MTB news & racing round-up for December 30, 2006Welcome to our regular roundup of what's happening in mountain biking. Feel free to send feedback, news and releases to mtb@cyclingnews.com. Edited by Sue George Wells for spring Puerto Rico race
Todd Wells will make an appearance at next year's sixth edition of the Medalla Light Ultimate Dirt Challenge, a category 1 UCI cross country race, which well be held in Rincon on March 25th at the same venue as last year Wells will travel directly from the Pan American continental mountain bike championships held March 11th in Argentina to Puerto Rico for more racing. In between the Pan Am race and the Ultimate Dirt Challenge, Puerto Rico will hold another early season race with UCI points (category 3) at Monagas Bayamon on March 18th. As the quest for UCI points heats up to determine spots for the 2008 Olympics, expect to see Olympic hopefuls hard at work in 2007 collecting as many points as possible. UCI's Wabel inspects Gran Canaria marathon world cup course
Beat Wabel, the UCI´s technical delegate and former pro Swiss mountain biker, arrived in Gran Canaria on December 17th to check out the first stop on the 2007 UCI world cup mountain bike circuit: a 90 km marathon circuit at 1000 meters above sea level. During his visit, Wabel met with Guillermo de Portugal and Manuel Hernández, the organization's technical managers. The race circuit was proposed by the organizers. Now it is Wabel's job to evaluate the course and write a report about it. Wabel won 125 races during his career including the junior world cup in 1985 and the Eschenback cyclo-cross world cup bronze medal in 1995. The former Olympic mountain biker raced in the Atlanta edition of the games and won the Vail Mountain Bike World Cup held in Colorado. This world cup race will take place at Maspalomas on March 17th. Gran Canaria marathon registration opens
Gran Canaria's mountain bike marathon in March 17-18 is a season-opener for many racers, especially marathon racers tackling the first round of the marathon world cup of 2007. Organizer Petra Wonisch attributes the success of the second-year Spanish event to good hospitality. "That is the reason why our marathon has grown so rapidly. The participants have doubled from the first to the second year," said Wonisch. The 2007 Marathon Open MTB Gran Canaria will also serve as the opening round of the TREK Mountain Bike Challenge and the Bavarian series. Amateur racers will choose between 38 or 90 km distances. The former focuses on fun and enjoyment; in fact organizers will award the slowest of teams--that which takes the most time to complete the course. The latter covers the same route as the UCI event--amateur riders start 10 minutes after the departure of the licensed riders. For more information or to register, visit www.canary-bike.com. Lacondeguy wins first Airdrome indoor dirt jump event
Fireworks launched the inaugural indoor dirt jump event in Munich’s Olympic Hall on December 15th, but riders kept spectators’ eyes focused toward the ceiling with a flurry of flips and spinning tricks. In the end, the top three riders visited the podium: Andreu Lacondeguy (Spain), Darren Berrecloth (Canada), and Lance McDermott (United Kingdom).
The dirt jumps were some of the largest jumps ever used for a mountain bike dirt jump contest. The first jump was 35 feet long and the second one was 20 feet . Most riders were a bit apprehensive upon arrival, but after a few runs during the practice session, riders began to trick the two massive dirt jumps. Organizers added plywood to the top of the dirt roll-in to give the riders a little extra speed into the first jump. Qualifying happened in front of 7,000 spectators. Lacondeguy came out strong with a run consisting of a backflip and a 360 tailwhip, enough to secure the top qualifying spot. Eight of the original fifteen riders qualified.
Each rider had three runs to impress the judges. McDermott’s second run was a backflip, followed by a front flip. His third run was a tuck no-hander, followed by a backflip-superman. His efforts were good enough for third place.
Berrecloth came in second with a solid final run, dropping a trick new for him. Berrecloth 360’d the first jump, then followed it up with a 360-tailwhip to pedals. A flawless run with a perfect 3-whip was enough to earn Bearclaw second spot. Lacondeguy, the first qualifier, gave two good final runs. His first run was a backflip and then a 360-tailwhip, but his second run included a backflip on the first jump and on double tailwhip on the second jump. "This is my first big win and it’s amazing! Some years ago I was watching a supercross race and I was dreaming to be one day at a similar competition," said Lacondeguy who went home with 5,000 Euros. Team ALB Gold announced
Team ALB GOLD took over sponsorship of the Gonso Rawoflex team, and it is already considered a source great mountain bikers for the next generation. When established in January 2006, the team featured only six young riders, but in 2007, the team will expand to about 60 riders, the best of which will form an elite team on and off road. The elite team will aim to win national races and earn top 10 spots in marathons. Team director Rainer Schairer said, "The motivation of the team is enormous, helped by the sponsorship of ALB GOLD. They believe the hurdles to improve young riders so they can achieve more are not insurmountable." Snow mountain bike racing catches on in KashmirThe top 14 cyclists of the Kashmir Valley competed in two recent snow mountain bike races this week according to the Greater Kashmir. As part of the Gulmarg Snow Festival, organizers held a downhill snow mountain bike race which started at Gulmarg and finished at Tangmarg. The 14 kilometer race was held amid ongoing snowfall. Well-known local sportsman Riyaz Ahmad won with a time of 55 minutes and 20 seconds. Muzamil Mehraj and Tariq Ahmad finished second and third respectively. A second mountain bike snow race was organized by the Department of Tourism. Shakeel Ahmad won despite heavy fog with a time of 22 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of Muzaffar and Riyaz Ahmad. In the low visibility conditions, three cyclists, Abid Amin, Tariq Ahmad and Umar Ahmad, crashed into each other, but all continued racing. Given the success of the event, the Tourism department committed to future annual snow cycling events, not only in Gulmarg, but also at other tourist destinations within the valley. A state championships will be held sometime in January 2007 to decide a winner among 30 of the top local cyclists. Diary: McConneloug & Broderick home at lastGreetings from the East Coast!By Mary McConneloug
Mike and I have been here for the past two months enjoying the quiet respite of his hometown on Martha's Vineyard. It is truly a welcome blessing, not only to have a house to live in with Mike, but also to be stationed in one place for more than a week! I am especially appreciating cooking up storms in the kitchen. Mike tells me he is the luckiest guy in the world when I serve up my newest healthy invention - a sweet potato coconut pie with whole wheat coconut crust. Yum. lots of soups, dark green veggies and roasted goodies, too. There is something about the cold dark time of year that brings introspection and reflection. As I look back and recall all the good and tough times from this year, I can only be grateful for another successful year of racing, learning and living. Heartfelt gratitude goes out to all those who have supported us in our mission! The huge travel in 2006 was almost as challenging as the racing itself but Mike and I managed to stay healthy and fit as we zigzagged across the globe and back. To read the complete diary, click here. Utah endurance series announcedPark City, Utah, will host a series of endurance events in 2007. They include June 23 - The 12 Hours of Endurance The latter event is new for 2007. It's a one-week long mountain bike stage race event with seven unique race courses--one for every day.
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