Bike classic added to national series
The
2008 Santa Ynez Valley National Classic, scheduled for May 16-18, has been
added to the National Mountain Bike Series, according to “Competitor Magazine.”
The race includes more than $15,000 in prizes and $8,000 in a combined cash
purse for professional and semi-pro riders.
Presented
by Platinum Performance, the Santa Ynez Valley National Classic is now listed
as one of 24 events on the 2008 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Cross
Country Calendar.
The
Santa Ynez event also is listed as one of the races that offers international
ranking points as part of the UCI Calendar. These include the Fontana National
in California and the Deer Valley National in Park City, Utah, and USA Cycling
Mountain Bike National Championships at Mount Snow Resort in West Dover, Vt. in
July — all Category-1 events; and NOVA National in Fountain Hills, Ariz. and
the Santa Ynez National in Southern California — both Category-2.
Participating
in national championship races provides athletes with the opportunity to
accumulate international ranking points.
The
2008 Santa Ynez race is listed with such national events as Rabbit Valley
Rampage in Fruita, Colo.; the Massanutten
Hoo-Ha in McGayhesville,
Va.; the East Coast National in Windham, N.Y.; the Full Tilt in Telluride
(Colo.); the Ladies Loppet in Callaway, Minn.; and
the Tamarack (Idaho) National and the Fall Classic in Breckenridge, Colo.
This
year the Santa Ynez race will begin at a new venue, Charlotte’s Meadow, located
on the Chamberlin Ranch, near Zaca Station Road.
For
more information, visit the Internet at www.competitor.com.