NORBA National Series #5 - C1

Brian Head, Utah, USA, August 4-6, 2006

2005 results Schedule Preview

Schedule

Race 1 - August 4: Super D,
Race 2 - August 5: Cross Country,
Race 3 - August 5: Dual Slalom,
Race 4 - August 6: Marathon,
Race 5 - August 6: Downhill,
Race 6 - August 6: Short Track,

The NORBA series gets back to its roots with alpine racing

The NORBA National Mountain Bike Series returns to its regularly scheduled all-mountain action August 4-6 at the Brian Head Resort in Brian Head, Utah this weekend. "This venue is for the racers. There's not a lot of glitz like in Park City, but if you like to race your bike, Brian Head is the place," says co-race director Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear.

Nestled well off the main highway in a town of only 80 full time residents, Brian Head will once again host some "old school" mountain bike racing in the Cross-Country, Downhill, Short Track, Marathon, Super D, and Dual Slalom disciplines.

The XC course in Brian Head is a 28-mile loop that begins at the breathtaking elevation of roughly 9,000 feet and climbs to nearly 11,000 feet before descending through some amazing singletrack. "It's a classic 'old school' single-distance, one-loop race where everyone -- the pro men and women, the experts and the amateurs -- will ride the same course and go the same distance. And the scenery is phenomenal," adds Spiegel.

Expect newly crowned men's US National XC Champion Ryan Trebon (Kona/Les Gets) to be among the favorites along with teammate and new US National Short Track Champion Barry Wicks (Kona/Les Gets), four-time national champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher), Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW), and Todd Wells (GT).

The women will line up first time pro race winner and new women's US National XC Champion Georgia Gould (Luna) alongside veterans Willow Koerber (Subaru/Gary Fisher), Heather Irmiger (Subaru/Gary Fisher), Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles), Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna), and Dara Marks-Marino (Titus/Kenda).

The husband and wife team of Horgan-Kobelski and Irmiger each won their respective cross-country races in 2005.

The Downhill course promises to be a technical, gnarly, world-class descent through the high mountains and even though it will be set within yards of the other races, Short Track riders won't have to look at a lot of climbing in their fast and furious race.

Making this a truly intimate and bike-focused weekend, all of the Start/Finish lines will be within a few hundred yards of each other and every condo in town is within a half-mile of the venue.

This stop on the NMBS is rated as a Category 1 race with a high number of UCI points available to pro competitors making the action even more exciting as riders compete for the chance to represent their country in international competitions and a lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.