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, Arkansas
March 16: SERC #1 – Gainesville, Florida
March 15-16: 20th Annual Keyesville Classic – Lake Isabella, California
March 30: Chickasaw Trace Classic – Columbia, Tennessee
April 6: SERC #2 – Bryson City, North Carolina
April 20: Tiger Rag 2008 – Clemson, South Carolina
April 27: Greenbrier Challenge – Frederick, Maryland
April 27: SERC #3 – Winder, Georgia
May 3-4: Idyllwild Spring Challenge – Idyllwild, California
May 4: SERC #4 – Ducktown, Tennessee
May 4: 6th Annual Coyote Classic at Avimor – Boise, Idaho
May 18: Stump Jump 2008 – Spartanburg, South Carolina
May 25: SERC #5 – Athens, Georgia
June 1: 14th Annual Bump & Grind – Pelham, Alabama
June 14-15: Subaru Cup – Mt. Morris, Wisconsin
June 15: SERC #6 – Clemson, South Carolina
June 22: Dawg Dayz MTB Classic – North Little Rock, Arkansas
June 29: Campmor H2H 13th Annual Bulldog Rump – Andover, New Jersey
June 29: SERC #7 – Chattanooga, Tennessee
July 6: DINO Challenge AMBC – North Vernon, Indiana
July 13: SERC #8 – Anniston, Alabama
July 25-26: SERC #9 – Fontana, North Carolina
August 29-31: Camp Eagle Classic MTB Festival – Rock Springs, Texas
August 30-31: Laddies Loppet – Callaway, Minnesota
October 4: Road Apple Rally – Farmington, New Mexico
October 25-26: Piney Hills Classic XV – Ruston, Louisiana
