NORBA and EFTA PARTNER FOR RACES
Friday, February 27, 2004

From: Lee, Andy
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 4:07 PM
To: Vinson, Tom
Subject: NORBA and EFTA partner for races


PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Andy Lee
Communications Manager
(O) 719.866.4867
(C) 719.231.2041
(F) 719.866.4596
[email protected]



NORBA AND EFTA PARTNER FOR TWO RACES IN 2004
Two New England races will now be US National MTB Championship qualifiers





COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (February 25, 2004) – The Eastern Fat Tire Association (EFTA) will team up with NORBA for the first time to dually sanction two events in New England.




The Aug. 22 Biking Viking Challenge in New Ipswich, N.H. and the Blueberry Hill MTB Race in Ashburnham, Mass. on Aug. 28 will now be recognized by both the local and the national sanctioning bodies. The two races will be billed as the NH and MA State Mountain Bike Championships respectively, with both being qualifiers for the 2004 National Mountain Bike Championships to be held in September at Mammoth Mountain, CA.




EFTA, a local sanctioning body to grass roots race promoters, has never held an event with NORBA before. EFTA’s goal in working with NORBA is to begin working together to promote mountain bike racing and provide a path to national recognition for its racers. EFTA provides the esteemed New England Championship Series, but in order for racers to be nationally recognized, they sometimes had to choose between EFTA and NORBA events. “With this new cooperative step,” said EFTA spokesman Al Raine, “racers can parlay their EFTA efforts into national status.”




In years past, Junior and Master amateur racers could compete for National Champion titles at a one-day NORBA National Championship Series final event. Starting in 2004, riders will need to qualify through NORBA State or Regional Championships, American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) events, or NORBA National Series events in order to be eligible to compete for National Champion titles at the United States National Mountain Bike Championships scheduled for September 23-26, 2004 in Mammoth Lakes, California.





"NORBA is excited to partner with EFTA on these events to qualify riders for
the U.S. National Mountain Bike Championships," said NORBA Eastern Region Manager, Kelli Lusk.




“Mountain bike racing is about the racers, not the system that provides them.” Raine commented. “This mutual effort fortifies this perspective by addressing the racers’ needs.”




The joint effort of EFTA and NORBA is a witness to the strong commitment of both organizations to develop racers and help them advance through the ranks.




About EFTA
The Eastern Fat Tire Association promotes and sanctions mountain bike races, recreational bicycle "fun" rides, and works on New England mountain bike trail access issues. EFTA is nonprofit; all moneys generated are returned to New England mountain biking. For more information, visit www.efta.com or contact Media Director Al Raine at [email protected]





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 throughout its 80,000 members and 2,000 annual events. For more information, visit www.usacycling.org, or contact Communications Coordinator Keri Fagan at 719-866-3360.

photos by Jonathan McElvery, Jack Milton, and BikeReg.com