For more information about the rodeo contact Dave Wilson, Team Wasatch Front or Amy Abbott, REI Special Event Coordinator at (801) 486-2100.
Race series return to Utah County
The Canyon Park Mountain Bike Race Series return for 1998 in Provo Canyon. Racing kicks off on Tuesday, April 7 and continues through August 25.Racing takes place on a real mountain bike course with uphills, downhills, single track, double track and guaranteed to be lots of fun. Prizes are awards three deep in all categories at every race.
Racing begins at 5:30 p.m. with Juniors and Beginners. Pro/Expert, Jr. Expert, Sport, Women, Vet and Master Men race at 6:30. These start times are good through May. Times change to 6 and 7 p.m. June through August.
Racers need a $10 season number plate (one time only fee) and race fees are $7 per race, $5 for Junior first timers and 12 & unders. Ten-race punch cards can be purchased for $60.
The course is located in Provo Canyon. Take I-15 to Orem 800 North exit. Head east up Provo Canyon about 1.5 miles, turn left just beyond Murdock Dam and go across the bridge to the parking lot. For more information call (801) 343-0161.
Not to be left out, roadies see the return of the Seven Peaks Criterium Series at Seven Peaks Resort in Provo.
The Thursday evening criteriums feature A, B and C categories. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. each evening. One-time season number fee of $10 with $7 per race fee gets racers entered. Ten-race punch cards are available for $60.
The course is located at the upper golf course parking lot at Seven Peak Resort at 1300 E. Center St. in Provo. For information call (801) 343-0161.
Urban Mountain Bike Series begins
The popular weekly Decker Dash mountain bike race series returns beginning April 28.Chauner Promotions, Inc. announced the schedule of the nine-event series that runs along trails at the Department of Motor Vehicle Test Grounds at 4700 S. 2780 W. in West Valley City. The challenging 3-mile course is just 10-minutes from downtown Salt Lake City.
Race fees are $7.50 per race or $59 for a nine-race pass. Kids 10 & under are $5. Points and prizes are awarded at each race. Series champions are crowned after the final race June 23. New for '98 are the free instructional clinics before the race at 5 p.m.
Registration is on site from 5-6:30 p.m. each race day. Junior classes 18 and under begin at 6 p.m. Adult classes start at 6:30 p.m.
Future dates are: May 5, 12, 19, 26 and June 2, 9, 16 and 23. For more information call (801) 942-3498.
Sundance sets Citizen Series
Sundance Ski Resort has announced a non-NORBA race series designed with fun in mind that kicks off on Memorial Day weekend.A Super D race on May 23 gets the competition rolling. Super D is short for Super Descent, a new mountain bike race format designed by Utah race promoter Ron Lindley.
This format is similar to a traditional downhill race in that it's an individual time trial that finishes at least 1,000 feet below the starting line. The difference is that there's a significant amount of climbing in a three- to six-mile course.
A Super D race will have times of 10 to 20 minutes and have 20 to 30 percent of the course run uphill. The concept is to allow fast descending cross-country racers and fit downhiller to compete against each other in a fun and exciting way.
On Monday, May 25 racers will compete in a cross country race.
Registration opens at 8 a.m. before each race. Racing is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Entry is $12 which includes race fee plus Sundance trail use and lift fees for the day of the race. For more information call (801) 225-4100.
The series continues through September on the following dates: June 13 - Cross-Country; July 4 - Cross-Country; August 22 - Cross-Country; Sept. 12 - Cross-Country.
All races are non-NORBA events.
Local riders sign with pro teams
A number of prominent local road racers have inked professional contracts with high-profile teams for the 1998 racing season.Skylere Bingham, Salt Lake City, and Burke Swindlehurst, Hurricane, have signed with Nutra Fig. Swindlehurst was a member of Einstein's. Three Boise racers have also joined the team. John Foster, Alex Gardner and Eric Messenger are racers all too familiar to local competitors, Messenger being a member of Einstein's.
Mercury has become title sponsor for the team headed by John Wordin and has named Michael Sayer to its roster. Sayer was another Einstein's team member.
Levi Leipheimer, a former Mi Duole and Einstein's team member, follows a successful '97 season with Comptel/Colorado Cyclist in signing a contract with Saturn for 1998.
U.S. Postal gets Tour invitation
The U.S. Postal Service road racing team has received its official invitation to the 1998 Tour de France from the Societe du Tour de France, guaranteeing its participation in the "Super Bowl" of cycling.
Marty Jemison, Park City, completed his first Tour de France in 1997 with U.S. Postal after the team received a wild card invitation to the race. Jemison's participation in the race, as well as other successful races during the season, contributed to his being named cycling utah's Rider of the Year.
Single day license fees increase
Single day trial licenses for both NORBA and USCF racers increase from $3 to $5 for the 1998 season. This represents the first increase in NORBA single day licenses this decade.Single day licenses are for beginner level, non-licensed riders. Thirty day sport-level licenses remain the same at $15 as do annual memberships at $35. Trial licenses for road races are Category 5. Collegiate one day licenses, good for any category of racing, increase to $8 per day.
Old $3 one day applications may be used if there is a shortage of 1998 one day applications as long as the fee on the applications is changed to the new $5 rate.
Deer Valley race in Top Ten nationally
NORBA announced the largest events of the 1997 season and the NCS Finals race at Deer Valley was listed as fourth largest event, totaling 2,483 participant days.The largest event was the Specialized Cactus Cup in Arizona with 3,265 participant days. This marks the third year in a row the event has been number one. Second was SRAM Sea Otter Classic in California with 3,091 days followed by the NCS race at Mammouth Mountain California with 2,647 days.
Sea Otter, Park City and Snow Summit all showed significant growth over a two-year period.
Fifth largest event was the NCS race at Snow Summit California.
The rest of the top ten are as follows:
6. NCS Mount Snow Vermont, 2,114. 7. NCS Snoqualmie Pass Washington 1,634. 8. Subaru Iceman Cometh Michigan 1,518. 9. Snow Summit Amateur Cup #1 1,450 and 10. Specialized Cactus Cup Illinois 1,430.
Local racers listed in UCI points list
Professional road racers with local ties have been listed in the Union Cycliste Internationale points list for races in 1997.Marty Jemison of the U.S. Postal Service team makes the list at number 224. Top American was Bobby Julich at number 144.
Also making the list were Levy Leipheimer at number 951 and Michael Sayers at number 994.
Placings are based on results as of October 31, 1997.
Local racers place in NCAA finals
The University of Utah fielded a small team for the collegiate mountain bike nationals in 1997.John Osguthorpe placed 30th in the Men's A cross country race won by Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski of the University of Colorado Boulder.
Jennifer Tribe raced in the Women's A cross country and placed fourth, 9:42.87 off the winning pace of Willow Koerber of the University of North Carolina-Ashville.
Claudio Helzinger, representing the University of Utah, placed 23rd in the Men's B cross country race.
Team announced
Team Synergy\Poison Spider Bicycles Mountain Bike Race Team
Sponsors- Marin, Smith, Avid, Geax, Salsa, Cafe Velo
Team Captain: Mike Holme
Semi Pro: Smith, Greg (DH) Expert: Smith, Greg (XC) Holme. Mike (DH, XC); Newton, Scott (XC); Cowern, Thomas (DH XC) Sport: Guzman. Karen (XC)
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