NORBA Series #2 - E2

Snowshow, WV, USA, June 14-15, 2003

2002 results Race List Preview Start List

The Races

Race 1 - June 14: Cross-country, 35km
Race 2 - June 14: Mountain cross
Race 3 - June 15: Short-track cross-country
Race 4 - June 15: Downhill

Stars set for NORBA round 2

The second round of the NORBA National Championship Mountain Bike Series will take place between June 12-15 in Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia. The field features some of the top stars in the sport, including Olympic cross country hopefuls Jimena Florit (RLX-Ralph Lauren), Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles) and Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai). These three riders will make an appearance at Fat Tire Cycle in Elkins, West Virginia on Thursday June 12, 2003 between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Florit, who resides in San Diego, is an Argentine National and has already competed for Argentina in the Olympics. She hopes to obtain USA citizenship in time to be considered for the 2004 USA team. Florit has been a consistent performer with her results improving each year and finally culminating with the 2002 NORBA NCMBS overall Cross Country Championship.

McConneloug is originally from Northern California and lives part of the year in Massachusetts near her sponsor Seven Cycles. She is having her best year to date and has embarked on a "race tour" with her Seven Cycles teammate and companion Mathew Broderick. The duo is traveling across the country in a van from race to race in pursuit of her Olympic dream.

Wells makes his training base in Arizona after leaving is full time job at IBM in 2001 to become a full-time mountain bike racer in his quest for the Olympic team. Having spent the past two seasons building up, he is now a contender on the world scene and is consistently one of the top performing Americans.

As well as Florit and McConneloug, 2001 world champion Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) and Kiara Bisaro (Gears Racing), first and second, respectively, at the series-opener race at Snow Summit, will make an impact in the Pro/Elite women's Cross Country. In the women's Short Track, local favourite Sue Haywood (Trek-VW) is hot off the World Cup circuit in Europe, and definitely will be a factor after winning four weeks ago at Snow Summit.

Along with Wells, the Canadian training partners of World Champion, Roland Green (Trek-VW), and Snow Summit winner, Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru-Gary Fisher), will push the pace in both the Cross Country race on Saturday as well as the Short Track Event on Sunday. Geoff Kabush (Kona-Clarks) and top American Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX-Ralph Lauren) will by vying for the win as well. Snow Summit Short Track winner Jose Bonilla (Costa Rica National Team) will also be one to watch.

The gravity events will be without injured World Champion Brian Lopes (Hyundai-GT-Fox) who recently broke his leg while in Europe. This invites World Cup and NORBA Series leader Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) to capitalize on his Snow Summit "double." In women's Mountain Cross, expect BMX-crossover Jill Kintner (Staats-Fox Shox) to challenge Australian Katrina Miller (Jamis). In women's Downhill, Britons Tracy Mosely (Kona-Clarks) and Fionn Griffiths (Foes-Azonic) are both prepared, as is Australian Tai-Lee Muxlow (Tioga Orange).