USA Champion Todd Wells (Specialized) riding sweet singletrack at Mt. Morris, Wisconsin(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Georgia Gould (Luna) celebrates victory in the US cross country national championship race in her former hometown of Ketchum, Idaho(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
A rider takes a singletrack turn at high speed.(Image credit: gibsonpictures.com/courtesy TransRockies)
USA Cycling announced the dates and venues for its 2012 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC). All AMBC events serve as qualifiers for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships.
Entering its 16th year in 2012, the 23-race AMBC series will visit 16 states in a six-month span. Racing begins with the US Cup East Southeastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) #1 in Gainesville, Florida, on March 18, and concludes with the Camp Eagle Classic Mountain Bike Festival in Rocksprings, Texas on September 1-2. The complete AMBC calendar is below.
The AMBC was created in 1996 to provide opportunities for mountain bikers of all ages and abilities. Each stop on the series offers cross country events, and several stops offer short track cross country, downhill, time trials, or super D competitions as well. The top 10 finishers in each respective age group and ability category at an AMBC event will qualify to compete at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships.
2012 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) Calendar March 18: US Cup East/SERC #1, Gainesville, Florida March 25: Chickasaw Trace Classic, Columbia, Tennessee April 1: US Cup East/SERC #2, Bryson City, North Carolina April 14: Rumble at 18 Road, Fruita, Colorado April 22: US Cup East/SERC #3, Conyers, Georgia April 22: Stump Jump 2012, Spartanburg, South Carolina April 29: US Cup East/SERC #4, Winder, Georgia April 29: Greenbrier Challenge, Hagerstown-Frederick, Maryland May 5-6: The Idyllwild Spring Challenge, Idyllwild, California May 6: US Cup East/SERC #5, Ducktown, Tennessee May 6: Iron Hill Challenge, Newark, Delaware May 27: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, Durango, Colorado June 10: US Cup East/SERC #6, Elizabethtown, Kentucky June 24: US Cup East/SERC #7, Clemson, South Carolina June 30–July 1: DINO AMBC Challenge, North Vernon, Indiana July 7-8: Bays Mountain Challenge, Kingsport, Tennessee July 13-15: Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival, Eureka Springs, Arkansas July 15: US Cup East/SERC #8, Knoxville, Tennesee July 15: Campmor H2H #4/17th Annual Bulldog Rump, Andover, New Jersey July 29: US Cup East/SERC #9, Fort Payne, Alabama August 5: US Cup East/SERC #10, Fontana, North Carolina August 12: Bear Creek Mountain Bike Challenge, Macungie, Pennsylvania September 1-2: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival, Rocksprings, Texas
