On the start line of the cross country race (Image credit: Tommy Compton / USA Cycling)
The US Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals will be held at New Mexico's Angle Fire Resort in 2011 and 2012 per a new two-year agreement with the resort.
After unanticipated difficulties forced the original venue in Davis, West Virginia, to step down this spring as the event's host, Angel Fire agreed to step in and offer up its bike park for the three days of collegiate national championship racing.
Both the 2011 and 2012 events will be held on their originally scheduled weekends of October 28-30, 2011, and October 26-28, 2012.
Nestled in northern New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, just 25 miles from Taos, the Angel Fire Resort is known as a hot spot for mountain biking. The resort's bike park has played host to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2005 and the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in 2006. It also annually puts on the popular Chile Challenge Mountain States Cup event.
The venue is fresh off of a major expansion during which 29 miles of trails were built or enhanced. It will offer a wide variety of technical terrain for co-eds to compete on for US national titles in the cross country, short track cross country, downhill, and dual slalom events.
"Angel Fire is the perfect backdrop for the Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships," said Hogan Koesis, director of the mountain bike park at Angel Fire Resort. "Our extensive trail network and rugged terrain will offer the riders the best location and conditions. Bringing this caliber of a race to New Mexico is great for our state and we are thrilled to be working closely again with USA Cycling."
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