2006 U.S. nationals calendar announced

USA Cycling has announced the 2006 U.S. National Championship Calendar consisting of 12 events across four disciplines, and the schedule includes a few significant changes from 2005. The biggest change comes in the form of a new location for the National Championship Festival -- from Park City to the Seven Springs Resort near Pittsburgh, PA. The site of the 2003 elite road championships, the resort will host the festival from July 5-17 and will consist of titles for junior, U23, master and elite categories.

For the third consecutive year, the Mountain Bike National Championships take place at Mammoth Mountain Resort, but with a new mid-Summer date of July 20-23 to align with the international mountain bike calendar in terms of date and its one-day format.

On the collegiate front, road nationals return to Lawrence, Kansas, May 10-14 for the second straight year of a three-year commitment, while the USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships will be held at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Indiana, September 22-24. Collegiate mountain bike nationals will head to Angel Fire Resort in northern New Mexico October 20-22 after two years at Seven Springs.

Of USA Cycling's two professional championships, the USPRO National Criterium Championships is the only event that has been confirmed at this time. Returning to the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois the USPRO Criterium Championships are scheduled for August 19-20. The date and location for the 2006 USPRO Road Championships has yet to be determined and is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

May 10-14: Collegiate Road National Championships, Lawrence, Kan.
July 5-17: National Road Festival - Seven Springs Resort, Champion, Pa.
July 12-15: Junior Track National Championships - Lehigh Valley Velodrome, Trexlertown, Pa.
July 20-23: Mountain Bike National Championships - Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
August 8-12: Masters Track National Championships - 7-Eleven Velodrome, Colorado Springs, Colo.
August 19-20: USPRO National Criterium Championships - Downers Grove, Ill.
September 22-24: Collegiate Track National Championships - Major Taylor Velodrome, Indianapolis, Ind.
October 5-8: Elite Track National Championships - ADT Event Center, Carson, Calif.
October 20-22: Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships - Angel Fire Resort, Angel Fire, N.M.
TBD: USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships - Providence, R.I.
TBD: USPRO Road National Championships
TBD: 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships