February 13/06 9:06 am - U.S. Race Updates

Posted by Editor on 02/13/06
 

McLane Pacific Cycling Classic Lifts 8-Man Rider Limit

The 13th Annual McLane Pacific Cycling Classic reigns as the first non-stage race of the year for the United States Cycling Federation National Racing Calendar.

Breaking with tradition, the seasoned planning committee initially implemented the suggested eight-man rider limit for participating teams. After discussions with team directors and amongst themselves, the MPCC committee has decided not to cap the maximum number of riders eligible to race from each team for this year's event.

"Part of what has made McLane great is the 'come one, come all' nature of the event," says co-coordinator and family man Doug Fleutsch. "You've got this huge, hard racing crowd owning the streets—and this captivated capacity crowd of families and fans."

Anxious cyclists and enthusiastic crowds will converge in Merced the weekend of March 3-5, to see first-hand who the breakout teams and individuals will be this year.

The blowout weekend for the pros begins with the Downtown Grand Prix. Saturday, March 4th, internationally acclaimed cyclists will scream around a .8 mile downtown track—in full view of the crowd for the first crit contest of the season.

Sunday, March 5th, the Foothills Road Race will engage all of the athletes' training and abilities, as they jockey for top finishes during a 24 mile rolling loop on a closed course.

"I call it the 'wake up race' because it's like the alarm clock going off after a season of training," laughs Brian Sheedy of Priority Health Cycling Team. "It always hurts going to McLane because it's really fast."

Most notable among big-name riders coming to compete again at McLane this year include four-time Grand Prix Champion Gord Fraser of the Health Net team.

For more information about the race, visit the website at www.mclanepacificcyclingclassic.com.


U.S. National Mountain Bike Series Launches May 2006

The 2006 National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) is gearing up to launch in May, with Round One scheduled for Southridge Park in Fontana, CA, 50 miles east of Los Angeles, May 5-7. A total of seven events will take place from May through August culminating in the National Mountain Biking Series Finals scheduled to take place August 12-13 in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Online registration opened on February1 at www.sportsbaseonline.com.

Elite athletes from around the world will compete in the following disciplines: Cross Country (XC), Downhill (DH), Short Track (ST), Mountain Cross MTX), Dual Slalom (DS), Marathon (MA), and Super D (SD), although not every venue will feature the full selection of disciplines. The schedule below identifies the disciplines offered at each round/venue.

May 5-7: Southridge Park, Fontana, CA...XC/ST/DH/MTX/SD

June 10-11: Sugar Mountain Resort, Banner Elk, NC...XC/ST/DH/DS/SD

June 17-18: Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT...XC/ST/DH/DS/SD/MTX

July 8-9: Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT...XC/ST/DH/SD/DS/MA

July 15-16: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA...MTX/XC/DH

August 5-6: Brian Head Resort, Brian Head, UT...DS/XC/DH/ST/SD/MA

August 12-13: Snowmass Resort, Aspen, CO...DS/XC/DH/ST/SD