USA Cycling names clubs of the year

Black Bear Cycling of Sussex, New Jersey, was named mountain bike club of the year by USA Cycling. It was one of ten sanctioned clubs to be recognized for outstanding programs throughout the 2008 season and to receive complimentary registration fees for the 2009 racing season.

The club promotes the Wawayanda Spring Cleaning mountain bike race in Hewitt, New Jersey, and it hosted four clinics throughout the season focusing on bike safety. Its members enjoyed several competitive successes throughout the season with podium finishes at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships and the Campmor H2H MTB Race Series.

The group maintains a high level of visibility in the regional racing scene, has an exemplary volunteer record and partners with two state park administrations and local high schools. Club members logged more than 300 hours in volunteer trail work in 2008.

Clubs were judged on several key areas including race promotion, membership composition, instructional clinics and seminars, club activities, charitable contributions and racing performance. Of USA Cycling's 2,216 member clubs, approximately 76 applied for consideration in 10 separate categories.