Collegiate National Championship Results

I said it last year and I'll say it again. I love collegiate cycling. It's how I got my start, and it's such a great way for riders to start and continue their careers while improving their usefulness to society. I can't wait until I go back for my PhD when I'm 50 and get schooled by a bunch of whippersnappers on the racetrack.

Enough about me. What went down last weekend at Northstar, CA was that Sage Wilderman won the Women's Division I Omnium by winning the Division I downhill race, taking 3rd in short track, 9th in 4X, and 5th in cross country. Johanne Tuttle won the Division II Women's Omnium by winning the Division II 4X, taking 2nd in downhill, 5th in cross country, and 6th in short track. That's a lot of racing for a weekend. Christen Boyer finally got the downhill win she's been looking for in the Division II downhil race, and Emma Millar won the Division I 4X.

For more information about collegiate racing, visit USACycling.org.

Division I Women's Omnium
1. Sage Wilderman (Fort Lewis College)

2. Lizzy English (University of Nevada-Reno)

3. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College)

4. Jill Behlen (University of Wyoming)

5. Deidre York (University of Colorado)

Division I Women’s Downhill
1. Sage Wilderman
2. Emma Millar (FLC)
3. Elizabeth English
4. Deidre York
5. Heather McFadden (CSU-Chico)
6. Sabina Kraushaar (FLC)
7. Neven Steinmetz (CU-Boulder)
8. Nicole Tunnell (CSU-Chico)
9. Jenna Kowalski (Cal Poly-SLO)
10. Chloe Jackson (Lees-McRae)
11. Hannah Trimble (Lees-McRae)
12. Jill Behlen
13. Chantel Coleman (FLC)
14. Rose Long (U of VT)
15. Andrea Kelchlin (Northeastern)
16. Erica Zaveta (Lees-McRae)
17. Jena Greaser (UConn)
18. Carla Swart
19. Catherine Cresalia (Cal Poly-SLO)
20. Sara Lukas (Lindsey Wilson)
21. Sally Hermansen (Cal Poly-SLO)
22. Brittany Engleking (CU-Boulder)
23. Sara Hanson (SDSU)
24. Jessica Baker (Lindsey Wilson)
25. Madison Pitts (Lindsey Wilson)
26. Kristin Jo Markham (Lees-McRae)

Division I Women's 4X
1. Emma Millar
2. Neven Steinmetz
3. Madison Pitts
4. Allie Dragoo (Lindsey Wilson)
5. Chantel Coleman
6. Jill Behlen
7. Jessica Baker
8. Nicole Tunnell
9. Sage Wilderman
10. Deidre York
11. Chloe Jackson
12. Hannah Trimble
13. Sabina Kraushaar
14. Heather McFadden
15. Jenna Kowalski
16. Sarah Lukas

Division I Team Omnium (guys and girls)

1. Fort Lewis College – 671 points

2. University of Colorado – 589

3. Lees-McRae College – 555

4. California Polytechnic – 446

5. Lindsey Wilson College – 409

Division II Women's Omnium

1. Johanne Tuttle (Brevard College)

2. Julia Tellman (Brevard College)

3. Rachel Millsop (Union College of Kentucky)

4. Courtney Steen (Colorado School of Mines)

5. Christen Boyer (Colorado School of Mines)

Division II Women's Downhill
1. Christen Boyer
2. Johanne Tuttle
3. Courtney Steen
4. Becca Parish (Warren Wilson)
5. Rachel Millsop
6. Julia Tellman
7. Ileana Anderson (Warren Wilson)
8. Nina Otter (Warren Wilson)
9. Elisa Otter (Warren Wilson)
10. Sarah Duncan (Brevard)
11. Caroline Decosimo (Brevard)
12. Tallulah Winquist (Warren Wilson)
13. Aubrey DeLone (Warren Wilson)
14. Maria Esswein (Union College)

Division II Women's 4X
1. Johanne Tuttle
2. Courtney Steen
3. Ileana Anderson
4. Christen Boyer
5. Julia Tellman
6. Becca Parish
7. Nina Otter
8. Rachel Millsop
9. Tallulah Winquist
10. Sarah Duncan
11. Elisa Otter
12. Caroline Decosimo
13. Aubrey DeLone

Division II Team Omnium (guys and girls)

1. Brevard College – 663 points

2. Union College of Kentucky – 533

3. Warren Wilson college – 501

4. Colorado School of Mines – 401

5.Montana State University - 284

Airing Out Sol Vista

Yeah, I know. You've already read about who won what, seen the photos, and read all about big jumps, dust, drop gates, and short courses. Over the past few days, I've been thinking about how to write this blog post, as there is actually a lot to say about what transpired at the US National Downhill Championships at Sol Vista, CO this weekend.

I think the best place to start is with a quote from Katie Holden: "We [pro female downhill racers] really progressed women's riding this weekend." While I was happy to progress my bum onto my downhill bike for three days of relaxing riding with my friends, a talented and inspiring group of pro women stepped up to the plate and rode impressively on a course that left plenty of pro men shaking their heads.

Here's the deal. The course was a short one--Melissa Buhl won the stars and bars in 2:41. The top 3/4 of the course consisted of newly-built loose sandy, rocky trail through the woods, followed by "The Three Amigos," which were three progressively larger gap jumps--the final one measuring nearly 50 feet from lip to landing, and concluding with a short woods section into a few high-speed berms with some jumps in between.

The word around the pits after the first day of practice was that anyone who didn't hit all Three Amigos would have no chance at besting someone who did, due to the nearly uphill trail required to go around the booters. Eventually, go-arounds were added so that riders could hit one or two of the jumps, even if they chose not to hit the grand finale.

To be honest, after seeing the course, I was pretty stoked to not be racing. It brought up so many interesting dilemmas that I was much more content to spectate for the weekend.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the jumps was that it was unfair to put these jumps on a National Championship course, when there are very few opportunities in the US to hit anything similar, and therefore little opportunity for someone to successfully progress onto these larger gaps. Putting them on the course with only one huge go-around seemed to be asking for riders to attempt to hit them whether they possessed the skill or not. After traveling to Colorado, spending cash on entry fees, lift tickets, housing, etc., why wouldn't you just go for it?

Then, there's the point that Littermag makes: You choose what to hit and what not to hit, and that's what makes you a skilled bike rider.

Lisa Myklak was the first girl to hit any of the jumps, and also the first to hit all three. She went for them before many of the guys did. She broke the ice, and Jackie Harmony was the only other girl to successfully hit all three. Jackie was also the only girl to hit them all in her race run (Lisa hit the first two). Most of the women's field hit at least the first jump in their qualifying and race runs.

Here's the interesting thing, though: earlier in the weekend, thoughts were that if a girl hit all three jumps, she'd have the win in the bag. The course was so short that everyone assumed there was no room to make up that time elsewhere. But Melissa and Kathy Pruitt proved that a racecourse starts at the top and ends at the finish line. Melissa came off the first jump and into the go-around unbelievably fast, and after also nailing the first jump, Kathy finished less than a second behind her. Lisa took 3rd after hitting two of the three, and Jackie took 4th after hitting them all.

The moral of the story is this: the current field of US racers is one that's full of talent. Melissa and Kathy are able to apply their World Cup experience and weed out the noise to put together blazing race runs. Lisa stole the show early in the weekend by proving that all three jumps were rideable, and made a race-day decision to go around the third. Jackie had the confidence to put all three jumps into her race run. Simply hitting or not hitting the jumps was not the deciding factor--it was putting together a fast and strategically sound race run. These girls and the rest of the women's field prove that we have some incredible riders here in 'Merica, and that we can expect women's riding here to continue to progress to meet the challenges of courses and conditions here and abroad.

Bravo, ladies, bravo!

Downhill Pro Women
1. Melissa Buhl
2. Kathy Pruitt
3. Lisa Myklak
4. Jacqueline Harmony
5. Katie Holden
6. Darian Harvey
7. Rachel Bauer
8. Jennifer Wolf
9. Jennifer Whalen
10. Stephanie Leonard
11. Julie Olsen
12. Connie Misket
13. Michelle Rivera

Cat. 1 Women 19-29
1. Alisha Gibson
2. Emma Millar
3. Johanne Tuttle
4. AnneMarie Hennes
5. Katy Monger
6. Liana Gregory
7. Christen Boyer

Cat. 1 Women 30+
1. Chelsey Stevens
2. Soraya Khalje
3. Rosie Bernhard

Cat. 2 Women 19-29
1. Melissa O'Connell
2. Jesse Kirkpatrick
3. Kyra Alexander
4. Lauren Heitzman
5. Kristin Buell
6. Christin McCurdy

Cat. 2 Women 30-39
1. Lana Lawson
2. Amber Price
3. Bonnie Miller

Cat. 3 Women 30+
1. Ann Davis
2. Rachel DeLateur
3. Jennel Ortiz

Junior Women
1. Cierra Smith
2. Maddie Crowley

Mountaincross
Pro Women
1. Jill Kintner
2. Melissa Buhl
3. Kathy Pruitt
4. Darian Harvey
5. Jacqueline Harmony
6. Rachel Bauer
7. Neven Steinmetz

Cat. 1/2/3 Women
1. Johanne Tuttle
2. Alisha Gibson
3. Catherine Cantway
4. Christen Boyer
5. Christin McCurdy
6. Brittany Jackson
7. Maddie Crowley
8. Soraya Khalje
9. Katy Monger

Allie Wins at Massenutten!

Our own Allie Burch took the win at the Massenutten Yee-haw downhill race in McGaheysville, VA this weekend. This race was part of the USA Cycling Gravity Calendar, and kicks off the East Coast racing season.

Pro Women
1. Allegra Burch
2. Stephanie Gubernat
3. Lauren Petersen
4. Hillary Elgert
5. Ellen Adams
6. Alicia Jakomait

Cat. 1 Junior Women 18 & Under
1. Lauren Daney

Cat. 1 Senior Women 19-29
1. Kristine Koch
2. Kristin Cousin

Cat. 1 Master Women 30-39
1. Rae Gandolf
2. Tamara Peloquin

Cat. 1 Master women 40+
1. Vicki Koch

Cat. 2 Senior Women 19-29
1. Hannah Trimble
2. Marielle Lueker

Cat. 2 Master Women 30-39
1. Kelly Hazlegrove

Cat. 2 Master Women 40+
1. Anna Cain

Cat. 3 Master women 30-39
1. Leanne McCann

Results and standings can be found at USACycling.org.

Keyesville Classic Results

The 2009 Keyesville Classic took place last weekend in Keyesville, CA. There were no Pro or Expert women at the downhill race. The fastest women's times of the day went to Sport rider Megan Zemny. The downhill was a two-run format, each run on a different course.

Sport Women 30+
1. Megan Zemny

Beginner Women 29 & Under
1. Virginia Cabrera

Beginner Women 30+
1. Wendy McKeller
2. Traci Adams
3. Kelley Brunson
4. Julie Stiarman

Visit Keyesville.com for full results.

Yes! There Is a Pro Gravity Tour!

When the US MTB Cup was announced last fall, gravity riders across the country groaned at the fact that the MTB Cup is a cross-country-only tour. After much lobbying and organizing by gravity activists like Jeremiah Dylan Dean, USA Cycling has announced a Pro Gravity MTB Tour for 2009. The Pro GRT features 5 stops, three of which are in August, and two of which are in New York. Hey, it's a start!

2009 USA Cycling Pro Gravity MTB Tour:
May 1-3: Fluidride Cup, Port Angeles, WA (DH)
May 23-25: Chile Challenge, Angel Fire, NM (DH and MTX, UCI category 2)
August 8-9: Blast the Mass, Snowmass, CO (DH and MTX, UCI category 2)
August 15-16: Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain, Windham, NY (DH and MTX, UCI category 1)
August 29: Whiteface 5K, Wilmington, NY (DH)

Mob in Mojave Results

Here are the real results from the first major US gravity race of 2009. The Mob in Mojave was held Feb 14-15 at Bootleg Canyon, NV. Jackie Harmony took the win over Lisa Myklak in the downhill race. Since it was a gravity-fest, we've included Super D results, and Linden Lane won for the pro women. Lisa won the dual slalom over Rachel Bauer.

USA Cycling renamed the racing categories for the season, so we've included the former names of the categories until everyone gets used to the number system.

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Jackie Harmony
2. Lisa Myklak
3. Miranda Miller
4. Darian Harvey
5. Joy Martin
6. Christine Hirst
7. Laura Noonan
8. Tasa Herndon
9. Linden Lane
10. Jessica Vogt
11. Rachel Bauer

Cat 1 (Expert) Women
1. Francine Johnson
2. Rosie Bernhard
3. Nancy Morlock
4. Ana Rodriquez
5. Kelly Moore
6. Nancy Harris
7. Annamarie Hennes

Cat 2 (Sport) Women
1. Jessica Kirkpatrick
2. Cierra Smith
3. Amber Price
4. Lana Lawson

Dual Slalom
Pro Women
1. Lisa Myklak
2. Rachel Bauer
3. Jackie Harmony
4. Christine Hirst

Cat 1 Women
1. Joy Martin

Cat 3 (Beginner) Women
1. April Malvino

Super D
Pro Women
1. Linden Lane
2. Jackie Harmony

Cat 1 Women
1. Nancy Morlock

Cat 2 Women
1. Christin McCurdy
2. Amber Price
3. Sara Landis

Cat 3 Women
1. Steffani Packard
2. April Malvino

Results are available at DownhillMike.com.

Mob in Mojave Info

Bootleg Canyon, Nev-
Downhill Mike with All Mountain Cyclery presents the 4th Annual Mob in Mojave Mountain Bike Race Festival Weekend at Bootleg Canyon, Nevada on Presidents Day Weekend, February 13-15, 2009. The Festival will offer three days of winter mountain bike racing action in the desert featuring three different disciplines of USA Cycling sanctioned gravity racing, live music, race clinics and free on-site camping. The festival will offer spectators and racers Dual Slalom, Super D and Downhill racing action. We will even have professional BBQ supplied by Events Unlimited. Events Unlimited will offer a breakfast and lunch menu, beer, wine and a daily happy hour all 3 days.

The Mob in Mojave will be the first race of 2009 on the USAC National Gravity Calendar and promises to feature racers from both coasts chasing points for the prestigious National Gravity Calendar Championship. In addition two provincial Canadian teams that are training at Bootleg Canyon and several UCI World Cup stars will compete trying to prove their superiority. The Mob in Mojave will allow racers a chance to get a head start on the National Gravity Calendar Series and see how they stack up for the season not to mention escaping the cold winter weather for those in the East and the Pacific Northwest. Pro Downhill Racers will be vying for a $2000.00 Cash Purse. The first 200 race entrants will receive event T-shirts courtesy of Go Ride.com and the top three in each class will be awarded Custom Medals and prizes.

Friday will offer inspection of the courses with a reasonable $20.00 fee for racers to use the shuttle for Downhill & Super D training.

Saturday is when the racing action starts with the Dual Slalom Race in the morning. The Dual Slalom will feature a "Y" course where racers will start in separate tracks, which will merge for some exciting elbow-to-elbow racing. The Super D Race will be held Saturday afternoon. The Super D course will be a challenging 2 + mile event with very little climbing. While all this racing action is going on, three shuttle vehicles will bring racers to the top of the Downhill & Super D courses for a full day of practice. Saturday will wrap up with the Dual Slalom and Super D awards ceremony.

Sunday will be time for the main event The Mob in Mojave Downhill Race offering a $2000.00 cash purse for pro men and women. The 1.5 mile downhill track will be used by all classes and will feature classic Bootleg Canyon Terrain, the faster you go the harder and more technical it will get. The downhill race will finish at Mob in Mojave Race Village featuring the BBQ, live music, vendors, team pits and the restrooms.

Following the success of Downhill Mike's Whiteface, N.Y. 5K DH race, the last race of the weekend will be the Downhill Chainless Open Race which will offer a fun, light hearted way to close out the festival weekend for only $10.00 extra. This Chainless Downhill race will use the exact same course as the main dh course. The Awards Ceremony and raffles will start after this race Sunday afternoon.

The Mob in Mojave is proudly sponsored by the following; All Mountain Cyclery, High Peaks Cyclery SixSixOne, KHS Bicycles, Black Rock Bicycles, Division 26 Clothing, Intense Cycles, E-Thirteen Components, Nema International, Chumba Racing, Gravity Logic, Go-Ride.Com Teko Socks, and Tifosi Optics

Bootleg Canyon is conveniently located 25 miles from Las Vegas, making for easy connections from anywhere and offers world class by entertainment options nearby as well.

SCHEDULE:
Dual Slalom starts at 10:00 am on Saturday
Super D starts at 2:00 pm on Saturday
Downhill starts at 11:00 am on Sunday
(Open practice will be available on all courses until 1/2 hour prior to the start of each discipline.)

The above listed races are permitted and sanctioned by USA CYCLING.

Categories are as follows for Downhill & Super D:
Open pro men & open pro women
Category 1, 2 & 3 in age groups 10-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49 & 50 +
A 10-14 age group has been added to the Men's and Women's category 3 (beginner)

Categories are as follows for Dual Slalom
Open pro men & women
Open category 1 men & women
Open category 2 men & women
Open category 3 men & women

A $2,000.00 pro cash purse will be awarded as follows for pro racers in the downhill competition.

Pro Men's 1st place $500.00 Pro Women's 1st place $450.00
Pro Men's 2nd place $300.00 Pro Women's 2nd place $200.00
Pro Men's 3rd place $200.00 Pro Women's 3rd place $100.00
Pro Men's 4th place $150.00 & Pro Men's 5th place $100.00

The top 3 places in all amateur categories for the downhill will win custom event medals and prizes from our sponsors.

The top 3 places in all categories for Dual Slalom and Super D will also win custom event medals & prizes from our sponsors.

Registration can be found on Active.com
Pre - registration is open and will close February 12th at 6:00 pm PST.

Downhill or Super D will be $75.00 each.
$120.00 for Downhill & Super D
All registration fees include Saturday & Sunday shuttles.
Dual Slalom will be $50.00

On-site race registration on Friday, 2-13-09 at 8:00 am.
Registration for Dual Slalom & Super D closes on Friday 2-13-09 at 4:00 pm
Registration for Downhill & Chainless DH closes at 9:30 am on Sunday 2-15-09.

Free on-site camping. For help with lodging and Race n Stay packages please email.

Web Site: www.downhillmike.com
Email: info@downhillmike.com

2009 Mob in Mojave Offers More Bang for Your Buck!

Downhill Mike is promoting the Mob in Mojave downhill, dual slalom, and Super D races at Bootleg Canyon, NV on February 14-15, 2009. This race is the first on the USAC Mountain Bike National Gravity Calendar. Downhill Mike is doing his best to make your trip to the desert totally fun and affordable.

First, the total downhill registration fee is $75, and that includes shuttles on Saturday and Sunday. Friday's shuttles are $20. There will be 3 shuttle vehicles available, so you'll get plenty of practice runs in.

Next, Pro Women will receive cash payouts for 1st-3rd, starting at $450 for first. All other classes receive prizes for 1st-3rd.

The dual slalom course will feature a "Y" format, with a shared finish. It should be super fun to race and to watch!

Also, Gene Hamilton will be setting up a special 2-day race clinic beginning on 2-13-09, to help you get ready for Bootleg's gnarly terrain.

For more information about the Mob in Mojave, visit www.downhillmike.com.

2008 Collegiate National Mountain Bike Championships

The 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate National Mountain Bike Championships were held this weekend in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Hosted by Lees-McRae College, the Nationals consisted of dual slalom, short track, cross country, and downhill races for Division 1 and Division 2 schools. Fort Lewis dominated the Division 1 podiums. Emma Millar took home National Championship title in Division 1 Downhill, while Chloe Jackson from Lees-McRae won the Division 1 Dual Slalom. Robyn Embrey won the Division 2 Downhill, and Johanna Tuttle won the National Championship title in Division 2 Dual Slalom.

We found these results on CyclingNews.com and USACycling.org.

Downhill
Division 1
1. Emma Millar (Fort Lewis College)
2. Sage Wilderman (Fort Lewis College)
3. Alisha Gibson (Fort Lewis College)
4. Hannah Trimble (Lees-McRae College)
5. Soraya Khalje (University of Colorado-Boulder)
6. Eszter Horanyi (University of Colorado-Boulder)
7. Sabina Kraushaar (Fourt Lewis College)
8. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College)
9. Chloe Jackson (Lees-McRae College)
10. Andrea Kelchlin (Northeastern University)
11. Heather McFadden (Chico State)
12. Jamie Dinkins (University of Tennessee)
13. Ally Stacher (Lees-McRae College)
14. Kristi Henne (Lees-McRae College)
15. Olivia Maurey (Lees-McRae College)
16. Abigail Caroll (University of Colorado-Boulder)
17. Brittany Engleking (University of Colorado-Boulder)
18. Margaret Sullivan (Northeastern University)
19. Sarah Lukas (Lindsey Wilson College)
20. Sara Hanson (Virginia Polytechnic)
21. Emily Benson (Lindsey Wilson College)

Division 2
1. Robyn Embrey (Sierra Nevada College)
2. Johanna Tuttle (Brevard College)
3. Christen Boyer (Colorado School of Mines)
4. Jamie Bourgo (Michigan Technological University)
5. Rebecca Tomszewski (Appalachian State University)
6. Naticia Slusher (Mesa State College)
7. Courtney Steen (Colorado School of Mines)
8. Lauren Parker (Warren Wilson College)
9. Sarah Sietz (Union College)
10. Julia Tellman (Brevard College)
11. Tallulah Winquist (Warren Wilson College)
12. Melissa Marts (Colorado School of Mines)
13. Hanna Waldman (Warren Wilson College)
14. Nina Otter (Warren Wilson College)
15. Ileana Anderson (Warren Wilson College)
16. Amanda Gilbert (Appalachian State University)
17. Amy Russell (Union College)
18. Rachel Millsop (Union College)
19. Sarah Roberts (Colorado School of Mines)

Dual Slalom
Division 1
1. Chloe Jackson (Lees-McRae College)
2. Emma Millar (Fort Lewis College)
3. Sage Wilderman (Fort Lewis College)
4. Neven Steinmetz (University of Colorado-Boulder)
5. Alisha Gibson (Fort Lewis College)
6. Hannah Trimble (Lees-McRae College)
7. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College)
8. Ashley Grubb (Fort Lewis College)
9. Oliva Maurey (Lees-McRae College)
10. Sarah Lukas (Lindsey Wilson College)
11. Eszter Horanyi (University of Colorado-Boulder)
12. Sabina Kraushaar (Fort Lewis College)
13. Kristi Henne (Lees-McRae College)
14. Jamie Dinkins (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga)
15. Heather McFadden (Chico State)
16. Ally Stacher (Lees-McRae College)
17. Brittany Engleking (University of Colorado-Boulder)
18. Soraya Khalje (University of Colorado-Boulder)
19. Andrea Kelchlin (Northeastern University)
20. Emily Benon (Lindsey Wilson College)
21. Margaret Sullivan (Northeastern University)
22. Abigail Carroll (University of Colorado-Boulder)

Division 2
1. Johanna Tuttle (Brevard College)
2. Robyn Embrey
3. Jamie Bourgo (Michigan Technological University)
4. Christen Boyer (Colorado School of Mines)
5. Rachel Millsop (Union College)
6. Hanna Waldman (Warren Wilson College)
7. Rebecca Tomaszewski (Appalachian State University)
8. Courtney Steen (Colorado School of Mines)
9. Julia Tellman (Brevard College)
10. Vanessa Emery (Warren Wilson College)
11. Lauren Parker (Warren Wilson College)
12. Nina Otter (Warren Wilson College)
13. Melissa Marts (Colorado School of Mines)
14. Ileana Anderson (Warren Wilson College)
15. Sarah Seitz (Union College)
16.Naticia Slusher (Mesa Sate College)
17. Tallulah Winquist (Warren Wilson College)
18. Amy Russell (Union College)
19. Sarah Roberts (Colorado School of Mines)
20. Amanda Gilbert (Appalachian State University)

2009 USA Cycling Gravity Calendar

Well, here we go. USA Cycling posted their 2009 Mountain Bike National Gravity Calendar (MBNC) a few weeks ago. This season's calendar has some major changes from seasons past. There are a few things to consider when you look at this calendar.

First, this calendar represents the select few races that USAC has decided to call theirs. The full Mountain States Cup schedule hasn't been released yet. I've contacted Sho-Air, who is promoting a new version of what was previously the National Mountain Bike Series, about whether or not they'll be including gravity events in their calendar. Their series makes up a good portion of the MBNC-Cross Country, but we have yet to see which, if any, venues will also host gravity events.

The National Championships have been relocated to Sol Vista, CO. This change should be awesome. No one was going to Vermont for the Championships there, so we should see a larger crowd and higher level of competition at Sol Vista. Second, although it's in CO, where half of the MBNC is located, it should be pretty easy for riders from all over the country to get there. And the riding at Sol Vista is so rad, that riders from across the country should want to get there.

You'll also notice that there are no UCI points races currently on the calendar. I wouldn't count UCI options out, though. I've contacted Keith at RPM, to find out whether or not they're still finalizing the UCI races, or if there really won't be any options for gravity racers in 2009 (Snowmass, CO and Angel Fire, NM would be the two possible UCI venues).

Other major changes for 2009 include a super-early first race in Boulder City, NV in February; a 4X race at Crested Butte, CO, which usually does not offer a gated racing event; a 4X race at the National Championships, which usually offers dual slalom at the venue; a downhill race at Nathrop, CO, which has traditionally only offered gated racing; and no overlapping dates, which should allow rabid points chasers to make it to each race on the schedule.

I'm not trying to get all nit-picky on a calendar that I know took a lot of time and effort to put together, but I think it's important to take a good look at the schedule in order to make smart decisions about how we'll all spend our time and money next season. USAC's series points are less important than picking the races that we want to attend and can afford to attend. I'll post updates about the Sho-Air schedule, UCI points, and local series calendars as they emerge.

For now, though, here's your 2009 USAC Mountain Bike National Gravity Calendar:

Feb. 14-15 All Mountain Cyclery Mob 'N Mojave Boulder City, NV DH
May 2-3 MSC Chalk Creek Stampede Nathrop, CO DH, 4X, SD
May 9 Massanutten Yee-Ha! McGaheysville, VA DH
May 23-25 MSC Chile Challenge Angel Fire, NM DH, 4X, SD
June 13-14 MSC Wildflower Rush Crested Butte, CO DH, 4X, SD
June 27-28 MSC Blast the Mass Snowmass, CO DH, 4X, SD
July 16-19 USAC National Championships Sol Vista, CO DH, 4X, SD
Aug. 30 4th Annual Whiteface 5K Downhill Lake Placid, NY DH

USA Cycling Revamps Mountain Bike Categories

USA Cycling has officially renamed the racing categories for mountain bike disciplines. This change affects women less than the men, because the guys will lose the "Semi-Pro" classification. Instead of racing as a Beginner, Sport, Expert, Semi-Pro, or Pro, both men and women will race as category 3, 2, 1, or Pro in 2009. It's kind of like road categories, where beginners ride in the 3s, sports ride as 2s and experts ride as 1s. All of the categories, except for Pro, will still be divided into age groups as well. To read more about the changes, click here and visit USACycling.org.

3rd Annual Capital Cup Results

Last weekend the 3rd Annual Capital Cup races took place at Wisp Resort in McHenry, MD. This race was the fourth event on the 2008 USA Cycling National Gravity Calendar. Kristin Cousin barely edged out Hillary Elgert for the Pro downhill win.

Pro/Expert
1. Kristin Cousin
2. Hillary Elgert
3. Rae Gandolf

Sport/Beginner
1. Melissa Moran
2. Melissa Edwards
3. Robin Warren

USA Cycling Annouces Nominees for the 2008 World Championships

While our server issues are being resolved, I've had a lot of time to surf the web and find intriguing things to Blog. Here's a good one. Today USA Cycling announced the nominees for the World Championships that will take place next month in Val di Sole, Italy. There are only two women downhillers on the list, which is a bit surprising. Hopefully, this is just the list of riders who were nominated and not the final list of athletes who will be attending. It's a bit confusing because in the instructions for applying for the Worlds team on USAC's website, it says that today's date is the "Confirmation to Participate" and that the "Announcement of the Team" happens June 9, 2008. The write-up on USA Cycling's site doesn't imply that more riders will be named, though. As the top US rider in both mountaincross and downhill, Melissa Buhl will represent in both disciplines. Kathy Pruitt, who has been committed to the World Cup circuit this year will be the second downhiller, while mountaincross extraordinaire Neven Steinmetz will join Melissa in that discipline.

I understand that results and petitions rule the selection process, and the ability to pay one's own way determines whether or not a petition is submitted in the first place, but can we really only send two girls to Worlds? And that's two girls per discipline, which totals just three people. I hope that consideration was given to riders like Darian Harvey, Lisa Myklak, Abby Hippely, and Jackie Harmony, and that on June 9, we'll see a few more names on the list.

Elite Women’s Downhill
Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)
Kathy Pruitt (Lake Almanor, Calif.)

Elite Women’s 4-Cross
Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz.)
Neven Steinmetz (Boulder. Colo.)
Jessica Vogt (Boulder, Colo.)*
*Declined her nomination

To read the whole USAC article, click here.

Updated NMBC Gravity Standings

After two USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Calendar Gravity events, the Keyesville Classic and the Chalk Creek Stampede, Joanna Petterson leads the points race. The next chance to gain Gravity points will be at the Angel Fire, NM Chile Challenge May 23-26, 2008.

1.Joanna Petterson
2. Allegra Burch
3. Neven Steinmetz
4. Jessica Vogt
5. Bobbi Watt
6. Jackie Baker
7. Lisa Myklak
8. Rachel Bauer
9. Tiffany Allmandinger
10. Sarah Elworthy
11. Monique Hein
12. Stephanie Hatalsky

We found our results on USACyling.org.

Chalk Creek Stampede Results

The first Mountain States Cup gravity races took place in Nathrop, CO this weekend. The racing was limited to the gated variety and counts for MSC series points as well as the USA Cycling National Gravity Calendar series points. Joanna Petterson won both the Pro/Expert women's Mountaincross and Dual Slalom races. She battled Lisa Myklak, who's just returning from an injury she suffered at the Holla for Ya Dolla Jam, for the win in slalom. Joanna took on mountaincross specialists Bobbi Watt and Neven Steinmetz in for the win in mountaincross. The Chalk Creek Stampede is the second race on National Gravity Calendar, and the next gravity races for both series will take place over Memorial Day at the Angel Fire Chile Challenge.

Mountaincross
Pro/Expert Women
1. Joanna Pettersen
2. Bobbi Watt
3. Neven Steinmetz
4. Jessica Vogt
5. Soraya Khalje
6. Rachel Bauer
7. Stephanie Hatalsky

Sport/Beginner Women
1. Janna Renfro
2. Michelle Robertson
3. Jennifer Johnson
4. Brittany Engleking
5. Danika Gillespie
6. Erin Serra

Dual Slalom
Pro/Expert Women
1. Joanna Petterson
2. Lisa Myklak
3. Neven Steinmetz
4. Jessica Vogt
5. Rachel Bauer
6. Sarah Elworthy
7. Monique Hein
8. Soraya Khalje

Sport/Beginner Women
1. Michelle Robertson
2. Danika Gillespie
3. Erin Serra

We found our results on www.racemsc.com.

Keyesville Classic Results

The Keyesville Classic took place in Keyesville, CA this weekend. It was the first race of the USAC National Mountain Bike Calendar. The race was a two-run, combined-time format, with one run on each of two different courses. Several tie-breakers occured, with the better time on the second run being deemed the overall winner. Freeride Foundation swept the Pro Women!

In honor of the Freeride Foundation finish, everyone is invited to use the 15% discount code, KEYESME on one order between now and March 31!

Pro Women
1. Allegra Burch
2. Jackie Baker
3. Tiffany Allmandinger

Expert Women
30-39
1. Joy Martin

40-49
1. Heidi Volpe

Sport Women
19-29
1. Allison Mann
2. Emily Georgeson
3. Stephanie Gaudreau
4. Tracy Nelson
5. Amy Fogerson

30-39
1. Erika Noez

50+
1. Julie Framan

Beginner Women
30-39
1. Melissa Banal

We found our results at http://www.keyesville.com/.

USA Cycling Adds Mountaincross National Championship

Yesterday USA Cycling announced that it would add another event to the Angel Fire Chile Challenge event taking place in New Mexico at the end of May. A one-day mountaincross National Championship will be held for American Pros only. This race is slated in addition to the already scheduled UCI/NMBS/MSC mountaincross race open international riders as well.

On the upside, Pro riders get one more chance to earn some National Championship-level UCI points. On the downside, only Pros get to compete for a National Championship jersey in mountaincross this year. There will still be Dual Slalom National Championship in Vermont later this summer.

Click here to read the USA Cycling announcement.