USA Cycling announced today two significant changes to the previously announced 2006 National Mountain Bike Series. Organizers of the series have added a seventh event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA July 15-16. Additionally, both the date and the venue of the opening round in Southern California have changed.
Originally scheduled at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, CA on April 22-23, the season will now begin May 5-7 at Southridge Park in Fontana, CA, 50 miles east of Los Angeles.
NATIONAL OVERVIEW
Leading the charge in the number of events per series is the freshly revised dual slalom/mountaincross schedule. Five dual slalom events this year... Thank you Norba! Go grab your January 2006 issue and go to Down the Trail on page 114. That flashback photo of the Mammoth Mountain Dual Slalom Course is all about American mountain bike racing.
There are still three mountaincross events included in the 2006 National Dual Slalom/Mountaincross Series. Whether it's a DS or MX race in the schedule below, it will be counted as one series event. In total their are eight events in the DS/MX series.
Both the cross-country and downhill series have seven events each. There are six races in the short track and Super D disciplines, but only two events are scheduled for the marathon. Like last year, there's a good chance that the Marathon World Cup at Mont-Saint-Anne in Canada will again be counted as one event of the National Marathon series.
CONFLICTS
The first National Marathon at Deer Valley on July 8-9 also conflicts with the third Marathon World Cup in Villabassa, Italy. It won't hurt because no Americans seriously contested the full World Cup Marathon Series last year.
But what does hurt is that the May 5-7 National Downhill/Mountaincross opener is now on the same weekend as the first Downhill/4-Cross World Cup in Vigo, Spain. Where do you think Brian Lopes, Eric Carter and Jill Kintner are going to race?
REVISED 2006 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES SCHEDULE
May 5-7: Southridge Park, Fontana, CA...XC/ST/DH/MX/SD 1
Jun 10-11: Sugar Mountain Resort, Banner Elk, NC...XC/ST/DH/DS/SD 2
Jun 17-18: Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT...XC/ST/DH/DS/SD 3, MX 4
Jul 8-9: Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT...XC/ST/DH/SD 4, DS 5, MA 1
Jul 15-16: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA...MX 6, XC/DH 5
Aug 5-6: Brian Head Resort, Brian Head, UT...DS 7, XC/DH 6, ST/SD 5, MA 2
Aug 12-13: Snowmass Resort, Aspen, CO...DS 8, XC/DH 7, ST/SD 6
Event Key:
XC...Cross-Country
ST...Short Track
DH...Downhill
MX...Mountain Cross
DS...Dual Slalom
SD...Super D
MA...Marathon |