PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Skye Kraft
Tel: +1-415-359-0730
EM: skraft@o2sm.com
www.mtbnationals.com
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release |
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Fontana, CA (April 26, 2007) – On May 3-7 mountain bike racers and enthusiasts will gather in the hills outside of Los Angeles at Southridge Park in Fontana, California for Round Three of the 2007 National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) – the Fontana National presented by Team KONA Bikes. This is the second year that the NMBS will take its “Urban Assault” theme to Fontana, with the idea that holding mountain biking events in close proximity to large population centers will help increase the exposure and popularity of the sport. Based on the numbers of participants (well over 1500) as well as spectators at last year’s season-opening event, the idea is a success. Typical NMBS venues are the remote, relatively less accessible, mountainous ski resorts scattered around the United States, which offer the fantastic terrain necessary for mountain bike racing, but also limit that accessibility for amateur racers and especially spectators. Managing Director of the NMBS, Jeffrey Frost has worked to find a good blend of venues for his series such that it can draw new interest while also satisfying the purists. To that end, you can see an arc in the series as now the first half of the NMBS visits areas that are nearer to major cities, while the last three events of the series maintain the traditional, rugged, high mountain vibe, with events at the Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah; the Sugar Mountain Resort in North Carolina; and the series finals in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Southridge Park in Fontana has been a southern California mountain biking hotspot for almost two decades, which just goes to show that venues selected for their accessibility don’t lack in excellent quality courses and scenery. Frost wouldn’t have it any other way, as he scrupulously examined all aspects of the venue before he sought to bring his series, along with some of the top racing professionals in the nation and world, to Fontana. Having been involved with mountain bike racing in the US for about fifteen years, and with the NMBS for the last eight of those, means that Jeffrey Frost probably has the best understanding of the mountain biking community of anyone out there. It’s this understanding that drove Frost to make the painful but logical decision to cut marathon cross country racing from the NMBS program this year. As he explains, “The NMBS has been criticized for not being ‘urban,’ or accessible – unfortunately, when you go to an ‘urban’ venue you lose the ability to do a marathon. Our ‘urban’ venues can support a marathon in distance - with multiple laps of the cross country course - but not in spirit. Several of the best marathon courses over the years have been in the least accessible venues.” He goes on to say that, “In hopes of developing better marathon racers in this country, we leave the discipline to those events that specialize in it.” Marathon may not longer feature, but Fontana has an otherwise full slate of racing. There will be the KENDA Cross Country (XC) presented by Turner, the KENDA Short Track Cross Country (STXC), the Fox Downhill (DH) presented by KHS, the Super-D, and the Fox Four Cross (4X) presented by ODI. Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear mentioned that they’ve added a mile of single track to the already very technical Cross Country course, but that otherwise the various courses will remain the same as in 2006. Jared Rando (Giant MTB Team) will be looking to repeat his success on the 4X course that he won on last year, while last year’s women’s pro Cross Country winner, Shonny Vandlandingham (Luna Women’s MTB Team), will be looking to do the same in her event. In 2006, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) twice finished second to Canadian Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) in both the XC and STXC races, so he will be returning this year with a vengeance to drive him onto that top podium spot. In addition to all the racing in Fontana, there will be a large Expo with Exhibitors displaying all the latest mountain bike gadgetry and more. Be sure to check out the Toyota FJ Cruisers Trail Team in the Expo area as they show off the capabilities of their four-wheeler. Hanging out at the KONA Bicycles trailer in between races will be the “Twin Timber” themselves, Barry Wicks and Ryan Trebon. Free for kids 12 and under is the Shimano Kids Race, which will take place at 2:00pm on Sunday. Also free are at least ten bicycles that KHS Bicycles will raffle off: one bike every hour during the day on Saturday and Sunday; the raffle is free to enter, but you must be present to win.
About The National Mountain Bike Series -30- |
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