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MTB News & racing round-up for October 21, 2005

Edited by Steve Medcroft

Welcome to our regular round-up of what's happening in the dirt. Feel free to send feedback, news and gossip to mtb@cyclingnews.com

Scholarship for top Kiwi mountain biker

New Zealand's top female mountain Rosara Joseph is one of three New Zealanders to be awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to the UK's Oxford University.

The reigning New Zealand cross-country MTB champion, Joseph studied law at Canterbury University, but now lives and works in Wellington. She will take her place at Oxford in October 2006 to spend nine months studying for a BSL, the equivalent of a masters degree in law. In the meantime, she is expected to represent New Zealand at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and at the 2006 world championships, which will be held in New Zealand for the first time..

"I found out last week that I was selected for [a Rhodes Scholarship] and I am absolutely over the moon," Joseph said. "I still plan to race while I am in Europe, but at the moment my focus is on the upcoming season which promises to be one of the toughest and exciting New Zealand has had for a while."

Rhodes Scholarships are awarded for a combination of academic excellence, physical prowess and strength of character. Well-known former Rhodes Scholars include former US president Bill Clinton, astronomer Edwin Hubble, and philosopher EF Schumacher.

Biggest ever Bicycling Australia Show

Organisers of this year's Bicycling Australia Show are touting it as a festival of cycling not to be missed, and with a new location at The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park, more entertainment and more exhibitors than ever before it's expected to be the biggest yet. The show takes place on October 22 and 23 (plus a trade-only day on October 21), with racing, recreational events, and plenty of the latest cycling gear to keep patrons entertained.

There are seminars, exhibitors and test bikes available, plus the opportunity to meet top Australian riders such as Matt White, Simon Gerrans and MTB Downhill star Nathan Rennie, along with Olympic riders Anna and Kerrie Meares and Sara Carrigan. They'll be at the Cycling Australia/SBS Television stand to sign autographs and chat with fans before SBS presenter Mike Tomalaris conducts on-stage interviews with the riders each day.

Cyclingnews will be at the show, so drop by and say 'hi' - and grab the chance to pick up a bargain from our range of DVDs, posters and clothing, which you can browse in advance at the Cyclingnews shop .

There are also on-bike events for riders, with a criterium on October 22 along the Olympic Boulevard starting at 11am, and the Portfolio Partners Sydney Spring Cycle, which starts at 7am October 23 at St Leonards Park and finishes at the doors of The Dome later that day. By joining the ride, visitors will receive a discount on entry to the show.

For fans of the dirt, the opening round of the 2005/06 National Mountain Cross Series will take place on Friday October 21 at 7pm, with a brand new purpose-built course the centerpiece of the event. A minimum of $5000 cash prizes are up for grabs courtesy of Bicycling Australia, with free admission for spectators and all competitors receiving two free passes to the Bicycling Australia Show. The NSW Wheelchair Sports Association will also be conducting Come 'N' Try hand cycling plus 5km and 20km races for the experts at Yulang, which is located in front of the Novotel Hotel.

Visitors have the chance to win either a Trek 2000 road bike or a Fuel EX7 dual suspension mountain bike, along with accessories to a total prize value of over $4,500 when they attend. For more information about the Bicycling Australia Show and related events, visit www.bicyclingaustralia.com.

Bicycling Australia Show dates

When: Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 October, 2005
Where: The Dome, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park
Time: 10am - 5pm
Cost: $15/$10

Bicycling Australia Mountain Cross

When: Friday 21 October 2005
Where: Sydney Olympic Park (between P5 carpark and Haslam's Creek)
Time: Qualifying from 10am, Finals 7pm (under lights)

Portfolio Partners Sydney Spring Cycle

When: Sunday 23 October, 2005
Where: Start at St Leonards Park, finish on Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park
Time: All day (start from 7am)

Festival of Cycling

When: Sunday 23 October, 2005
Where: The Overflow, Sydney Olympic Park
Time: 11am - 3pm

Mitta to Mount Beauty MTB Challenge

Entries are now open for the 15th annual Mitta to Mount Beauty MTB challenge to be held on Sunday 30th October 2005. Entry forms can also be downloaded from the Team Mount Beauty website www.tmb.org.au.

See the information and entry form here

Downloads: Entry form (pdf)

Rennie rides Sydney Olympic Park MTNX

Australia's top downhill mountain biker, Nathan Rennie, has confirmed that he will be racing the first round of the National Mountain Cross (MTNX) Series, the Bicycling Australia Mountain Cross.

Rennie, who rides for the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, will ride the MTNX which is being held one week before he plans to attempt a World Record MTB jump. Rennie is currently ranked third in the world in downhill mountain bike racing and 15th in MTNX. The 24 year old has in his collection the rainbow jersey of World Champion, won as a junior in 1999, and was the World Cup series winner and number one ranked downhill mountain bike rider in 2003. The first round of the National MTNX Series will be held on Friday 21 October 2005 at the new course in Sydney Olympic Park, located between the P5 car park and Haslam's Creek.

Entries are open to riders of all ages and grades. Qualifying heats will be held during the day from 10am with Finals to follow under lights at 7pm on Friday night. A minimum of $5,000 in prize money is on offer, thanks to Bicycling Australia.

The MTNX event and 2005 Bicycling Australia Show will be part of the Festival of Cycling, taking place at Sydney Olympic Park on 22 and 23 October 2005.

IMBA gets behind National Public Lands Day

IMBA gets together at NPLD
Photo ©: IMBA

Volunteers from IMBA-affiliated clubs participated in the IMBA/BOB Trailers Trailwork Challenge on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 24 in the USA. BOB Trailers encouraged IMBA club involvement by donating an IBEX suspension trailer to help celebrate the events.

National Public Lands Day is one of the USA's largest outdoor volunteer efforts. Now in its 12th year, National Public Lands Day has supported more than 900 projects, leading to an estimated $12 million in public improvements. This year's winning club is the Central Iowa Trail Association (CITA). CITA's event at Ashworth Park, in Des Moines, drew over 30 volunteers. The trailwork and bridge building (literal, not metaphorical!) they performed will help preserve a multi-use trail system.

Other highlights include:

• In New Jersey, the Jersey Action Riders teamed with Recreational Equipment, Inc.'s (REI) Marlton store for a volunteer trailbuilding event, resulting in a new purpose-built mountain bike trail at Wharton State Forest.
• Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists (CLIMB) organized three events in the Big Apple, including a clean-up of Cunningham Park (in Queens), the first park in NYC to offer officially designated mountain bike trails.
• In North Carolina, The Brush Mountain Cyclists partnered with the National Park Service for a trailbuilding day. Congresswomen Virginia Fox and National Park Superintendent Paul Carson were on hand for the celebration.
• In California's King Range, work was done on a mountain bike trail designed by Joey Klein, of IMBA .

In addition to sponsoring this annual challenge, BOB offers IMBA clubs discounted trailers and accessories to aid their trailwork efforts.

Red Bull Road Rage riders named

The field has been announced for the Red Bull Road Rage, which will be held in Tuna Canyon, California, USA on November 5. The event will determine who the fastest descender is with riders taking on a 2 mile course with a 2,000 foot elevation drop, cliff-hanging berms and 120 degree turns around rock faces at speeds up to 60 mph. Half of the riders are California locals, but there will be out of towners like Marty Nothstein and Cedric Gracia of France.

Road riders

Marty Nothstein (Orefield, PA)
David Clinger (Woodland Hills, CA)
Erik Saunders (Twentynine Palms, CA)
David McCook (Mountain View, CA)
Steve Bauer (Ontario, Canada)
Carl Decker (Bend, OR)
David Richter (Seattle, WA)
Kayle LeoGrande (Upland, CA)
Eddy Gragus (Ft. Collins, CO)
Devon Vigus (Castro Valley, CA)
Butch Stinton (Simi Valley, CA)
Dean Meyer (Covelo, CA)
Pete Lopinto (Boulder, CO)
Sean Watkins (Encinitas, CA)

Mountain bike riders

Brian Lopes (Mission Viejo, CA)
Eric Carter (Temecula, CA)
Cedric Gracia (Pau, France)
Dave Cullinan (Santa Ana, CA)
Mark Weir (Novato, CA)
Mike King (San Diego, CA)
Shaums March (Highlands, BC)
Marla Streb (Los Osos, CA)
Colin Bailey (Big Bear, CA)
Duncan Riffle (Santa Barbara, CA)
Todd Tanner (Sun Valley, ID)

The race will consist of two formats: Time Trials, where individuals race against the clock; and Pack Race, a boardercross-style race format, where the top 16 riders from the Time Trial will be placed into 4 man heats and throw it on the line. The top two riders in each heat will advance through the bracket and after three times down the hill, the fastest one in the pack will be crowned.

More information: www.redbullroadrage.com

Supplement manufacturer builds Endurance racing team

Recover-Ease, an endurance athlete recovery supplement from TalMark Nutrition, LLC has announced the formation of a team of top amateur athletes. The team, managed by Westport , CT based 14º Sports Marketing, will act as brand ambassadors at a variety of endurance events throughout the 2006 racing season. Team Recover-Ease will be comprised of 40 to 50 top age group endurance athletes in triathlon, adventure racing, endurance running and endurance mountain bike racing. The athletes selected will be from the across the country.

As part of Team Recover-Ease, athletes will be supplied with a full Team Recover-Ease uniform and will receive a year's supply of the Recover-Ease product to help them train and race their best. In addition, Recover-Ease team members will receive samples to distribute to other racers and training partners to introduce the product to a broad endurance athlete market. Each month, Recover-Ease will award a $200 gift card to the team member with the highest amount of product referral sales, $150 for second and $100 for third. The team member with the highest amount of referral sales at the end of the season will win an all expenses paid multi-sport trip for two valued at up to $2,500.

"As a researcher and a long-time endurance athlete myself, I am excited to launch this new team," said Dr. Shawn Talbott, TalMark Nutrition Chief Scientific Officer and Recover-Ease product developer. "I look forward to being out on the race course with a group of like minded athletes who train hard, race hard and understand the benefits of proper recovery."

14º Sports Marketing is currently soliciting resumes for consideration to be a part of the 2006 Recover-Ease Team. To apply, please send a full race resume with past results, a 2006 tentative event schedule and a brief bio with the reasons you would like to be part of Team Recover-Ease to Jon Fontane at jon@14degreesmarketing.com. To be considered for the team, athletes must be top age group competitors, plan on racing at a minimum of 6 to 8 events throughout 2006 (with at least 3 high profile events like the Ironman, Ironman 70.3 Series or other like events) and are active in their local racing/training community. Team Recover-Ease is looking for athletes that compete in ultra endurance events, including ½ and full distance triathlon, ultra distance running events, endurance mountain bike racing and long course adventure racing. In addition, team members will be required to have a basic understanding of how the Recover-Ease product works and be willing to act as brand ambassadors, distributing samples and educating fellow athletes. Full program details will be supplied to the athletes selected for the team.

To learn more about Recover Ease, go to www.recover-ease.com

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