The NUE Wildcat 100 starts this weekend, Tour de Fat comes to Atlanta, and we talk to Eric Foster about his Tour Divide 2013 race prep!
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Tag Archives: mountain biking
If you’re in Atlanta this weekend don’t miss the New Belgium Brewing Tour de Fat in Candler Park, May 11th! It’s beer, bikes, and bemusement so you might leave the race bike at home and sport a cruiser instead! The event benefits the Atlanta Bike Coalition, the SOPO Bike Cooperative, and SORBA (Southern Off-Road Biking Association)! Get details like times, schedule of events and a map here!
The National Ultra-Endurance Series Wildcat 100 is this weekend in Rosendale, NY! The race kicks off at 6:45am on May 11th. This is the closest 100mi race to New York City and will take racers through some of New York’s best mountain biking and scenic views like Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Mohonk Preserve. Details here!
From the TSEpic Facebook page:
HEADS UP! Registration for 2013 TSEpic will be closing in just two days. Get registered before midnight on May 10 for the best week of your life!
What is the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic? It’s a 7 day stage race in Pennsylvania based out of Seven Mountains Boy Scout Campground. This year’s race will be held May 26-June 1, 2013!
Get details here and registration information here.
Records set for the AZT Race and Stagecoach 400, Mark Caminiti finishes his third AZTR, Rebecca Rusch sets new women’s Kokopelli Trail time, and we talk Tour Divide with Scott Thigpen!
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All audio is also available via RSS link or iTunes!
Red Bull Rusch Hour Kokopelli Trail saw Rebecca Rusch smash the women’s record on the route at 13:32:46! Congrats to Rebecca! Get the details here! And Rich Wince took the Trans-Iowa V9! Catch Guitar Ted’s call on Mountain Bike Radio here! Eddie O’Dea set the course record at the Stagecoach 400! In fact, the top three finishers Eddie, Guy Sutton, and JayP all finished in record time! Christian Tanguy took the Open Men’s class in the NUE Cohutta 100! Aaron Gulley took the 300mi leg of the Arizona Trail Race and took the men’s record at 2:03:59 Eszter Horanyi bested the women’t record by 15 hours at 2:13:15, and was third overall!
Update: Oops! Gotta mention the Whiskey 50! Geoff Kabush took first and Jeremiah Bishop took second! Congrats!
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) are teaming up for “The Spirit of Howdy,” a new trail etiquette initiative designed “to illuminate and advance a trail riding ethos key to the national high school mountain biking movement.”
SpiritOfHowdy.org will offer coaches tools for helping guide young athletes into responsible and respectful users and stewards of the trail. Additionally, the site will offer IMBA information on trail maintenance and shared use initiatives for working with other riding groups and land managers.
The idea, started by NICE founder Matt Fitzburger, is to instill a riding code in young riders to bolster better trail relationships among users.
“Teaching young student-athletes that their behavior and riding style on the trail directly affects other trail user and the natural environment and, ultimately, the support from their schools, has always been central in our philosophy. Recently NICA student-athletes coined the phrase “Spirit of Howdy,” and I’m thrilled to work with IMBA to launch the Spirit of Howdy website as the site effectively advances what our community stands for.” – NICA’s executive director, Austin McInerny
“The Spirit of Howdy campaign represents the values that both IMBA and NICA wish to teach our youth. The Spirit of Howdy is more than being friendly to other trail users — it’s also about caring for the trails and our environment, stewarding our parks and natural resources, and giving back to our communities.” – IMBA Executive Director, Mike van Abel
The initiative will be launched at the screening of Singletrack High at the Golden State Theater in Monterey, Calif. 7:30 p.m., April 20th.
Get the full press release here.
An Oregon-based group has launched the North American Bicycle Racing Association, or NABRA, born out of the frustration with UCI/USAC’s restrictions even before the recent rule clarification. Current focus appears, for now, to be on Cyclocross, Oregon Bicycling Racing Association events and other races with which OBRA has some familiarity. But the hope appears to be that this will expand and stand as a legitimate alternative to USA Cycling and the UCI.
“It was basically a reaction to the first time they came to us and said they would no longer allow dual-sanctioned races or permit UCI-licensed pros to compete in our races here in Oregon,” explained [Kenji] Sugahara, “…our membership loves what OBRA does here in Oregon, we create a lot of value for our customer, we have a good product and a good community, and that is something we feel we can produce across the whole country.”
Get the full story here.
Racers and promotors will have 8 months before the UCI will start enforcing rule 1.2.019 but issues what Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski referred to as a “veiled threat” that enforcement will commence in 2014.
CyclingNews reported the news this morning.
“The UCI has decided to postpone strict enforcement of rule 1.2.019 in 2013 with the expectation that all stakeholders (National Federations, race directors, teams and riders) will discuss and do what is necessary to prepare for the rule’s full enforcement in 2014.”
Promoter Mike McCormack, who puts on the Breck Epic mountain bike stage race posted on Facebook, “… We will NOT be dictated to by the UCI or USAC. Now, in 2014 or ever.”
Get the full story here.
In this interview via CyclingNews, USA Cycling attempts to address the hoopla over 1.2.019. In the end, their position seems to be that they have to enforce it and elude to no attempt to advocate for exceptions to UCI. In fact, the much debated “exceptions” would appear to be far narrower. It doesn’t appear, from where I’m sitting, there would be very many mountain bike event that would receive such an exception.
USA Cycling appears to rather be pushing that events pay the permit fee and get sanctioned and questions promoters’ reasons for not doing so:
“The only reasons not to sanction an event with USA Cycling are if the organizer is: 1) under-insuring the volunteers and/or participants, 2) avoiding the requirement to have USA Cycling licensed officials at the event and the athlete protection policies they enforce or 3) avoiding the USA Cycling RaceClean program.”
Certainly not a diplomatic response. The insurance angle appears to be the bait USAC thinks will lure promoters but doubling the sale with a veiled threat isn’t going to be received well.
See the full interview here.
From Facebook to blogs amateurs, pros, and fans have been lighting up the Internet voicing their disapproval of the UCI clarification on rule 1.2.019 which bars UCI licensee’s from competing in non-sanctioned events. Team Sho-Air / Cannondale announced today that a full roster of riders from are being sent to participate at the Whiskey 50, a non-sanctioned event!
“We have had hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and Facebook posts regarding this issue by fans, friends and fellow riders stating their discontent and asking for help. We have always done our best to support USAC by permitting…I have spent countless hours trying to negotiate a solution for all parties involved regarding this issue to no avail. The time has come to take a stand and lead by example, as this issue will affect us all, not only the Professional rider, but the Master and Junior amateur rider as well, that just want to race their bikes and have fun. We also are supporting the promoter’s right to choose not to sanction with USA Cycling. Freedom of choice is a right that must be protected.” – Sho-Air Company President and CEO, R. Scott Tedro
Read the entire press release here.
Check out Friday’s edition of The Dirt over on Mountain Bike Radio! Drew and guests discuss USA Cycling’s statement on Friday clarifying their stance on the UCI Rule 1.2.019
Drew is joined by Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Macky Franklin to cohost the discussion. Listen in to hear what the pros, who are affected by the decision, are thinking.
Also:
Justin Lindine and Scott Tedro called in during the show to discuss what is going on, what can be done, and more.
USCup Racing reported today on their Facebook page that the UCI has released a clarification on “forbidden races.”
We received this mandate from the UCI regarding forbidden races and rule 1.2.019. They now clarify ALL license holders are now subject to fines and suspension for attending any “Non Sanctioned” events, regardless if they are on a UCI team or not. We are also told this applies to any Amateur holding a USAC license.
Scott Tedro later posted:
“The key sentence in the UCI statement is “A national federation may grant special exceptions for races or particular events run in its own country.” This is not the UCI, this is in fact the USAC is trying to force promoters to use their product…
He intends to review this clarification with his legal team.
USA Cycling has chimed in as well and as Tedro notes, their answer seems to be to encourage promotors and racers join USAC.
A bigger question is that does this mean for pro-riders who want to race non-UCI and non-USAC races? With so many series like NUE, USCup, and many other events drawing pro-riders this could have a chilling effect on race promotion.
So far, people aren’t taking kindly to UCI or USAC. Cyclocross Magazine posted the clarification and notes the impact on their events. Comments are coming in:
CXMagazine.com:
twohandmath: Bike racing existed before USAC/UCI, exists without them, and will continue to do so. While there is value in national and international federations regulating the sport at the highest level, they’ve done a real poor job at that the last 20 years or so, and lose credibility in all aspects.Facebook:
Allen Ball: A good move to reduce UCI membership roles. Arrogance will be it’s own reward.
And even Bicycling Magazine is tweeting that this is “bad news:”
@BicyclingMag
Bad news UCI license holders & non-USAC events: RT @USACycling Clarification from@UCI_cycling on rule 1.2.019: http://bit.ly/10zvEnI