PARK CITY, Utah, (October 31, 2007) -- The six-round National Mountain Bike Series is officially set for 2008. It includes a mixture of the highly successful venues visited in '07, and two exciting new venues making their debut on the national mountain biking circuit.

One of the new venues is Tamarac Resort, at McCall, Idaho, which hosts the series finale, August 30 - September 1. This event is scheduled so as to allow the US Olympians to return from their races in Beijing, 22-23 August, and still compete for the series win. "We wanted the top athletes to have an opportunity to race in the finals, they have expressed a desire to do so, and we are more than happy to oblige," says series director Jeff Frost.

The other new venue is Windham Resort, New York, July 12-13. "Plattekill Mountain is the gravity base of New England, there's a huge gravity crowd in and around that area. We're excited to be going there for that, but also, the venue is two hours southwest of Mt Snow, the national championships venue, and our race is the weekend before. It's the last chance to qualify for the nationals," explains Frost.

The 2007 series saw continued growth in participant numbers, with 10,000 entrants and 14,000 starts. "I think we've found our plateau, Our events have become 70% regional and 30% national, which is a very healthy mix. This series is a standalone and has nothing to do with NORBA. As our reputation grows as a standalone entity, so does the pull from the region surrounding the event," says Frost.

Amateur participation at the regional level is growing, with many athletes traveling to just one or two events in the series. The past couple of years have seen a drop-off in the number of semi-pro and expert class riders. "There is a complex of economic reasons why we're seeing this," explains Frost. He adds, "the fact that the series is growing at the grassroots level is very significant, that's a very good sign for the future."

With the nuts and bolts of staging the events firmly in place, Frost has been looking for ways to enhance the weekend mountain biking experience for competitors. "One thing we're doing is going back to basics by offering a rich schwag bag to all entrants, nobody ever complained about that! Perhaps more significantly, we're ramping up our services for campers. We've seen an increase in campsites in recent years, so we're providing more showers, for example. As managing director of the series, apart from demonstrating that it can exist as an economically self-supporting entity, improved athlete facilities and services could end up being my main contribution."

About The National Mountain Bike Series
The 2008 National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) comprises six rounds and is the premier mountain bike racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned by the national governing body of cycling sports, USA Cycling. The series determines the most consistent performers over an entire summer's gruelling competition. For more information and to see the complete 2008 NMBS calendar, visit www.mtbnationals.com. For all non-media inquiries, please send email to: info@mtbnationals.com.