COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 26, 2002) - The National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) announced three changes this week to the 2002 Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championship Mountain Bike Series.

The U.S. pro national dual slalom champion will be crowned in a one-day showdown at the season opener at Snow Summit, Calif. The Snow Summit event, a longtime favorite of racers and industry members, goes down May 9-12 in Big Bear Lake, Calif.

The top American finisher in the pro men's and women's categories on Saturday, May 11, will be awarded the 2002 pro national dual slalom title.

This five-race series traditionally uses all its stops to determine pro champions in various disciplines. A decision made earlier this year by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to phase out the dual slalom and introduce the new Mountain Cross format required NORBA to examine its events as well.

"With the UCI changing their dual format to a mountain cross, we would be doing a disservice to those racers who want to compete at the World Cup and World Championship level," said USA Cycling National Events Manager Eric Moore. "How could we expect American athletes to be competitive at the international level if we aren't providing similar training and racing opportunities Stateside?"

Moore credited the NORBA Board of Trustees for its decision to move ahead with the Mountain Cross format.

"The NORBA board showed great vision in moving forward with the Mountain Cross. The direction of the sport is changing and the board isn't willing to let the sport turn stagnant. The trustees have the future of the sport in mind," said Moore.

Out of respect for the tradition of the dual slalom, the board also decided on the one-day pro championship race. The national title for pro Mountain Cross will be awarded based on accumulated results over the four remaining Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals-Alpine Valley, Wisc., Snowshoe, W.Va., Durango, Colo., and Mount Snow, Vt.

Mountain Cross blends elements of downhill, BMX and dual slalom into an exciting format introduced in America last year by GaleForce Sports Marketing, which promotes the Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals. Heats of four riders race down a single course developed with berms and jumps. The first two riders of each heat advance until the field is boiled down to a final four riders.

At the amateur level, dual slalom races, which puts two riders on parallel courses, will continue to be held at all five venues.

"We realized how popular dual slalom was with fans, sponsors and riders," said Rick Sutton, president of GaleForce. "Dual slalom - from the beginners through the experts - is still one of the best ways for a cyclist to learn the basics of downhill racing and mountain cross. We still see it as an important component in developing all of the gravity sports."

Another rule change for 2002 is that pro National Bicycle League (NBL), USA Cycling's BMX association, licenses will be honored for riders racing the dual slalom and mountain cross events at the Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals at the pro level. This licensing procedure was tried out at the 2002 Sea Otter Classic with success.

"We want to lower the entry barriers to our sport," said Moore, who encouraged the licensing decision.

The final change, which affects pro athletes, is that all five Chevy Trucks NORBA Nationals events count will count toward the overall series and the national championships. In previous years, an athlete's overall series standings were determined only by their top four results, allowing them to "throw out" one result.

"We felt this is a sport at a professional level," said Sutton. "You can't throw out a game in the NFL; you can't choose not to play a game in the NHL. If you want to win a national title or the most prestigious series in the sport, you'll have to show up and race well every time."

The five race series opens May 9-12 at Snow Summit, Calif. and moves to a new venue, Alpine Valley Resort in Troy, Wisc., June 13-16. The series then goes to Snowshoe, W. Va., June 20-23; Durango, Colo, Aug. 1-4; and finishes at Mount Snow, Vt., Aug. 15-18.

The Chevy Trucks NORBA National Championships Mountain Bike Series is North America's premier off-road cycling series. The series crowns USA Cycling's Mountain Bike Champions. The series is aired on the Outdoor Life Network - one of the world's leading broadcasters of cycling and adventure sports. GaleForce Sports Marketing is the series management and promotions company, and is recognized as the USA's leading cycling and events management group.

About NORBA NORBA is the mountain bike member association of USA Cycling. Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 80,000 members and 2,000 annual events. For more information, visit www.usacycling.org.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff