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Chevy Trucks National Mountain Bike Action Takes Off May 19-21 in Snow Summit, CA
U.S. Olympic Long Team Headlines National Season Opener
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 4, 2000) - For the fourth consecutive year, the top professional mountain bikers and amateur riders will kick off the national mountain bike season with the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series May 19-21 at Snow Summit Mountain Resort in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
The Snow Summit event is the first of five races that run from May to September. The premier mountain bike series in the country, the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series is the only series that offers professional, junior and masters riders the chance to earn national titles and the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey.
Among the racers will be the 2000 U.S. Olympic Long Team, including California native and '96 Olympic mountain biker Tinker Juarez (Downey, Calif.). The team will continue its journey down the Olympic road at Snow Summit with the cross-country race, the only Olympic mountain bike discipline. Other Olympic Long Team members competing at Snow Summit include Alison Dunlap (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Shari Kain (Cupertino, Calif.), Ruthie Matthes (Durango, Colo.), Ann Trombley (Golden, Colo.) and Steve Larsen (Jacksonville, Ore.).
Last year, more than 2,300 riders and 15,000 spectators attended the race, which is organized by Snow Summit Resort and Team Big Bear, a California-based event management group. This year marks the 12th season Snow Summit has held a NORBA National Championship Series event.
Highlighting the three-day mountain festival are the pro cross-country, short-track cross-country, VISA downhill and SoBe dual slalom events. The competition will be fierce as U.S. riders push the limits to earn spots on the 2000 U.S. World Mountain Bike Championship team, which will be announced at the end of the Snow Summit weekend. The 2000 World Mountain Bike Championships will take place June 3-11 in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
In the cross-country, '99 national champion Dunlap, who is currently ranked number one in the world, will try to fend off fellow Olympic Long Team member Trombley, who won at Snow Summit last year. Last year's Snow Summit men's winner David Wiens (Guninson, Colo.) will face tough opposition from Larsen, Juarez and others. Larsen and Dunlap, '99 national short-track cross-country champions, will also defend their titles against the likes of Matthes, Kain, Juarez and '99 national cyclo-cross champion Marc Gullickson (Boulder, Colo.).
The VISA downhill and SoBe dual slalom will feature some of the best gravity riders in the world, including '99 national dual slalom champion and southern California native Leigh Donovan (Capistrano Beach, Calif.), last year's Snow Summit women's downhill winner Elke Brutsaert (Durango, Colo.) and '99 Snow Summit dual slalom winner Dave Cullinan (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Headlining the men's downhill event will be '99 World Mountain Bike Championship bronze medalist Eric Carter (Temecula, Calif.), who also won the '99 downhill national championship title.
Throughout the weekend, junior and amateur racing will keep the action going between the pro events. Riders can also participate in one or more of the six mountain bike clinics, which will be hosted by top pros, scheduled throughout the weekend.
Spectators can participate in a number of non-competitive activities. In the tech and expo area, more than 50 professional mountain bike teams and exhibitors will be on hand. Spectators and riders can check out the latest mountain bike equipment or get autographs from their mountain bike heroes. Sunday morning, pro riders will lead a fun ride open to riders of all abilities.
The Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series will be broadcast on Outdoor Life Network, with the Snow Summit action airing June 1 at 8 p.m. eastern time. For the most up-to-date information on the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Series, visit www.usacycling.org/mtb.
2000 CHEVY TRUCKS NORBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
May 20-21 Snow Summit, Calif.
June 23-25 Mount Snow, Vt.
July 29-30 Deer Valley, Utah
Aug. 5-6 Crystal Mountain, Wash.
Sept. 9-10 Mammoth Mountain, Calif. (Finals) |
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