Colorado Springs, Colo. (November 9, 2009) – USA Cycling announced today the dates and locations for the majority of its 2010 National Championship events. Next year, sixteen events will provide professional and amateur cyclists of all ages with opportunities to race for Stars-and-Stripes jerseys in five disciplines of competitive cycling. Of the fourteen events whose locations have been determined, nine are returning to their 2009 locations and five are headed to new host cities.

The nation’s BMX riders will be the first to compete for national titles in 2010. Slated for March 20, the USA Cycling BMX National Championships will return to the Metroplex BMX in Desoto, Texas where riders in both Challenge and Elite categories will compete for national titles in 20” and 24” Cruiser Class and Championship Class events.

The University of Wisconsin will play host to the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships as student-athletes contest the final race of their 2009/2010 season. After two years in Fort Collins, the event will move to the mid-west and see nearly 300 collegiate teams from around the nation duke it out for bragging rights in Divisions I and II on the roads of Madison, May 7-9.

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Heath and Harvey take inaugural Pro GRT crowns after Mulally and Bourque win at Whiteface

Sixteen year-old Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./STA) and 44-year-old Dawn Bourque (Campton, N.H./Rhino Bike Works) won the final race on the 2009 USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour, the Whiteface 5K Downhill. Mulally outrode dozens of the region’s best downhillers to post the day’s best time at 7:48.15, while Bourque put up the best women’s time at 9:41.29. With his win, the young Mulally moved into sixth place in the final Pro GRT standings as Bourque propelled herself into fourth overall. Click here for complete results from the Pro GRT’s fifth and final race of 2009 set in Wilmington, N.Y.

Chris Heath (Durango, Colo./Manitou-Hayes) and Darian Harvey (Durango, Colo./Cannondale) won the country’s only pro downhill series as the inaugural Pro GRT wrapped up on Sunday. The latest version of the USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour standings are as follows:

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American squad rides to 12th as Mountain Bike Worlds open with team relay

Canberra, AUS (September 1, 2009) – The 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships got underway on Tuesday with the team relay event in which the U.S. placed 12^th.

In the team relay, each nation entered a team comprised of an elite male, elite female, U23 male, and junior male. Each rider contested one lap of the 6.47-kilometer Stromlo Forest Cross Country course and at the end of their lap, tagged the next rider on their team.

The U.S. foursome was made up of Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher), Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pro Cycling-SRM), Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Kenda-Tomac-Hayes), and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher)

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The 5^th stop of the Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) sets to wrap up the series at Whiteface Resort in Wilmington, New York for the Whiteface 5K DH!  This famous east coast event is the perfect setting to hold the Pro GRT finals, as it’s destined to show which athlete has maintained the best fitness  during the season.

After the previous stop in Windham, NY, Chris Heath (Manitou–Hayes) jumps ahead of Kain Leonard (Crested Butte Mtn Sports) in the overall rankings.  Meanwhile 2^nd through 5^th is an extremely tight battle with only 10 points separating the group of 5 riders!

In the women’s field, Darian Harvey (Cannondale) extends her lead over the field, but will no doubt give her full effort to capture yet another Pro GRT title! (Darian won the inaugural Pro GRT 4X series title in Windham, NY)

This is set to be an great finals!  Get your tickets & sign up now!

For additional information on this event & the series in general, feel free to visit PINNEDmtb.com and become a fan on Facebook!

source: J Dylan Dean

Harvey wins 4X and grabs Pro GRT downhill lead; Ropelato wins men’s 4X and Heath holds DH lead

Cameron Cole (NZL/Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) and Darian Harvey (Durango, Colo./Cannondale) won the men’s and women’s downhill contests at the fourth stop on USA Cycling’s Pro Gravity Tour, the Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain, in commanding fashion. Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS) took the men’s 4X title over a small pro men’s field while Harvey won the women’s contest. For complete results from the Yankee Clipper in Windham, N.Y. click here.

With four of five Pro GRT events complete, Chris Heath (Durango, Colo./Manitou-Hayes) and Darian Harvey (Durango, Colo./Cannondale) lead the first-ever Pro GRT. The latest version of the USA Cycling Pro Gravity Tour standings are as follows:

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Nominations to Mountain Bike World Championship Team announced

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aug. 13, 2009)—USA Cycling announced today the 43 athletes that have been nominated to represent the United States at the upcoming 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia, September 1-6.

In the first Mountain Bike World Championship event since the Olympic Games in Beijing, American cross country athletes will square off against rivals from across the globe in the only Olympic discipline of off-road cycling. Seven men and six women have been nominated to the elite cross country squad.

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) received the only automatic nomination to the men’s team as USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National Champion. He is joined by Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant), Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized), Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Gary Fisher), Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda), Carl Decker (Bend, Ore./Giant) and Sam Jurekovic (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sho-air-Specialized) who all received discretionary nominations.

On the women’s side, Willow Koerber (Asheville, N.C./Subaru-Gary Fisher), Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda) and Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) were automatically nominated – Koerber and McConneloug by virtue of podium performances at UCI World Cup events earlier this season and Irmiger due to her win at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna), Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Judy Freeman (Boulder, Colo.) all received discretionary nominations based upon international results.

In the gravity events, Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif./Yeti) received the lone men’s downhill automatic nomination by virtue of his third-place World Cup finish and his national championship in that event. Kyle Strait (Riverside, Calif.), Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif./Duncan Riffle Racing), Luke Strobel (Renton, Wash./Maxxis), Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif./Decline), Brian Lopes (Laguna Beach, Calif./Oakley) and Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo./Yeti-Fox Shox) received discretionary nominations to the elite men’s downhill team. As the winner of the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships downhill contest, Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz./KHS) received the only automatic nomination to the elite women’s downhill squad. Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, Calif./Jamis) will join her as a discretionary selection.

As the national champion, 17-year-old Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah) received an automatic nomination to the elite men’s 4X squad. Mike Haderer (Concord, Calif.) and Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.) will join Ropelato on the men’s 4-cross squad as discretionary selections. Buhl and 2008 BMX Olympian Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Red Bull) both earned automatic nominations to the women’s 4X squad by virtue of multiple World Cup podium performances.

Eleven junior and U23 cross country athletes were also named to the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championship squad that will represent the United States, along with five junior men’s downhillers. See below for the complete list. For more information on USA Cycling’s selection procedures please visit the Athlete Programs portion of the USA Cycling website, or click here.

2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Canberra, Australia

Sept. 1-6, 2009

U.S. Team Nominations:

Elite Men’s Cross Country

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo.)**

Adam Craig (Bend, Ore.)

Todd Wells (Durango, Colo.)

Sam Schultz (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass.)

Carl Decker (Bend, Ore.)

Sam Jurekovic (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Elite Women’s Cross Country

Willow Koerber (Asheville, N.C.)**

Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass.)**

Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo.)**

Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo.)

Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Judy Freeman (Boulder, Colo.)

U23 Men’s Cross Country

Colin Cares (Colorado Springs, Colo.)**

Rob Squire (Sandy, Utah)

Tad Elliott (Durango, Colo.)

U23 Women’s Cross Country

Amy Dombrowski (Boulder, Colo.)**

Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz.)

Junior Men’s Cross Country

Russell Finsterwald (Colorado Springs, Colo.)**

Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)

Seth Kemp (Campobello, S.C.)

Eric Emsky (Fall City, Wash.)

Junior Women XCO

Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo.)**

Essence Barton (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

Elite Men’s Downhill

Aaron Gwin (Morongo Valley, Calif./Yeti)**

Kyle Strait (Riverside, Calif.)

Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, Calif.)

Luke Strobel (Renton, Wash.)

Cody Warren (El Cajon, Calif.)

Brian Lopes (Laguna Beach, Calif.)

Joey Schusler (Boulder, Colo.)

Elite Women’s Downhill

Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)**

Kathy Pruitt (Santa Cruz, Calif.)

Elite Men’s 4-Cross

Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah)**

Mike Haderer (Concord, Calif.)

Blake Carney (Camarillo, Calif.)

Elite Women’s 4-Cross

Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)**

Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.)**

Junior Men’s Downhill

Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah)**

Kevin Aiello (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Luciano Worl (Woodinville, Wash.)

Tom Neer (Arvada, Colo.)

Geoffrey Ulmer (Troy, N.Y.)

**denotes automatic nomination

About USA Cycling

Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ licensees including 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 1,800 clubs and teams, 350 professional cyclists, 200 certified mechanics, and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists through various initiatives and programs. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts national championship events for all categories of amateur and professional cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.

source: USA Cycling Media Services

Pro mountain bike cross country tour (Pro XCT)

August 11, 2009

Kabush and Pendrel triumph at Pro XCT#5 at Mount Snow, JHK takes over series lead

Geoff Kabush (CAN/Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) earned a convincing win in the men’s cross country race at Mount Snow’s Mountain Bike Festival, the fifth stop on the USA Cycling Professional Cross Country Tour presented by Sho-air. Another Canadian, Catherine Pendrel (Luna) took the women’s victory. For comple results from Mount Snow, click here.

With five of six Pro XCT events complete in 2009, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) took over the leaders jersey from Max Plaxton (CAN/Sho-air-Specialized) and Sid Taberlay (AUS/Sho-air-Specialized) moved into second position. Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna) continues to lead the women with Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) hot on her heels. The latest version of the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour presented by Sho-air standings is as follows:

Men’s Individual Standings
1. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 460
2. Sid Taberlay (AUS/Sho-air-Specialized) 435
3. Max Plaxton (CAN/Sho-air-Specialized) 420
4. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing) 405
5. Geoff Kabush (CAN/Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) 360

Women’s Individual Standings
1. Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna) 495
2. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) 475
3. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 400
4. Katerina Nash (Truckee, Calif./Luna) 330
5. Pua Sawicki (Yucapia, Calif./Ellsworth) 310

*Click here to view the complete 2009 Pro XCT Men’s Individual Standings, here to view the Women’s Inidvidual Standings.

STXC
Kabush aslo won the short track conest at Mount Snow, but Todd Wells’ (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing) second-place finish helped him hold on to the series lead in the Pro XCT Trailwatch.net STXC presented by Escape Adventures. Click here for complete men’s standings. Despite Katerina Nash’s (Truckee, Calif./Luna) short track victory at Mount Snow, Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) holds the women’s series lead. Click here to view the complete women’s standings.

NEXT UP
The next and final race on the 2009 Pro XCT will be the Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain in New York, on Aug. 15.

Photo Caption: The Pro XCT women’s field takes off at Mount Snow.

Photo courtesy: Alaina Castillo/Mount Snow Resort

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About the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour presented by Sho-Air (Pro XCT)
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX, and cyclo-cross. Created in 2009 to consistently provide world-class athletes with a competitive arena on American soil, the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) consists of seven UCI sanctioned events in 2009. As the top national-level cross country mountain bike calendar in the country, the Pro XCT recognizes the best professional cross country teams and athletes competing on U.S. soil by employing a season-long rankings system to identify overall men’s and women’s series leaders. Upon completion of the calendar, the overall winners are recognized as the best professional cross country athletes in the nation. For more information on the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour, visit www.usacycling.org/proxct.

source: Smith, Andrea

USA Cycling announces roster for 2009 Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships

Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 20, 2009) – USA Cycling announced today the roster of athletes that will represent the U.S. at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Stattegg, Austria on August 23.

Earning and accepting automatic nominations to contest the men’s 105-kilometer event were Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va./Mona Vie-Cannondale) and Harlan Price (Philadelphia, Pa./Independent Fabrication). Bishop qualified for his spot by virtue of his second-place effort at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, Colo. earlier this month. Price earned his nod as the current number-one ranked male in the USA Cycling National Ultra-Endurance Calendar rankings.

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July 18, 2009 (Granby, Colo.) – The husband-wife duo of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) grabbed their second set of Stars-and-Stripes in as many weeks, earning Saturday’s pro men’s and women’s cross country national titles in dramatic fashion. Coming off wins at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships on July 4, the Colorado couple stayed on form to win the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Pro Cross Country national titles on Saturday at SolVista. In the nightcap, BMX Olympian Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./GT) earned another pro 4-cross national title while 16-year-old Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/Café Rio-Canfield Bros) pulled off the surprise victory in the men’s pro 4-cross competition.

In the men’s pro cross country race Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) came out on top of a fierce battle with Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) to win the men’s pro cross country national title on Saturday. Wells and Horgan-Kobelski were neck-in-neck until Wells literally lost his crank on the fifth and final lap of the race. Riding strong and steady throughout, last year’s champion, Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) moved into second following Wells’ mechanical. Twenty-four-year-old Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mt./Subaru-Gary Fisher) snagged third in largest field of the event, nearly 80 riders.

“I threw everything I had into that last lap,” stated Horgan-Kobelski. “I had to work really hard to stay with him (Wells) in the middle part of the race.”

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July 17, 2009 (Granby, Colo.) –The opening day of the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships saw the future of American mountain represented at the SolVista Basin Mountain Bike Park in Colorado. Hundreds of junior riders contested the steep hills and thin air of the Colorado high country on Friday but only 10 came away wearing the coveted Stars-and-Stripes.

The U23 and junior women started off the racing action on Friday morning in exciting fashion with both races ending with sprints to the finish. Following just under 14 miles of racing, two experienced riders stood head-and-shoulders above the rest in the U23 women’s competition. Multiple-time national champion Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz./Luna) and Amy Dombrowski (Boulder, Colo./Webcor Builders) finished the approximately 14-mile race nearly eight minutes ahead of their closest competition. Only around four seconds however separated the pair with the former collegiate national champion, Dombrowski outsprinting the defending champion, Forsman.

The junior women’s finish proved to be even closer with a pair of Coloradoans, Alicia Rose Pastore (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) and Jill Behlen (Boulder, Colo./Tokyo Joes), fighting it out all the way to the line before the powerful Pastore came out on top. Behlen, who finished second in last year’s race and gained valuable experience riding in one of USA Cycling’s European Race Camps earlier this summer, was primed to take the title in 2009, but it was not in the cards.

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