USAC announces national calendars in three disciplines

USA Cycling released three national calendars featuring 42 races and US$150,000 in prizes for cross country, endurance, and gravity racing. The three separate national calendars to determine a national-level ranking were first introduced last year in 2007.

New for 2008 are eight new cross country events, four of which will be UCI sanctioned. The 24-event cross country calendar will begin in early spring with the 20th Annual Keyesville Classic in Lake Isabella, California on March 15-16 and will conclude seven months later with the Piney Hills Fall Classic in Ruston, Louisiana on October 25-26. Along with the Keyesville Classic, new events include the Rabbit Valley Rampage in Fruita, Colorado, the Massanutten Hoo-Ha in McGayhesville, Virginia, the East Coast National in Windham, New York, the Full Tilt in Telluride, Colorado, the Ladies Loppet in Callaway, Minnesota, the Tamarack National in Idaho, and the Fall Classic in Breckenridge, Colorado.

The Fontana National in California, the Deer Valley National in Utah, and the National Championships in Mount Snow, Vermont, will offer UCI Category 1 points while Category 2 events will be the NOVA National in Fountain Hills, Arizona and the Santa Ynez National in Southern California.

Ten races are featured on the gravity calendar – four of which are also on the UCI Calendar. The gravity events also open with the Keyesville Classic, but will conclude with the Whiteface Third Annual 5km Downhill in Wilmington, New York in August. In addition to the Keyesville Classic, the Sol Survivor and Sol Squared in Sol Vista, Colorado and the Third Annual Capital Cup at Wisp in McHenry, Maryland are the new events. The National Championship, Blast the Mass, the Chile Challenge and the Keystone Classic will offer UCI points.

The Ultra-Endurance calendar will grow to six events in 2008 with the addition of the two national championships - one for the marathon and one for the 24 hour sub-disciplines and the Shannon Ridge Showdown in Clear Lake Oaks, California. Ultra endurance racing will kick off again in Texas with the Mas o Menos in February.

"The 42 events on next season's National Calendars represent the best off-road races in the United States in terms of organization, prize lists and prestige," said Kelli Lusk, USA Cycling's newly-appointed Mountain Bike Events and Program Director.

Georgia Gould (Luna) and Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) came out on top of the National Cross Country Calendar in 2007. Top honors for gravity went to Melissa Buhl (KHS) and Australian Jared Graves. Nat Ross (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Rebecca Rusch (Red Bull-Specialized) claimed overall victories in the National Ultra-Endurance Calendar.

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Cross Country Calendar
March 15-16: 20th Annual Keyesville Classic, Lake Isabella, California (XC, ST)
March 30: Chickasaw Trace Classic, Columbia, Tennessee (XC, ST)
March 30: Fontana NMBS, Fontana, California (XC, ST) (C1)
April 6: NOVA NMBS, Fountain Hills, Arizona (XC, ST) (C2)
April 12-13: Mountain States Cup #1, Fruita, Colorado (XC, ST)
April 27: Greenbriar Challenge, Frederic, Maryland (XC)
May 3-4: Idyllwild Spring Challenge, Idyllwild, California (XC, TT)
May 18: Stump Jump 2008, Spartanburg, South Carolina (XC)
May 18: Santa Ynez Valley NMBS, Los Olivios, California (XC, ST) (C2)
May 23-26: Mountain States Cup #3/Chile Challenge, Angel Fire, New Mexico (XC)
June 1: 14th Annual Bump & Grind, Birmingham, Alabama (XC)
June 1: Massanutten Hoo Ha, McGaheysville, Virginia (XC)
June 14-15: Subaru Cup, Mt Morris, Wisconsin (XC, Stage)
June 22: Dawg Dayz MTB Classic, North Little Rock, Arkansas (XC, ST)
June 29: Deer Valley NMBS, Park City Utah (XC, ST) (C1)
July 11-13: Mountain States Cup #6 / Blast the Mass, Snowmass, Colorado (XC)
July 12: NMBS at Windham Mountain, Windham, New York (XC)
July 17-20: USAC MTB National Championships, West Dover, Vermont (XC, ST) (C1)
August 1-3: Mountain States Cup #8, Telluride, Colorado, (XC, HC)
August 30-31: NMBS Finals, Tamarack, Idaho (XC, ST)
September 6-7: The Fall Classic, Breckenridge, Colorado (XC, ST)
October 25-26: Piney Hills Classic, Ruston, Louisiana (XC)

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Gravity Calendar
March 15: 20th Annual Keyesville Classic, Lake Isabella, California (DH)
May 30: Mountain States Cup / Angel Fire, Angel Fire, New Mexico (DH, MX, DS) (C2)
June 6-8: Mountain States Cup #4, Sol Vista, Colorado (DS, MX)
June 20-22: 3rd Annual Capital Cup at WISP, McHenry, Maryland (DH, DS)
July 12-13: Mountain States Cup Blast the Mass, Snowmass, Colorado (DH, MX, DS) (C1)
July 17-20: US National Championships, West Dover, Vermont (DS, DH) (C1)
August 1-3: Mountain States Cup / Full Tilt, Telluride, Colorado (DH, DS)
August 15-17: Mountain States Cup / Keystone, Keystone, Colorado (DH, DS) (C2)
August 29-31: Mountain States Cup Gravity Finals, Sol Vista, Colorado (DH, DS)
August 31: Whiteface 3rd Annual Downhill 5k, Wilmington, New York (DH)

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar
February 14-15: Mas o Menos 100km, Terlingua, Texas (marathon)
May 2-3: Dirt Sweat & Gears, Fayetteville, Tennessee (12 hr)
June 21: Cowbell Challenge, Charlotte, North Carolina (12 hr)
July 4: US National Marathon Championships, Breckenridge, Colorado (marathon)
July 26: Galena Grinder, Ketchum, Idaho (marathon)
August 2-3: US 24 Hour National Championships, Wausau, Wisconsin (24 hr)
September 20-21: Payson Stampede, Payson, Arizona (24 hr)
October 18-19: Shannon Ridge Showdown, Clear Lake Oak, California (16 hr)