-22, 2004, taking advantage of several top-notch facilities that exist at and around Deer Valley Resort.
Bringing junior and master categories together at the same location for the first time at a national championship event, the Park City Cycling Festival presented by USA Cycling will crown 100 National Champions in men?s and women?s time trial, criterium, and road race events in junior, espoir and master classes. Also featured will be the first-ever women?s espoir road race and time trial, newly created events that will replace the current format that crowns the espoir women?s national champion.
The festival will also include tandem racing in both elite and master classifications. When the medal count is tallied, individual national titles will be awarded to 24 juniors, four espoirs, and 53 masters, while tandem championships will go to three elite and 16 master categories.
Although final details are still being finalized, the surrounding Park City environment will provide unique and challenging courses worthy of crowning a national champion. The road races will start and finish at Deer Valley Resort and feature a tour of the outlying communities while the criterium will be held on a circuit within the resort itself. The time trial will highlight one of the nation?s most unique landmarks, the Great Salt Lake, with a course planned on Antelope Island.
Also planned are various coaching and mechanic clinics and other cycling related activities that will offer something for everyone regardless if they are a competitor or not. The simple fact that many parents and coaches of junior riders are master riders themselves will also make for a family oriented atmosphere giving those athletes a rare chance to compete on similar courses during the same week.
?We?re excited about the new concept of an all-inclusive cycling festival,? said USA Cycling CEO, Gerard Bisceglia. It offers the rare opportunity to celebrate the sport with a gathering of industry folks and USA Cycling members alike. We certainly view it as a great event that will provide both fun and intense competition on the road, and a welcome occasion to bring cycling enthusiasts together.
Jeff Frost, Owner of Blue Wolf Events, expressed his hope and excitement at the creation of the festival. ?Along with Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear, we are excited to partner with the Park City Chamber of Commerce and USA Cycling to bring the first ever Park City Cycling festival to the state of Utah. It presents us with the opportunity to showcase various levels of cycling over challenging terrain, while giving Park City the opportunity to showcase its beautiful landscape, hospitable people, and world-class facilities.
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