PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Rick Baraff
Tel: +1-415-359-0730
EM: rbaraff@o2sm.com
www.norbanationals.com

National Mountain Bike Series Launches May 2006
Online registration now open

Park City, Utah -- 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.

Race Series Director, Jeff Frost pointed out some key features of the world's longest running national mountain bike racing series, now entering its 18th year. "The National Mountain Bike Series remains the pinnacle of mountain bike racing in the U.S." says Frost. "The series will help determine the members of the US National Team who will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China." The NMBS is not just for the world's top racers, however. "For 18 years, the NMBS has been a way for all riders of every ability to get out and test their mettle at the highest regional level in various mountain bike disciplines. All of the races are open to amateur competitors as well as the top pros." The seven stops on the series will feature better accessibility in general and plenty to do at the on-site Tech Expos for fans of all ages. "Mountain biking is, and has always been, about the grassroots participation of the many athletes and communities in such diverse locations as those in our series. We would like amateur riders to look at each series round as a de facto regional championships," adds Frost.

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.

Responding to demand, this year's series aims to find a balance between the pure, destination driven, high mountain resort experience and the accessibility to populated urban areas. "We have a great mix of sites for this year. There's the beautiful, picturesque locations such as Park City and Aspen and some great venues that are closer to major metropolitan areas such as Fontana in the greater Los Angeles area, Banner Elk near Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Infineon Raceway just outside of San Francisco. The resort venues are the cornerstones on which the sport has been built, and have always been perfect places for racers and families on vacation. While we need to continue with these venues in the series, we also need to expand towards urban venues that are day-accessible. Due to popular demand, most of the cross-country races are now on the weekends, so we hope to see many more riders and fans out this year," concludes Frost.