OLYMPIC HOPEFULS TO HIT THE TRAILS IN ARIZONA FOR OLYMPIC LONG TEAM QUALIFYING EVENT
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 18, 2000) - USA Cycling announced Tuesday that the mountain bike 2000 Olympic Long Team qualifying race will be held March 4-5 at Estrella Regional Park in Goodyear, Ariz. The Olympic Long Team is comprised of athletes who have met the respective disciplines' qualifying procedures and are among the pool of athletes who are eligible to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Cycling team.
The event takes place in conjunction with the Hedgehog Hustle, the first round of the 2000 National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) American Mountain Bike Series. Goodyear is located 25 miles west of Phoenix. The women's event is scheduled for Sat., March 4, while the men's race will be Sunday, March 5.
"We feel very honored to be selected by USA Cycling and NORBA as an event that will help the Olympic Long Team selection process for 2000," said Hedgehog Hustle promoter and organizer Richard Bookspan. "It is a special recognition for a race that's come so far in the last 10 years."
"The Hedgehog Hustle give the U.S. professional riders a direct opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Long Team," said USA Cycling director of athlete performance, Sean Petty. "We expect all the top riders to give it their best shot at this event. It is definitely early in the season for such an event, but the entire mountain bike season is unusual with the World Championships being held in June."
A component of USA Cycling's selection process for the 2000 Olympic Games involves providing a race at which all U.S. professional cross-country athletes can compete for a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Long Team. The top U.S. male and female finishers in the mountain bike 2000 Olympic Long Team qualifying event will be named to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Long Team, provided they finish in the top-three.
The U.S. Olympic Cycling Team will be announced later this summer.
This event is sanctioned by USA Cycling, the national governing body of the sport. USA Cycling is comprised of more than 90,000 members competing in mountain bike, BMX, road cycling, track cycling and cyclo-cross. For the most up-to-date information on the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team and NORBA, visit www.usacycling.org |
