USA Cycling announced Thursday the 2008 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar. The 26-race calendar features three new events and again provides off-road cyclists with the opportunity to qualify for the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in July at Mount Snow Resort in Vermont. With events in 17 states, the AMBC also provides entry-level racing opportunities for competitors interested in participating in the sport of competitive mountain biking in a local or regional setting.
Beginning March 8 with the Spa City Extreme Six-Hour Mountain Bike Race, a marathon event in Hot Springs, Ark., the 2008 AMBC stretches seven months before concluding with the Piney Hills Classic XV in Ruston, La. for the third consecutive year, October 25-26. The first cross country event on the AMBC Calendar will again be the Southeastern Regional Championship Series opener in Gainesville, Fla. on March 16, while the initial gravity contest will be the 20th-annual Keyesville Classic in Lake Isabella, Calif., March 15-16. Created in 1996, the AMBC primarily features Olympic-style cross-country racing, but also features gravity racing and other disciplines of competitive mountain biking.
2008 USA Cycling American Mountain Bike Challenge:
March 8: Spa City Extreme 6-Hour MTB Race – Hot Springs, Ark.
Macrh 16: SERC #1 – Gainesville, Fla.
March 15-16: 20th Annual Keyesville Classic – Lake Isabella, Calif.
March 30: Chickasaw Trace Classic – Columbia, Tenn.
April 6: SERC #2 – Bryson City, N.C.
April 20: Tiger Rag 2008 – Clemson, S.C.
April 27: Greenbrier Challenge – Frederick, Md.
April 27: SERC #3 – Winder, Ga.
May 3-4: Idyllwild Spring Challenge – Idyllwild, Calif.
May 4: SERC #4 – Ducktown, Tenn.
May 4: 6th Annual Coyote Classic at Avimor – Boise, Idaho
May 18: Stump Jump 2008 – Spartanburg, SC
May 25: SERC #5 – Athens, Ga.
June 1: 14th Annual Bump & Grind – Pelham, Ala.
June 14-15: Subaru Cup – Mt. Morris, Wis.
June 15: SERC #6 – Clemson, SC
June 22: Dawg Dayz MTB Classic – North Little Rock, Ark.
June 29: Campmor H2H 13th Annual Bulldog Rump – Andover, N.J.
June 29: SERC #7 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 6: DINO Challenge AMBC – North Vernon, Ind.
July 13: SERC #8 – Anniston, Ala.
July 25-26: SERC #9 – Fontana, NC
August 29-31: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival – Rock Springs, Texas
August 30-31: Laddies Loppet – Callaway, Minn.
October 4: Road Apple Rally – Farmington, N.M.
October 25-26: Piney Hills Classic XV – Ruston, La.
