Kamloops, B.C. – (August 14, 2008) – The Intermontane Challenge, one of the world’s most unique and lucrative mountain bike races is putting men and women on an equal playing field by offering the same prize money for both sexes. Typically women receive 30 to 40 per cent less prize money than men in races because female enrolment is considered not high enough to justify an equal payout.
World and national mountain bike endurance champion, two-time Olympian, and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer David “Tinker” Juarez partners with Cowbell Challenge Inc., in presenting the National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest at Fisher Farm Park in Davidson, NC, October 24-26, 2008.
As sports fans across the globe eagerly watch the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the Frisco Superdrome celebrates 10 years of world class track cycling as an Olympic caliber venue. The Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing, which has hosted the track cycling competitions for the Olympics, is modeled after the exact specifications of the Frisco Superdrome, constructed in 1998 by the same company that built the Centennial Olympic Velodrome in Atlanta, Georgia.
Italy's Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) sprinted to victory in the third stage of the Tour of Benelux on Saturday, taking the leader's jersey from Spain's Jose Ivan Gutierrez. Bennati crossed the line ahead of Belgians Tom Boonen and Jurgen Roelandts.
Both Canada and the United States recorded their worst ever finishes in men’s mountain biking in Laoshan, as Geoff Kabush’s 20th place finish — 7:56 down on Absalon — marked the top North American result. Seamus McGrath and Todd Wells were pulled from the race with three laps remaining, and officials yanked Adam Craig off the course with one lap to go. McGrath and Wells finished in 44th and 43rd place, with Craig in 29th. In 1996 Canadian Warren Sallenback was the top North American finisher in 13th place, and in 2000 and 2004 Kabush and McGrath both placed ninth, respectively.
Frenchman Julien Absalon took his mountain bike status to new heights on Saturday when he became the first rider to defend the men's Olympic cross country title. US and Canadian men had a dismal day, with Canadian Geoff Kabush the top North American finisher in 20th place. At only 28 years old, he said motivating himself for a third consecutive gold in London should be no problem. "The Olympic Games is a massive motivation for every athlete and four years passes quickly, as it has from Athens to Beijing," said Absalon.
Germany’s Sabine Spitz owns a closet full of silver and bronze medals from mountain bike racing’s biggest events — the Olympics, world championships and World Cup. The 36-year-old patiently rode in the shadows of ’04 Olympic champ Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå during the four years in which the Norwegian ruled over the sport.
I smashed his face. He got wise. He called me a punk. He must have been stupid.—a Hell’s Angel in Hunter S. Thompson’s “Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
The two BMX gold medalists at the Beijing Olympic Games trained on numerous occasions on the BMX track at the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland. Latvia’s Maris Strombergs took the gold medal in the men’s competition, while the French rider Anne-Caroline Chausson claimed Olympic glory in the women’s event. Maris Strombergs and his Olympic team mates trained four times at the WCC this year. Their fourth and final training camp finished on August 15th, when they flew directly to Beijing for the final countdown to the competition.
Rock Racing's flamboyant team director and owner Michael Ball failed in his bid to attain an At-Large position on the USPRO Board of Directors, losing by nine votes to Team Type 1's director, Ed Beamon. The USPRO contest was one of several conducted by USA Cycling this summer, with votes turned in by Aug. 15 and results announced this week. A record 3,852 votes were cast as USA Cycling members elected members to their respective boards. A summary of each board’s election:
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Germany's Andre Greipel (Team Columbia) won the second stage of the Eneco Tour in The Netherlands on Friday. Greipel beat Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo (CSC-Saxo Bank) and compatriot Robert Forster(Gerolsteiner) in a rain-soaked sprint finish in Nieuwegein, in the north of The Netherlands. Kenny Van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) was fourth and stage one winner Tom Boonen was fifth.
The Chris Thater Memorial will reach an historic milestone this weekend in Binghamton, New York. Not only will the event be commemorating its 25th anniversary, but many of the strongest pro cyclists and teams will be there to help support the Broome County STOP DWI program and to compete for a total purse of $70,000. The event is part of the National Racing Calendar and the USA CRITS series.
The Tour of Colorado is over! The six race series concluded Sunday, August 17th with the Excel Sports North Boulder Criterium in Boulder, CO. [nid:82233] Finishing 20 years to the day as the last Coors Classic on the very same historic North Boulder Park Criterium course, five overall Tour of Colorado winners were crowned in their respective classes. Senior Men Pro, 1, 2: 1st Jonathan Baker Vitamin Cottage 2nd Kevin Nicol Toyko Joe’s 3rd Dan Porter Rio Grande Senior Women 1, 2, 3: 1st Susannah Gordon Colorado Bike Law 2nd Megan Hottman DFT-QA3
JELLY BELLY PRO CYCLING TEAM ADDS RIDER FROM FEEDER SQUAD The Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team has added Kiel Reijnen, the top rider from its feeder squad, as a temporary stagiare rider for two major end-of-the-season races. Jelly Belly Team Manager Danny Van Haute said adding Reijnen, a 22-year-old rider on Team Waste Management, was the intended outcome of the first-year relationship between the two teams.