2007 NMBS ALLIANCES

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Skye Kraft
Tel: +1-415-359-0730
EM: skraft@o2sm.com
www.norbanationals.com


NMBS Heads Into 2007 With Team, Industry Alliances Teams, Sponsors Underscore Marketing Value of Top US MTB Series PARK CITY, UT. (December 04, 2006) – The 2007 National Mountain Bike Race Series (NMBS) is set to run from March through August of next year, with six stops in five states providing mountain bike race enthusiasts and professionals alike the highest level of competition at the best venues in America. The series will operate in conjunction with, and constitute a major portion of, USA Cycling’s new mountain bike national calendar, which seeks to replicate the success that the National Racing Calendar has enjoyed in the American road racing scene. “USAC has a new initiative, but for the NMBS, nothing has changed,” says co-owner Jeff Frost. “We maintain the same priorities that we have done throughout the years of running the series. Those priorities are: the growth of the sport of mountain bike racing through provision of good courses and venues in accessible locations, the support of the elite athletes, teams and manufacturer in the sport, and the entertainment and involvement of the amateur riders and fans.” The NMBS, once known as the ‘NORBA’ National Championship Mountain Bike Series, is widely regarded as the international face of US mountain bike racing. This series is the prime mover of the US pro mountain bike circuit, and carries with it a legacy of heroes spanning two decades. Now owned partly by Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear, an event organizer from the early days, and the ubiquitous Jeff Frost of BlueWolf Events, the series has as much appeal as ever to racing professionals, enthusiasts, and industry leaders alike. Jon Rourke, manager of the Subaru-Gary Fisher race team, considers the NMBS to be “the preeminent series currently out there,” and says that it is the “crown jewel of the national mountain bike racing calendar.” Subaru-Gary Fisher will be contesting the series in 2007, and the top athletes on the team will have a focus of earning points to go to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. New for the National Mountain Bike Series in 2007 is the introduction of the Alliance Program whereby industry leaders will have the chance to participate in the promotion of the series as marketing stakeholders. What this means is that, in addition to the series-wide sponsorships, factory teams will have the opportunity to sponsor a particular event within the series and will promote that event in conjunction with the NMBS’s own promotion so as to influence attendance and amateur participation. These partnerships highlight the value that industry leaders see in the NMBS, and will benefit both the pro and amateur riders by creating stronger, higher quality events. This cohesion within the national mountain bike scene is important to Jim Wanamaker of Kenda who says that the Alliance Program is a great way to “get more people involved [in the development of US mountain biking] and raise more capital.” One of the things that Mr. Wanamaker would especially like to see in the US mountain biking scene is the athletes receiving more financial recognition. He is impressed by the steps that the NMBS organization is taking to prevent the top talent from being “enticed into the road market because there is a lot of money there.” Team Maxxis bicycle sponsorship coordinator, Chris Warrick, encapsulates the NMBS when he says, “we [Team Maxxis] send a lot of our top caliber athletes to NMBS. For us, it is the highest level of competition available in the US. It’s a well-run series that brings together events all across the country, and not only do we get to showcase our star athletes there, but we also have an opportunity to reach out to the grassroots riders competing there as well, and it really hits the enthusiast market.” He regards the NMBS as being in a growth cycle and admires the work of Jeff Frost and Tom Spiegel to secure the best venues both in terms of accessibility for fans as well as the quality of race courses for the athletes. --The National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) is owned and operated by Jeff Frost of BlueWolf Events, LLC, and Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear, Inc. The series is sanctioned by USA Cycling, the national governing body. It is the highest ranked Mountain Bike racing series in the United States. The series is comprised of six events and runs in Arizona, California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Utah. For more information please email info@norbanationals.com or visit www.norbanationals.com.-- ####

NMBS Heads Into 2007 With Team, Industry Alliances

Teams, Sponsors Underscore Marketing Value of Top US MTB Series

PARK CITY, UT. (December 04, 2006) – The 2007 National Mountain Bike Race Series (NMBS) is set to run from March through August of next year, with six stops in five states providing mountain bike race enthusiasts and professionals alike the highest level of competition at the best venues in America. The series will operate in conjunction with, and constitute a major portion of, USA Cycling’s new mountain bike national calendar, which seeks to replicate the success that the National Racing Calendar has enjoyed in the American road racing scene.

“USAC has a new initiative, but for the NMBS, nothing has changed,” says co-owner Jeff Frost. “We maintain the same priorities that we have done throughout the years of running the series. Those priorities are: the growth of the sport of mountain bike racing through provision of good courses and venues in accessible locations, the support of the elite athletes, teams and manufacturer in the sport, and the entertainment and involvement of the amateur riders and fans.”

The NMBS, once known as the ‘NORBA’ National Championship Mountain Bike Series, is widely regarded as the international face of US mountain bike racing. This series is the prime mover of the US pro mountain bike circuit, and carries with it a legacy of heroes spanning two decades. Now owned partly by Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear, an event organizer from the early days, and the ubiquitous Jeff Frost of BlueWolf Events, the series has as much appeal as ever to racing professionals, enthusiasts, and industry leaders alike.

Jon Rourke, manager of the Subaru-Gary Fisher race team, considers the NMBS to be “the preeminent series currently out there,” and says that it is the “crown jewel of the national mountain bike racing calendar.” Subaru-Gary Fisher will be contesting the series in 2007, and the top athletes on the team will have a focus of earning points to go to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

New for the National Mountain Bike Series in 2007 is the introduction of the Alliance Program whereby industry leaders will have the chance to participate in the promotion of the series as marketing stakeholders. What this means is that, in addition to the series-wide sponsorships, factory teams will have the opportunity to sponsor a particular event within the series and will promote that event in conjunction with the NMBS’s own promotion so as to influence attendance and amateur participation. These partnerships highlight the value that industry leaders see in the NMBS, and will benefit both the pro and amateur riders by creating stronger, higher quality events.

This cohesion within the national mountain bike scene is important to Jim Wanamaker of Kenda who says that the Alliance Program is a great way to “get more people involved [in the development of US mountain biking] and raise more capital.” One of the things that Mr. Wanamaker would especially like to see in the US mountain biking scene is the athletes receiving more financial recognition. He is impressed by the steps that the NMBS organization is taking to prevent the top talent from being “enticed into the road market because there is a lot of money there.”

Team Maxxis bicycle sponsorship coordinator, Chris Warrick, encapsulates the NMBS when he says, “we [Team Maxxis] send a lot of our top caliber athletes to NMBS. For us, it is the highest level of competition available in the US. It’s a well-run series that brings together events all across the country, and not only do we get to showcase our star athletes there, but we also have an opportunity to reach out to the grassroots riders competing there as well, and it really hits the enthusiast market.” He regards the NMBS as being in a growth cycle and admires the work of Jeff Frost and Tom Spiegel to secure the best venues both in terms of accessibility for fans as well as the quality of race courses for the athletes.

--The National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) is owned and operated by Jeff Frost of BlueWolf Events, LLC, and Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear, Inc. The series is sanctioned by USA Cycling, the national governing body. It is the highest ranked Mountain Bike racing series in the United States. The series is comprised of six events and runs in Arizona, California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Utah. For more information please email info@norbanationals.com or visit www.norbanationals.com.--

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