Yao Ming vs Geoff Kabush

So this little piece of YouTube gold is a video shot during the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and depicts ...



Yeah, Yao Ming and Canadian MTBer Geoff Kabush in a beer chugging contest. Enjoy.

2009 AMBC Schedule Announced

USA Cycling has announced the 2009 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar:

"The series kicks off March 8 in Gainesville, Fla. with the South Eastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) and concludes with the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La., Oct. 24-25. With 22 races across 16 states, the seven-month long AMBC calendar provides racers of all ability levels the opportunity to contest top-level competition right in their own backyard.

Created in 1996, the AMBC series offers cross-country racing, with some events also including time trial, short-track cross-country, super D and/or stage racing competitions. In addition to the senior, master, and professional races, some AMBC events also host the Alison Dunlap Junior Olympic Mountain Bike Series (ADJOMTB). The ADJOMTB offers riders age 10-18, the chance to test their skills against competitors of the same age."

Via USA Cycling.

Here is the complete schedule (nothing in NorCal):

3/8/09: SERC #1 (Gainesville FL)
3/29/09: Chickasaw Trace Classic (Columbia TN)
4/5/09: SERC #3 (Bryson City NC)
4/26/09: SERC #4 (Winder GA)
4/26/09: Greenbrier Challenge (Hagerstown MD)
5/3/09: Annual Avimor Coyote (Classic Boise ID)
5/3/09: SERC #5 (Ducktown TN)
5/2‐3/09: Idyllwild Spring Challenge (Idyllwild CA)
5/10/09: Stump Jump 2009 (Spartanburg SC)
5/31/09: Bump and Grind (Birmingham AL)
5/31/09: SERC #6 (Jackson GA)
6/7/09: Massanutten Yee‐Ha (McGaheysville VA)
6/14/09: SERC #7 (Clemson SC)
6/20‐21/09: Subaru Cup Mt (Morris WI)
6/21/09: 3 Legged Dawg (North Little Rock AR)
6/28/09: SERC #8 (Chattanooga TN)
7/12/09: The 14th Annual Bulldog Rump (Andover NJ)
7/12/09: SERC #9 (Anniston AL)
8/1‐2/09: SERC #10 (Fontana NC)
9/4‐6/09: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival (Rocksprings TX)
10/3/09: Road Apple Rally (Farmington NM)
10/24‐25/09: Piney Hills (Classic Ruston LA)

2008 CLIF MTB Challenge Results

TBF Racing has posted the results for Saturday's CLIF MTB Challenge XC race (overall, divisional).

Congrats to top Expert Male Keith Hillier (followed closely by Bob Delp) and top Expert Female Jayne Peterlin.

Preliminary 2009 NorCal MTB Calendar

While it is only the beginning of October, next year's NorCal MTB calendar is already starting to fill up. Here are the events scheduled for 2009 (I'll update with the new USA Cycling events soon):

• 01/25/09: MTB Kickstart (CA)
• 02/08/09: MTB Challenge #1 (CA)
• 02/22/09: MTB Challenge #2 (CA)
• 03/08/09: MTB Challenge #3 (CA)
• 03/15/09: Cool MTB Race (CA)
• 04/04/09: Big Sandy Race (CA)
• 04/04/09: Boggs IV (CA)
• 04/05/09: Napa Valley Dirt Classic (CA)
• 04/16/09: Sea Otter Classic (CA)
• 08/09/09: Howell Mountain Classic (CA)

You can access the up to date list for next year at the 2009 Event on the MTB Calendar site as well as by the "2009 MTB Races" sidebar on the right (below the "2008 MTB races").

2008 Lake Sonoma #5 Results

The penultimate Lake Sonoma Series race is in the books:

"It blows my mind how hot it get out there in that parched landscape of Lake Sonoma. It’s officially fall now so there can’t be too many more of these hot days.

Being race #5 of the series means one thing - the Lake Sonoma Series finale is next month (October 18th). The temperatures are going to drop - closing in on November things change quick around here, and the fall weather is going to be in the air. We’re going to close this season out with a bang."

Via BikeMonkey.

Results are posted here.

NorCal HS Goes Nationwide

The NorCal High School MTB Racing League is moving nationwide...

Specialized Bicycle Components has backed the expansion program of the Northern California High School Mountain Bike Racing League, which has recently created a Southern California league and is now drawing up plans for state-oriented high school cycling leagues across the USA.

Mike Sinyard, the founder and owner of Specialized, said, "Getting kids on bikes is a personal passion of mine and a goal of the Specialized Fund. High school mountain bike racing is a fun way for kids to accrue health benefits, learn self-discipline, and foster camaraderie. We are honored to be able to support Matt (Fritzinger), his staff, the coaches, and the riders of the League. We look forward to working together in the coming years to get mountain bike racing into high schools across the nation."

Specialized becomes a Founding National Sponsor of the NorCal League, a category designed to acknowledge companies that have made a very substantial contribution to help realize the vision of a nationwide network of state leagues.

Matt Fritzinger, director of the NorCal League, said, “After eight years of building the NorCal League, we are entering a new phase of development. We are excited that our new SoCal League is taking off with a strong group of directors and sponsors. The next logical step is to develop high school bicycle racing beyond California. We are tremendously excited to partner with Specialized, which is a local company for us, in this development plan. Their commitments to innovation and advocacy are echoed in our philosophy, and we really stand behind their amazing line of bicycles and accessories.”

This comes on the heels of their successful SoCal expansion. More information at their website.

NorCal MTB Racing This Weekend: 9/26 - 9/28

It's about the last BIG weekend of racing here in Norcal:

Today marks the start of the Whiskeytown Classic up north just west of Redding, CA. It's a full three days of racing, starting with this afternoon's short track race at 4PM. This is followed by cross country race on Saturday morning and a Super D on Sunday. The XC race features 10 mile laps with 1400' climbing/lap while the Super D is a three mile descent. The racing costs between $20 - $35 depending on the event.

Tomorrow is a full day of XC racing across Northern California:

• In the North Bay, the 5th edition of the Lake Sonoma Series starts at 10AM. Located just west of Healdsburg (in aptly named Lake Sonoma Recreational Area), this monthly race features tough singletrack and costs $20.


• In the Sacramento region, TBF Racing presents the first CLIF MTB Challenge at Folsom Lake. It's a six mile course that goes out to Doton's Point and back (looks similar to the MTB Challenge courses). Beginners will do one lap, Sport two laps and expert three laps. This race will set you back $50 on race day.
• Further east near Reno, the Sky Tavern Resort will host the Sky Tavern Classic. Starting on Saturday morning, the XC race will cover 6 miles laps (with one to four laps depending on class). Sunday will feature a downhill race through tight singletrack (somewhere around 2.5 minutes long).

The MTB racing schedule starts to get a bit thin after this weekend, so please take advantage ...

rideSFO Bike Expo and Swap

With the elimination of this year's SF VeloSwap, RideSFO (they guys behind the Corral Hollow DH series) have stepped up with their own bike swap meet:

"WHERE: Cow Palace - San Francisco/Daly City, CA
WHEN: 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30 2008

It is a 2 day event for maximum exposure at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Vendors and bike shops have a chance to sell current or previous season’s merchandise. Team/Clubs, non-profits, indivduals, can buy, sell and trade. And see the latest from various vendors. The Cow Palace boasts over 75,000 square feet and a 15,000 attendee capacity.

General Admission will be $10 per day. $8 pre-sale. $15 2 day pre-sale. Tickets will be available at Ticket Master and the Cow Palace Box Office. 12 and under will be FREE!

Booth Registration is open now! To get more info. Go HERE!

Read the latest news on the Expo and Swap here!"

Via rideSFO Expo_and_Swap after the tip off from the folks at dhRENO.

Armstrong Confirms For Tour of California

Whatever you think about Lance, this just racheted up the excitement for next year's Tour of California:

"Lance Armstrong announced at Interbike that he will race the Amgen Tour of California in February with Astana. The news comes on the heels of Wednesday that he was in fact racing with Astana next season."

Via VeloNews | Lance Armstrong confirms he will start the Tour of California in February.

2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars

Next year's USA Cycling race schedule is out and other than the Sea Otter were out in the cold:

"USA Cycling announced today the 34 races that will comprise the third annual USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars. With the 2008 calendar champions yet to be crowned in the disciplines of cross country and ultra-endurance, USA Cycling is looking toward the future with the announcement of the 2009 Cross Country, Gravity and Ultra-Endurance National Calendars.

Consisting of 19 events across 13 states, the cross country calendar will kick off with the Fontana United States Cup in Fontana, California on March 20 and will once again stretch seven months to the last weekend in October when the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston, La. concludes the calendar.  In between, several notable events including seven United States Cup series races are included.

The eight-event gravity calendar, which features downhill, 4-cross, super D and dual slalom events, will span five states. With similar category designations, there is one category-1 event and three category-2 events on the 2009 calendar. 

The ultra endurance calendar consists of 62-mile races, marathons, eight, 12- and 24-hour races. The seven-race calendar will once again kick off with the Mas O Menos 100K in Terlingua, Texas on February 4th and wrap up at the National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest in Davison, N.C. on October 24-25.

For the complete USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars, click on the links below:
Cross Country: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_XC2.pdf
Gravity: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNCschedule_Gravity2.pdf
Ultra Endurance: https://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09_MBNC_Schedule_UE2.pdf"

You can view the entire press release at USA Cycling. I'll post all the schedules this weekend.

Race for Tara 2 Update

An update from the folks out at Sand Hill about the upcoming Race for Tara 2:

The Race4Tara-2 benefit race is heating up. A temporary flyer is now being distributed and the sponsors will be firmed up at Interbike next week. Again, www.tarallanesroadtorecovery.com will have all race and Tara info (who will be here this time to autograph T-shirts, etc). We will have an Industry Cup class this year, too, so if you're in the industry, c'mon down!

Until then (Nov 8 is the race), the bicycle park is closed. We are having work detail weekends on Oct 18 & 19, and 25 &26 if you'd like to join us. Practice will open on Oct 31/Nov 1 weekend (10 am to 5 pm, Sat & Sun, $12-practice).

After the Tara race, Sunday, Nov 9 we will be closed for a Collegiate race, hosted by the UC Berkeley cycling team). There will be amateur categories as well so feel free to come race (I'll get a link from them and post it next week).

More as it becomes available.

NorthStar End of Season Update

An end of the season update from the folks up the mountain at Northstar:

If you haven’t stopped talking berms, fall lines, and log drops since Northstar® Resort’s Mountain Bike Park opened, we can relate. And if you are looking for a repeat for next summer we are offering 2009 Mountain Bike Season Passes at this summer’s rate if you purchase by October 5. That’s a $50 savings! Prices will go up to $279 after October 5.

Just a reminder, the Northstar Mountain Bike Park is open Saturdays and Sundays through October 5 and the Jump Park is completely open!

The last race of the Northstar season will be the 2nd Annual Live Wire Classic on October 5th.

2008 Bidwell Bump Results

Photos and results from The 2008 Bidwell Bump have been posted at MTBR.

Congratulations to local Tim Olson, who won the Expert Men's XC, Nick Olson, who won the Men's Expert Super D and Heather McFadden, who won the Women's Expert Super D.

2009 Boggs IV Announced

BikeMonkey has announced the dates for next year's Boggs Eight Hour Race:

"Boggs IV - 8 Hour Endurance MTB Race
Saturday April 4th, 2009
Registration for Boggs IV will open on MIDNIGHT, NOVEMBER 1st, 2008.
Registration is limited to the first 400 entrants."

Via BikeMonkey: Boggs IV.

2008 Northstar DH #4 Results

Results from Sunday's Northstar DH #4 race have been posted (PDF). This race was held on Gypsy for the first time.

In the female open race, Tenille Smith edged Asa Salas by 3/10th of a second (3:50.5 to 3:50.8) for the win. Mikey Sylvestri beat the Men's Pro field by almost 6 seconds for his win.

I haven't seen any pics or race reports, but dhRENO will probably have something up soon.

The final race of the Northstar season is October 5th, the 2nd Annual LiveWire Classic.

New USA Cycling Categories for 2009

The continuing "roadiefication" of USA Cycling / NORBA continues:

"USA Cycling announced today the development and implementation of a new mountain bike category system set to take effect for the 2009 season ... The new categories, which closely resemble those used in other disciplines of competitive cycling, have been created to offer USA Cycling mountain bike members a more competitive racing environment. The previous license categories will be replaced with a new system which include Category 1, 2, 3 and Pro designations.
 
The previous structure, which consisted of five categories – Beginner, Sport, Expert, Semi-Pro and Pro – has been condensed to include four categories. Like the categories they’re replacing, Categories 1, 2 and 3 will also feature age groups classes.
 
The change raises several topics that all USA Cycling mountain bike members should familiarize themselves with – most notably the conversion process. The switch will be simple and automatic. Members currently categorized as Experts will automatically become a Category 1; Sport members will automatically be converted to a Category 2; and Beginners will automatically become a Category 3.
 
Members currently categorized as Semi-Pro may choose either Category 1 or Pro designation for the 2009 racing season. When renewing their license, Semi-Pro members will be offered an automatic upgrade to Pro throughout the 2009 licensing period which runs from December 1, 2008 to November 30, 2009. To take advantage of this upgrade, Semi-Pro members must purchase an annual license during this time as this automatic upgrade will only be offered during the 2009 season. Therefore, if a current Semi-Pro member does not purchase a 2009 racing license, he will automatically default to Category 1 status beginning on December 1, 2009 for the 2010 racing season. At that point, regular upgrade procedures will apply. "

Via USA Cycling.

The FAQ for the new changes is located here in PDF.

2008 Folsom Cyclebration Results

Results and photos have been posted for this weekend's Folsom Cyclebration stage race (XC plus time trial):

• Time Trial Results
• Time Trial Photos
• XC Results
• XC Photos
• MTB Stage (combined) Results

Congratulations go out to Chris Schulze (Expert Singlespeed winner), Bonnie Darrah (Expert Womens) and Michael Margraf (Top Expert Men).

iPhone vs. Garmin Edge 705 for Biking

Being a long-time Garmin Edge user but now a iPhone 3G owner, I had the same question:

"I read that the new 3G iPhone has GPS built-in and it got me thinking: Could the iPhone challenge the Edge 705 as a high end GPS for mountain biking? Let’s see how the two compare:"

Via 3G iPhone vs. Garmin Edge 705 for biking || SINGLETRACKS.COM.

Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens' 100-Mile Duel in Leadville

With all the talk of Lance Armstrong returning, it's probably worthwhile checking out his last race -- MTBing the Leadville 100:

"Seven time Tour de France champ vs the five time Leadville 100 winner. Who will be victorious? Witness the race blow by blow! "

Via Superhuman Magazine - Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens' 100-Mile Duel in Leadville.

2008 Sky Tavern Classic

The folks up the hill at dhRENO have posted the details on the upcoming Sky Tavern Classic scheduled for September 27th & 28th near Reno, Nevada. Some of the details:

"Sky Tavern Race
September 27th & 28th, 2008
HOSTED BY NEVADA CYCLING
SKY TAVERN RESORT RENO, NEVADA

Racing: On Saturday will be XC and Sunday the dh with both collegiate and NORBA categories.

Cross Country: The course features a steady climb, followed by about 1.5 miles of up-and-down single track.  Then, a fast single-track descent with lots of dg, a short climb, and more mixed descending to lodge.  Each lap is ~6 miles.  XC will begin at 10am on Saturday.

Downhill: Technical dg single-track followed by short road section into final section of tight single-track through trees.  Course time is about 2.5 minutes.  Collegiate MC/WB and NORBA Beginners will skip upper single-track and use road instead."

Click over to Sky Tavern DH Race « dhRENO for the full details.

Dates Set For 2009 Sea Otter

Next year's Sea Otter Classic has been scheduled for April 16 - 19, 2009 at the usual Laguna Seca near Monterey, CA.

Camping & athlete registration will open at 9 am (Pacific) November 1, 2008. I'll try and send up a reminder so that everyone can get that sweet camping spot they've always wanted :)

2008 Tahoe Sierra 100 Results

Race results from yesterday's Tahoe Sierra 100 have been posted. A race report with many pictures has been posted at MTBR.

There should be more details coming.

Solo Open Female
1 Cheryl Sorenson 112 9:09'48" 9:09':48 (549'48")
2 Erika Tiesen 171 10:04'44" 10:04':44 (604'
3 Carrie edwards 174 10:42'32" 10:42':32 (642'32")
Solo Open Men
1. Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough 107 7:02'58" 7:02':58 (422'58")
3. Evan Plews 102 7:13'42" 7:13':42 (433'42")
Solo Singlespeed
1 John Mylne 326 7:45'54" 7:45':54 (465'54")
2 Dezmin Wilder 108 7:49'51" 7:49':51 (469'51")
3 Conrad Snover 330 8:00'36" 8:00':36 (480'36")
Solo Singlespeed Women
1 Linda Eckhart 117 9:46'00" 9:46':00 (586'00")
2 Dawn Infurna-Bean 114 11:22'35" 11:22':35 (682'35")
Solo Master 45 Men: Tedd Russo @ 8:20':14 (500'14")
Solo Masters 50 Men: David Grauer @ 9:45':05 (585'05")
Solo Masters 50 Women: Patricia Struve @ 13:29':24 (809'24")
Solo Masters 55 Men: Cosmic Miller @ 10:45':40 (645'40")
3 Person Men: Mountain Karma 24 (Tim Fraguglia, Tim Fraguglia, Mike McCullough, Mike McCullough, Jason Duggett) @ 8:49'
3 Person Coed: Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing 8 (Allie Donovan, Nate Freed, Nick Schaffner) @ 8:44'

Big Sandy Returns For 2009

The central valley's best new XC race is back for 2009: Big Sandy Returns 4/4/09. Not any details yet, but the site is up.

2008 PCRS Fall Flash #3 Results

Results have been posted for this week's Prairie City Fall Flash (#3). There are also the usual photos available.

Congrats to Matthew Obregon, who won the Men's Experts Plus, and Jill Kollman, who took the Women's Expert.

2008 Caspar Classic Results

Result and a race report are available from last weekend's Caspar Classic:

"Mendocino has some great racers and Brian Astell from Mendo's South Coast took first place in the 21 mile advanced category. Brian arrived at the race with rear tire that had just gone flat on his motorcycle and his bike strapped to the back. He had no flats or other problems with his mountain bike, and after hanging with the lead group on the first lap he opened up a good lead and kept it through the finish line with a time of 1:45:14. Second place went to Ethan Black who was plus 02:26, and third was taken by Sean Allen who was only 02:32 back from first place on his single speed bike! Sean told me his back was hurting him before the race but it didn't seem to slow him down much. Gabe Cheese who easily won the race last year had stiff competition this year and came in forth.

The woman from Sonoma kicked butt in the advanced group with Sarah Campbell taking first, Ann Boggs came in second and, Heather Cafferata got third place. "

Full results over at Riding the Coast

2008 Folsom Cyclebration MTB Stage Race

The Folsom Cyclebration is a three day cycling festival being held for the first time in Folsom, CA on September 12 - 14, 2008. Among the events include an MTB Stage Race (see below), Cyclocross races, a Dirt Jump competition, Road races and family events.

Since this is the NorCal MTB Racing blog, I'll focus in on the MTB Stage race (which are being organised by the same folks who make the Prairie City races happen). The stage race will have two parts, which can also be run separately:

1. Time Trial: "It's you solo against the clock on this fast five mile course of mostly hard-packed crushed granite through the fun and beautiful oak woodlands overlooking the South side of Lake Natoma [ MAP ]. There are fast and open legs mixed with tight, twisty turns. Be prepared for possible dismounts and/or route options on this winding, wide to narrow single track. The course starts at Nimbus Flat and finishes on a short uphill climb with a sprint the last 100 yards on pavement into the historic district of Folsom." (This is funny because I train on this almost exact line about three times a week).
2. Cross Country: "Racers will find the course fun and fast with twisty single and dual track through the oak woodlands near Granite Bay at Folsom Lake [ MAP ]. The courses include some sandy sections and a short amount of pavement to complete the loops. The Beginners course is approximately 4.5 miles per lap with 450 feet of climbing per lap than runs up to "the bench" atop the hill at Doten's Point. You will do 3 laps, approx. 13.5 miles. Adult First Timers will do two 4.5 mile laps, approx 9 miles. Junior Beginner will do 1 lap at 4.5 miles. Sport will do three 6.5 mile laps on a longer loop that goes out around the Beek's Bite area, 19.5 miles and Experts will do 4 laps, 26 miles." This course appears pretty similar to the TBF MTB Challenge courses.

The best combined score from both disciplines will determine overall class winners. Costs are as follows:
MTB Time Trial: $25 (MTB bikes only please - no cyclocross)
MTB XC: $40 adult, $15 juniors
Stage Race (both events): $55
More details are available at the Cyclebration MTB race page and you can register online at active.com until September 10th.

SCAR Cancels 3 MTB Endurance Events

Insurance woes have forced Sierra-Cascade Adventure Sports to cancel their three MTB endurance races this fall:

"Due to unforeseen issues with our insurance company, we unfortunately are required to cancel our MTB races this year. We worked hard to resolve event insurance permit problems, however we were not able to reach a resolution that would allow us to produce a high-quality event."

The cancelled races are:

• 9/06/08: The Sonoma Sol Six (Six Hour - Sonoma, CA)
• 10/04/08: The Sublime Six (Six Hour - Granite Bay, CA)
• 10/18/08: The Quick and The Dead (Six Hour - New Almaden, CA)

This is unfortunate, I was really hoping to race the New Almaden course.

2008 Parkfield Classic

This year's Parkfield Classic dates have been set for October 4th and 5th in Parkfield, CA. The Classic is organized by the Cal Poly Wheelmen and features four races over the two days:

• Cross Country (Saturday Morning, sponsored by Affinity Chiropractic Center): Burly, lung busting, screaming fire-road course, point to point. We're sending our creative minds out to see what new twists we can deliver to this old faithful course. We're sending people off bright and early again this year. ALL NORBA/USAC XC Racers get a BBQ ticket included with their race. Distances: Beginner: 9 miles, Sport: 15 miles, Pro/Expert: 24 miles.
• Dual Slalom (Saturday afternoon, sponsored by Art's Cyclery): Dual Slalom Qualifiers and Head to Head races. Head to head races on separate courses join in the middle for lots of spectator friendly action.
• Short Track (Sunday morning, sponsored by Foothill Cyclery): looks like it will be similar to last year's course. We will hold it on the flat course from last year, so be ready for physically demanding race.
• Downhill (Sunday, sponsored by Sponsor it!): Sweet Glorious Single Track. What else can you say. Single Run format. Bypass options are given for most obstacles. Expert course different than Sport course.

You can find out more information (and possibly register online, although I can't find the link) at the Parkfield Classic website.

You can also find reports from previous year's Parkfield Classics in the archives.

2008 Bidwell Bump

The Cal State Chico Cycling Club has announced the 2008 Bidwell Bump will be held on September 14, 2008. The races will be held in Upper Bidwell Park just east of Chico, CA.

The Bump will consist of an XC Ride at 10am, followed with a Super-D type (1 minute gaps, but it is LONG) downhill starting at 2pm, with a BBQ at Hooker Oak.

Some notes about the races:

• There will be no Beginner class in the Super-D, because Guardians is not a beginner friendly trail; It is full of sharp rocks and poisonous snakes and places to fall off and break a clavicle and have to get airlifted out and very scary things! But the Expert and Sport classes should be fine, with waivers!
• This is a long, hot, tough, rocky race so bring lots of water (at least 100oz for Sport/Expert XC riders), some spare tubes and plenty of food.

A donation to the CSUC Cycling Club will be requested for racing:

• XC or Super-D: $20
• XC and Super-D: $30
• BBQ: $5! extra

This is a fundraiser race to help send Chico State riders to the Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals in late October.

Check out reports from past year's Bidwell Bump coverage in the archives.

2009 MTB National and AMBC Bids Open

This is just for race promoters still working wtih USA Cycling:

"Attention all mountain bike promoters: Bid applications for the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars are now available for download from the USA Cycling website at: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/mbnc/09_MTB_Calendar_App.pdf. The American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) bid documents are also available here: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/ambc/ambc_bid.pdf.

Any promoter who wishes to be a part of the 2009 Mountain Bike National Calendar or the AMBC can submit bids through September 15.
  
Race promoters who wish to be considered for a spot on the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars or the AMBC should download a bid application and submit it to USA Cycling Mountain Bike Program Director, Kelli Lusk at klusk@usacycling.org.  The final 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars will be announced at Interbike in late September."

Via www.usacycling.org

2008 Clif Bar MTB Challenge

Sorry if I missed this earlier, but it appears that there will be a new TBF Racing XC event this month. The Clif Bar MTB Challenge on September 27th will feature:

"an awesome six-mile course that Expert division riders will do 3 times, Sport riders twice Novice riders and Junior riders complete one lap ... We have the best mountain bike course which includes 6 miles of rolling twisting single track, wide jeep trails, some easy, and some not-so-easy climbs and descents. The course is fine for all levels."

The race will be held at Granite Beach next to Folsom Lake and the course looks similar to the MTB Challenge events (click on picture to see PDF map of course).

You can pre-register for the race at active.com (ignore the location as it says it is at Ranco Seco which is quite a ways south of Folsom Lake). Pre-registeration is $40 and day of race registration is $50.