| 11/27/2001 |
Racer favorites and new venues comprise America's largest mountain bike
series, the 2002 National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) American
Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC). From coast to coast and places in between,
25 events offer mountain bikers across the nation a shot at local and regional
glory.
Ten new events join the 2002 AMBC calendar, including the High Point Ranch
Roundup in Ada, Okla. Team Crunch, who is the event's organizing committee,
has hosted quality mountain bike races for the past six years. Competitors
from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri have made
the trip in past years to Ada for some serious action at the High Point
Ranch Roundup.
The Stump Jump 2002 in Spartanburg, S.C., is another addition to the schedule.
In 2001, the Stump Jump served as NORBA's South Carolina state championship.
Besides offering great off-road action, the race also raises funds for the
Rotary Foundation. Most of the money collected supports the Children Shelter,
a facility to temporarily house children who are removed from their homes
because of abuse or neglect.
Colorado's Cycle Cyndicate will put on two new AMBC races in 2002 -- the
Chile Challenge in Angel Fire, N.M., and Blast the Mass in Snowmass. The
folks at the Cyndicate brought the Mountain States Cup Regional Championship
Series to life in 2000. In addition to downhill, dual slalom, cross-country
and trials, organizers are planning for a trail running race for each event.
Beginner participants will go home with medals, while pro and semi-pro races
can score $5,000 in cash.
The DINO Challenge brings AMBC racing back to Indiana after a one-year hiatus.
Organizers hope to offer downhill, dual slalom and trials to the confirmed
cross-country events. The Challenge is part of Indiana's DINO Mountain Bike
Series, which was comprised of eight races in 2001.
Maverick Sports, the group that brought the Firecracker 50 to the AMBC,
introduces another race to the 2002 AMBC -- The Fall Classic in Breckenridge,
Colo. The three-stage competition includes a cross-country, hill climb and
circuit race.
The Gone Riding organizers take AMBC racing to six states in 2001 with four
new competitions. The Southeast Regional Championship take place in Helen,
Ga., Fontana, N.C., Aniston, Ala, and Ocoee, Tenn. Gone Riding also promotes
the Florida State Championship Series.
AMBC events are good places for those riders who are just entering the racing
scene. The races allow riders to test their abilities in a low-key atmosphere,
without a lot of pressure. The pro and expert races give more experienced
riders a taste of real competition, as they face some of the most challenging
courses and talented riders in the country.
While the AMBC offers great grassroots racing, some of the sport's top stars
are also known to show. In 2001, Tinker Juarez won the Outdoors Tour de
Wolf and signed autographs at the Bump and Grind in Birmingham, Ala. International
racers, like Russia’s Pavel Cherkassov and Argentina's Jimena Florit, also
took advantage of the series' sweet courses. Euros Bas Van Dooren and Barbara
Blatter proved victorious at the 2001 Sizzler Classic in San Jose, Calif.
In addition to the citizen races, AMBC events also host the Junior Olympic
Mountain Bike Series and the Shimano Youth Series. The Junior Olympic series
offers riders age 10-18 the chance to test their skills against competitors
of the same age. The Shimano Youth Series provides kids 12 and under an
entry into mountain bike racing. Sometimes assisted by parents, children
ages two-and-up spin their wheels around a course specifically designed
for them.
Off the trails, AMBC events provide a fun atmosphere that sometimes includes
family rides, pasta feeds, concerts and other outdoor fun. In 2001, the
Outdoors, Inc. Tour de Wolf added the Outdoor Festival to its schedule.
The festival featured a Kayak Boat Ball Tournament, family fun rides, a
bicycle trade fair and other fun stuff.
Select AMBC races are part of the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI)
international event calendar. These races, noted by asterisks below, carry
valuable points that can increase a competitor's international ranking or
help him or her qualify for World Cup events. AMBC races also hold a high
place in NORBA's national ranking system, just one level under the national
championships.
Created in 1996, the AMBC provides racing opportunities for men, women and
children of all ages and abilities. All AMBC events offer cross-country
racing, with some events also including downhill, dual slalom and observed
trials competitions. NORBA is a member association of USA Cycling, the sport's
national governing body.
2002 AMERICAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE (AMBC) SCHEDULE
Feb. 24
Spring Series
Gainesville, Fla.
April 6-7
14th Sizzler Mountain Bike Classic
San Jose, Calif.
April 19-21
NOC Knobscorcher
Bryson City, N.C.
April 26-28
The Twilight
Athens, Ga.
April 28
High Point Ranch Roundup
Ada, Okla.
May 5
Stump Jump 2002
Spartanburg, S.C.
May 19
SE Regional Series
Helen, Ga.
*May 25-27
Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
Durango, Colo.
*June 1-2
Bump & Grind at Oak Mountain
Birmingham, Ala.
June 15-16
Chile Challenge
Angel Fire, N.M.
*June 16
SE Regional Series
Fontana, N.C.
July 4
Firecracker 50
Breckenridge, Colo.
July 7
SE Regional Championship Series
Columbia, S.C.
July 19-21
Blast the Mass
Snowmass, Colo.
July 27-28
Beauty & the Beast
Killington, Vt.
Aug. 4
SE Regional Championship Series
Aniston, Ala.
Aug. 24-25
Showdown at Sugar
Banner Elk, N.C.
Aug. 31–Sept. 2
Mamacita's Kelly Creek Classic
Kerrville, Texas
Sept. 2
SE Regional Championship Series
Ocoee, Tenn.
Sept. 7-8
DINO's AMBC Challenge
Nashville, Ind.
Sept. 14-15
The Fall Classic
Breckenridge, Colo.
Oct. 5
Road Apple Rally
Farmington, N.M.
Oct. 5-6
Ski Plattekill Screamin' Extreme
Roxbury, N.Y.
*Oct. 13
Outdoors, Inc. Tour de Wolf
Memphis, Tenn.
*Oct. 26-27
Piney Hills Fall Classic IX
Ruston, La.
* UCI points races
www.usacycling.org
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