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MTB News & racing round-up for October 28, 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

Bart Brentjens hosts MTB festival

By Steve Medcroft

After finishing out his 2005 season with a World Cup marathon podium (second place at Roc D'Azur October 14th) , Bart Brentjens (Giant Racing) took on a new challenge last weekend in Eijsden , Netherlands as promoter of the first-ever Bart Brentjens Challenge.

The inaugural mountain-bike cross country Olympic champion (1996, Atlanta ) and 1995 World Champion says he has tried to put together a named event before but never had the right mixture of organizer and sponsor to partner with. But in 2005, all the necessary elements came together and the 37 year old Dutch National Champion found himself at the helm of a successful mountain-bike race. “We had 1,500 sign ups,” Brentjens said. “For our first race, we think it is a good start.”

Brentjens says he has committed to at least a three-year run of the event, held in pristine South Holland . “We have three different distances; forty, sixty and eighty kilometers,” he said. “The eighty is a marathon. The shorter distances are for people who'd like to participate just for fun but can't do the full marathon.”

Brentjens says he'd like to see the marathon make the World Cup schedule for 2007. “We are working on it. This is the first year and we have to see how it develops.”

Brentjens says he has been involved with the planning of the race throughout the 2005 season. And although he says he's a little older and mature enough to handle the distraction of performing business duties while actively racing, he deliberately planned the event for after the World Championships ““It took a lot of phone calls but it didn't disturb my training or my racing. If it was in June or July, it probably would have disturbed me a little bit.”

In the eighty kilometer Bart Brentjens Challenge, Brentjens, along with Belgian Roel Paulissen, took on a field of over two hundred men and women. Brentjens won the race in 2.54.50, six minutes ahead of Nicolas Vermeulen (Bel) and just under eight minutes in front of Paulissen. 

For a complete list of results, click here.

Ford MTB team continues as Team Ford-Basis shuts down

Edited by Steve Medcroft

After three years sponsoring the Ford-Basis Women's cycling team, Ford is leaving women's road cycling. Team Ford-Basis was founded in 2002 as a developmental team aimed at helping up-and-coming riders progress towards the 2008 Olympics. The shut down of the road team means racers Katharine Carroll and Chrissy Ruiter will be riding for Victory Brewing, Alisha Lion has moved to Germany and is looking to race full-time in Europe. Freedman and Kele Hulser are still seeking teams in the U.S. and teammate Lauren Gaffney will be working to start a career in law. 2005 Kristin Johnson, meanwhile, will focus on mountain biking and finishing school.

David Myers, Director of Ford Cycling, said that although it was necessary for Ford to consolidate its position in women's cycling this year - unfortunately ending it's sponsorship of the Ford-Basis Team - "the Ford Cycling Women's Mountain Bike Team will be back racing in 2006." It is important that we make this distinction clear to our sponsors, the media, our fans and friends. We look forward to another great season of World Cup, NORBA, and regional racing with Ford 100 percent behind the athletes in their pursuit of athletic excellence."

The 2005 Ford-sponsored mountain-bike team consisted of Dara Marks-Marino of Flagstaff, Arizona, Kelli Emmett of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sara Bresnick-Zocchi of Boston, MA and Jay Henry of Avon, Colorado. Marks-Marino won her first NORBA event in 2005 (the short track race in Snowmass, Colorado) and Henry not only won two NORBA marathons in 2005 but repeated with partner Mike Janelle to put up the most overall laps of any competetive unit (solo, or any type of team) at the 24 Hours of Moab.

Maxxis-MSC signs Martinez for three years

Maxxis-MSC has signed Olympic gold medalist Miguel Martinez to a contract for three seasons. Martinez won gold in the cross country race at the 2000 Olympics, and took bronze in the same event at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He has won the world and European championships five times, and is expected to compete in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing.

Aaron Chase signs up with Cannondale for another 2 years

Aaron Chase, a pioneering leader of the urban free-ride movement, re-signed with Cannondale for another two years. Chase, who began his career with Cannondale over 10 years ago, says "I'm stoked to continue with my friends and family at Cannondale. These guys channel my feedback into some the best machines for what I do - whether it's street, park riding, or a Red Bull freeride comp. My Signature rigs from Cannondale perform exactly the way I need them to."

Chase will continue to help Cannondale develop the series of street and dirt jumping bikes that bare his name. Most recently, Chase won the Red Bull District Ride in Germany in front of 40,000 screaming fans.

For more information, visit Cannondale's web site at www.cannondale.com.

Jamie Goldman podiums twice in French jump competitions

Jamie Goldman on the beach
Photo ©: Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Syndicate sponsored dirt jumper Jamie Goldman placed 2nd and 3rd in the Roc d' Azur jump competition held October 15th-16th in Provence, France. The first podium came in Saturday's water jump competition and the second in Sunday's dirt jump.

Goldman says he "landed my first tailwhip in a competition," at Roc D'Azur and was stoked for the placing.. The winner of both events was 25 year-old Frenchman Christopher Hatton, who attempted a back flip tail whip and came incredibly close to pulling it off," says Goldman.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Santa Cruz

• Jamie Goldman on the beach during his recent trip to France
• Jamie Goldman mid-flight doing a flip whip over the water
• No feet flying for Jamie Goldman
• Geting pulled out of the water after pulling off yet another move
• Goldman on the teeter totter

Canadian team to compete at MTB Pan Am Championships

Six athletes will represent Canada in the cross-country events this Sunday, October 30, at the MTB Pan American Championships in Mexico City.

Ricky Federau will compete in the elite men's race, facing a field which includes Hector Leonardo Paez of Colombia, a surprise seventh place finisher at this year's world championships. Federau beat Paez to claim the Pan American under-23 title two years ago.

Trish Sinclair and Catherine Pendrel will both compete in the women's elite race, and Max Plaxton of will ride the men's under-23 event. Neal Kindree and Raphael Gagne round out the roster, riding the junior men's event.

National team coach Michel Leblanc believes that the Canadians - particularly the men - have good chances at winning medals at this event, but is aware that the conditions and level of competition will be challenging. According to Leblanc many of the South American athletes treat the Pan American championships as "almost their world championship. They will have been preparing for this race a long time and will be motivated."

"Racing at that altitude with the heat and pollution won't be that easy," said Leblanc. "The races will be tough and we'll need to be ready to face the music."

Mitta to Mount Beauty MTB Challenge set for October 30

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.

For more information and to download the entry form, click here.

Thank local park managers with IMBA note cards

In November, IMBA will mail thousands of thank you notes to their grassroots advocacy network as part of a campaign to thank land managers for their tireless work on behalf of trails. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, IMBA hopes all mountain bikers will take a moment to appreciate local trail staff and the people that make mountain bike access possible.

"With shrinking budgets and challenging work loads, land mangers are often the last group to be thanked for their public service," said IMBA government affairs director Jenn Dice. "This is our way of saying thanks for all the great places we get to ride our bikes. We want parks staff know how much they are appreciated."

To request free IMBA note cards please complete the not card form on IMBA's Web site (www.imba.com).

Temple to Temple in Belize runs free entry contest

Following the path of the ancient Mayans more than one and a half thousand years ago, Temple to Temple is the world's first bike race/ tour linking the great temples of Lubaantun to Caracol, Belize. The race/tour kicks off January 29th, 2006, and runs until 4th of February, 2006 and by completing an entry on the promoters Web site, you could be in the event for free..

In association with the luxurious Placencia hotel on the Caribbean Sea, promoters have plotted a 7 day, 750 kilometer, racing tour that takes challengers on and off the pavement through rugged mountains, steaming jungle, caves, local villages, and, of course, Mayan ruins! Support vehicles will ensure the safety of all participants, while we will also have a bicycle mechanic available to service your bike after each day of the race.

Every night along the route, riders and support staff will camp (or upgrade to luxurious lodging) in the wilderness, at the foot of Mayan ruins, or at jungle lodges. The registration fee also includes an all-inclusive stay at The Placencia hotel before and after the race (January 28th, 2006, and February 4, 2005), where closing ceremonies will be held.

The winner of Temple to Temple is determined by the lowest accumulated time over the seven day course. The winner will receive a brand new Gary Fisher X-Caliber mountain bike from Curbside Cycle in Toronto, Canada. For more information and to register for the free-entry drawing, visit www.templetotemple.com.

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