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The 2008 U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships will return to Mount Snow Resort in West Dover, VT for the second year in a row, July 17-20. More than 1000 athletes are preregistered to compete for a Stars-and-Stripes jersey in seven different styles of mountain bike racing, including the four riders set to represent the United States in the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
 
2008 Olympians Adam Craig (Bend, OR) and Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, MA) will be on hand to defend their 2007 national titles in the pro Olympic-style cross-country contest, along with Todd Wells (Durango, CO) and Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, C)) who have also qualified for Beijing. Fresh off the 2008 Mountain Bike World Championships, Cole Bangert (Twin Lakes, CO) and Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, CA) are set to defend their Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the pro downhill races on Sunday.
 
With over 2,000 competitors total expected to compete across beginner, sport, expert, semi-pro and professional categories, the 2008 U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships will also feature several
additional disciplines of mountain bike competition including short track, dual slalom, Super D, observed trials and single speed cross-country. Although online registration is now closed, on-site
registration will be available.
 
Utilizing largely the same routes as the 2007 competition, athletes can expect demanding and technical courses that will challenge the best. This year’s cross-country competition will cover a five-mile loop as in 2007 with race lengths from five miles for the 12 & under juniors, to 25 miles for the professionals. For a complete list of race lengths and lap counts, smoke up http://www.mountsnow.com/usa_bike/2008_laps.pdf

The 2008 downhill competition will feature two different courses with one specifically suited for the beginner and sport classes and the other designed to challenge the skills of the nation’s top pro gravity
riders. For course maps on both the cross-country and downhill competitions, hit up
http://www.mountsnow.com/usa_bike/usa_2008/maps.html
 
In addition to the various off-road cycling competitions, USA Cycling is set to present the four U.S. Olympic mountain bikers with their official Olympic jersey during a special ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on
Saturday, July 19. At that time the national governing body will also be announcing the dates and host venue of the 2009-10 U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships. 
 
Norba now has a 20 year history in hosting world-class mountain bike competitions including World Cups and National Mountain Bike Series events. Mount Snow’s hosting of last year’s U.S. National Championships marked the first time the resort held a standalone national championship event since the format was introduced in 2004. With a reputation for having some of the most technical terrain in the
country, Mount Snow is honored to be the first East Coast venue ever to host the U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships.