Cyclingnews Racing News

Moseley to carry Olympic torch

Sue George — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:43:31 GMT

British mountain bike star Tracy Moseley (T-Mo Racing) will be the Olympic Torch bearer when it visits Fort William, Scotland in the United Kingdom on June 9. As the Olympic Torch Relay cavalcade cruises through the Scottish Highlands, its appearance at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be at the downhill start just before qualifying on the Saturday according to the UCI. A five-time winner of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William and 2010 World Champion, this year Moseley is making ...

Sun Valley contest opened to mountain bikers

Sue George — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:59:42 GMT

Many mountain bikers will be headed to Sun Valley, Idaho just after the Fourth of July US holiday for the US Mountain Bike National Championships. Two lucky mountain bikers will win an all expenses paid trip to Sun Valley from July 1-8, 2012. Displaying their sense of humor, the folks in Sun Valley put together a video explaining why mountain bikers suffering from singletrack deficit disorder might want to enter the contest to win a trip to Sun Valley that will cure their symptoms. Sun Valley is ...

Outstanding La Bresse World Cup pays off for Näf and Vogel

Sue George — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:50:29 GMT

The most recent UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France , was the final race that counted toward the nations qualifications for the Olympics. It was also the final race at which riders could qualify for their respective national teams headed to the 2012 London Olympic Games . The day brought of mix of success for some and disappointment for others, especially for those trying to make it on to the super competitive Swiss Olympic team. The Swiss qualified, as expected, the maximum three men ...

Canada Cup starts this weekend in Mont Tremblant

Sue George — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:04:45 GMT

The 2012 Canada Cup is set to begin this weekend in Mont Tremblant, where hundreds of mountain bike enthusiasts will race for coveted points that will ultimately crown the 2012 Canada Cup Champions. In 2011, the married couple of Catherine Vipond and Matt Hadley won the Canada Cup in the elite category, while junior Canadian Champions Marc-Antoine Nadon and Frédérique Trudel both took the titles in the junior category. The national cycling series will be held both in eastern Canada ...

Joseph and Benko out of La Bresse World Cup due to injury

Sue George — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:38:38 GMT

New Zealand's Rosara Joseph ( Rabobank Giant ) and Hungary's Barbara Benko ( Focus-MIG ) are both out of this weekend's World Cup in La Bresse, France, after crashing and injuring themselves in separate incidents. For both, it is a blow to their Olympic aspirations. Joseph, who broke her arm, was in a heated battle with fellow New Zealand rider Karen Hanlen for the single spot New Zealand is qualifying, while Hungary had an outside chance of catching Denmark for the final women's spot. Benko injured ...

Nations rankings updated for Olympic MTB qualifying

Sue George — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:41:50 GMT

The UCI has published updated standings for nation rankings to include last weekend's World Cup in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic. While the official qualification period does not end until after this weekend's World Cup in La Bresse, France, the nation rankings are unlikely to change in any meaningful way - meaning how many Olympic spots each nation receives. Note that none of the following is official until the UCI and IOC publish the "official" standings in a few weeks. The ranking ...

Hanlen and Joseph battle for New Zealand Olympic place

Sue George — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:06:06 GMT

A brutal challenge faces riders in the final Olympic showdown for mountain bikers in the fourth round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France this weekend. It is the last event that can earn qualifying points for London with riders from virtually every nation fighting for Olympic selection. That is the case for New Zealand where Whakatane mother Karen Hanlen and Beijing Olympian Rosara Joseph are locked in a duel for the solitary spot available for kiwis in the elite women's class. ...

$10,000 up for grabs at next two US Pro GRTs

Sue George — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:07:05 GMT

The first two rounds of the Eastern States Cup (ESC) will double up as the next two rounds of the US Pro GRT. The Mountain Creek Spring Classic will happen this weekend, May 17-20, and the Plattekill Gravity Open will occur over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, May 24-27. The two bike parks have doubled the US Pro GRT Pro Purse to $5,000 to be awarded at each race. In addition to cash, top pros and juniors may use the events to qualify to represent the US at the downhill world championships ...

Näf returns to World Cup podium after two years

Sue George — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:21:34 GMT

Ralph Näf ( Multivan Merida ) rode to his first World Cup podium finish in two years at the Nove Mesto World Cup in the Czech Republic on Sunday. Näf is one of Switzerland's many fast cross country riders, and he is among those competing for a spot on the Swiss team headed to the 2012 London Olympic Games . Sunday's performance boosted his chances of making the three-man Swiss team. He put in a strong ride, moving up from a spot on the start grid in the fourth row. He moved up quickly ...

Top notch women's field to line up for Trans-Sylvania Epic

Sue George — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:28:34 GMT

While neither Vampira nor Elvira is on the registration list, a host of hellishly fast women are targeting the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic (TSE) starting later this month in State College, Pennsylvania. As is the case with the men's field , the talent assembling for the women's mountain bike stage race is as good as it gets. With two years of TSE experience, including overall victory in 2010 , Team CF's Selene Yeager is one of the first to consider for the win. Interestingly, some of Yeager's top ...

Lukas Flueckiger keeps Olympic hopes alive in Nove Mesto

Sue George — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:10:17 GMT

Lukas Flueckiger ( Trek World Racing ) kept his hopes of making the Swiss Olympic team alive on Sunday at the cross country World Cup race in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic . Racing more than 180 other elite men, in cold, seven-degree Celsius temperatures, Flueckiger got a good start and was initially with the race leaders on the start loop. He stayed in the top 15 throughout and posted fast lap times on laps four and five of six total laps. He spent most of his time in the third ...

Bresset moves into Mountain Bike World Cup lead

Sue George — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:29:42 GMT

Julie Bresset ( BH Suntour Peisey-Vallandry ) cruised to her first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country victory of 2012 in Nové Mesto na Morave, Czech on Sunday, and she took over the lead in the overall World Cup standings from previous leader and reigning world champion Catharine Pendrel (Luna). She now has 590 points to Pendrel's 540 points. Bresset crossed the line in one hour, 29 minutes and 17 seconds, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon Racing Team) of Russia ...

Schurter takes care of unfinished business in Czech

Sue George — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:12:53 GMT

Nino Schurter ( Scott Swisspower ) took his second UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country victory of the 2012 season on Sunday when he defeated his rivals in Nove Mesto na Morave , Czech Republic. The win was the perfect birthday present for Schurter, who turned 26 on race day. Schurter fought in one of the tightest World Cup battles yet and came out just six seconds ahead of his rival Jaroslav Kulhavy ( Specialized ), who was racing on home soil, and 17 seconds ahead of Burry Stander (Specialized). ...

Olympic mountain bike qualifying in the home stretch

Sue George — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:56:08 GMT

The third round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic this weekend and the fourth round in La Bresse, France next weekend are the final opportunities for nations to score valuable ranking points for 2012 Olympic Games qualification and for riders to meet Olympic standards for their respective nations. The level of competition at both rounds is expected to be more intense than ever, with riders fighting for every position. In the Olympic qualifying battle, the women's category ...

Two more World Cups to determine Olympic MTB participation

Sue George — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:09:42 GMT

In just a few weeks, mountain bike fans will know exactly how many athletes each nation will send to the 2012 London Olympic Games . What happens in the meantime are two back-to-back UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, one in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic on May 11-13 and one in La Bresse, France on May 18-20. On May 23, 2012, the UCI will establish the UCI Olympic Qualification Ranking, and by June 1, it will have confirmed the number of qualifying spots for each nation. The final rankings are based the ...

Canada sends larger crew to next two MTB World Cups

Sue George — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:04:28 GMT

A larger crew of Canadian mountain bikers will be racing the next two UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events and hoping to score some very precious points for Canada in the UCI Olympic qualification process. There are two events left on the Olympic qualifying calendar for the 2012 Olympic Games in London: UCI World Cups in Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic , and in La Bresse, France . Canada is ranked comfortably in first place of the women's UCI Olympic Nations Ranking, and in 13th place of the ...

Brasil Ride set for September

Sue George — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:17:48 GMT

The Brasil Ride, a mountain bike stage race in Brasil, will return for its third year in 2012. The next edition of the race will be held from September 23 to September 29. The Chapada Diamantina National Park will again serve as the starting point for the seven stage, seven day event. In 2011 , Kristian Hynek and Robert Novotny (Futurecycling-Sweep) won the men's classification while Adriana Nascimento and Sabrina Gobbo (Ladies Brasil Soul-RC Bikes) won the women's classification. Ivonne Kraft and ...

Danish women help out Langvad's Olympic chances

Sue George — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:31:56 GMT

Marathon world champion Annika Langvad is hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and this past weekend she got some help doing so from two Danish women, Rikke Kornvig and Helle Qvortrup Tvilum Bachmann, of the Racing29ers team . The pair went one-two at the Salcano Cup round 5, a UCI category 1 race in Arvavutkoy, near Istanbul, Turkey. The points should help boost Denmark's rankings enough to qualify a single female racer to race in London. The UCI Olympic rankings will be finalized ...

Bishop tops list of favorites for Trans-Sylvania Epic

Sue George — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:58:56 GMT

The 2012 edition of the Trans-Sylvania Epic (TSE) mountain bike stage racing is drawing another strong field of elite men to the start line later this month. Cannondale 's Jeremiah Bishop , the two-time defending champion at TSE, leads the line-up on the men's side. With two victories in hand and a string of mountain bike stage race wins nine deep, Bishop has to be the odds on favorite to don the leader's jersey. However, indications are that going home with that jersey will be harder than ever ...

Windham Mountain Bike World Cup picks up extra support

Sue George — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:41:55 GMT

Two well-known companies in the mountain biking community signed on as major sponsors of the Windham, New York round of the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from June 28 to July 1. Scott Bikes has become the title sponsor of the World Cup cross country race while Stan's NoTubes is now the title sponsor of the downhill race. "This year's race preparations have been challenging. Windham (the town and the mountain) suffered devastating losses after Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Lee swept ...

Whole Athlete-Specialized juniors head to Europe

Sue George — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:06:08 GMT

Five juniors on the Whole Athlete-Specialized team headed to Europe to compete at the highest level of the sport this month. Fresh off his win at the Whiskey Off Road 25 Proof this past weekend, Cypress Gorry will be joined by Sea Otter Classic winner Kate Courtney as they compete in the World Cups in the Czech Republic and France on May 13 and 20. Josie Nordrum, Lucas Newcomb and Shane Skelton are also headed across the Atlantic for some international racing later in May and June. They are participating ...

Sea Otter Classic dates set for 2013

Sue George — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:31:36 GMT

The Sea Otter Classic announced its dates for its 23rd edition on April 18-21, 2013. The multi-discipline cycling event and expo will return to the Laguna Seca Recreation Area surrounded by the newly created Fort Ord National Monument. On April 20, US President Barrack Obama signed a proclamation to designate federal lands within the former Fort Ord as a National Monument under the Antiquities Act. Fort Ord is a former military base located on California's Central Coast. "Fort Ord's dramatic ...

Sauser gears up for Trans Germany

Sue George — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:50:51 GMT

Defending Champion Christoph Sauser ( Specialized ) will be back racing at the Trans Germany on June 6-9. "I'm going for the three-peat!" said the Swiss rider, who also won in 2010 and 2011. The 36-year-old, who won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympic Games, is in good form already this season. Together with South Africa's Burry Stander, Sauser won this year's Cape Epic in April. Sauser has plenty of racing to do between now and the Trans Germany. "I'm currently facing the last two ...

Knox favored for MTN Clarens marathon win

Sue George — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:33:56 GMT

With Kevin Evans and David George opting to compete in the Joburg2C mountain bike stage race rather than the MTN Clarens, Max Knox might just be the new overall leader in the MTN marathon series after the MTN Clarens National MTB Ultra taking place on Saturday, May 5. Evans (Nedbank360Life) is currently leading with 11639 points, Knox is second with 10628 points and George (Nedbank360Life) third with 10355 points. Nico Bell is fourth (9947) and Gawie Combrinck fifth (8800). According to Knox, it ...

Solothurn round of BMC Racing Cup draws top-notch field

Sue George — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:00:58 GMT

Many of the mountain bike world's best cross country riders will get one final test of their legs at round 3 of the Swiss BMC Racing Cup on Sunday, just one week before the next World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech and two weeks before the World Cup in La Bresse, France. Solothurn will host this weekend's round of the BMC Racing Cup in conjunction with its National Bike Days Festival. With the next two World Cups serving as the final two qualifiers for the Swiss and many other national Olympic teams, ...