MTB News and Notes: Kovarik out; Texas racing; New NORBA rules
- By VeloNews.com
- Published Feb. 12, 2004
A lot more will be known next week, but it is looking more and more like downhiller Chris Kovarik will miss a significant chunk of the 2004 race season after shattering his ankle in a motocross accident last fall.
According to an e-mail from Scott Sharples, Australia national team downhill coach, “Chris is still wearing his ‘roll cage’, or steel support frame. His next check up is on February 16, and he hopes to get [the leg halo] off then.”
Next up, Kovarik will be outfitted with a normal cast. The length of time he has to wear that will depend on what his doctors find when they take the halo off.
Either way, Sharples says that he and Kovarik have “agreed that the plan should be to try to be ready for the world championships [in September], and maybe try to do some lead up races. He definitely should not re-enter the race scene too early. I convinced him that the ability to walk without a walking stick is worth the consideration.”
Sharples added that despite the obvious lack of activity, Kovarik has done a good job keeping his weight down. He also added that news of the injury and anticipated recovery time had been kept low key until now because Kovarik wanted to make sure he was “not rushed through his recovery, and didn’t not want to make any promises to his supportive sponsors [that he couldn’t keep].”
Also up in the air for Kovarik is who he’ll be riding for once he does return. Haro has expressed interest in signing the No. 7 ranked rider in the world, but is waiting on the outcome of sponsor negotiations before a final decision is made. If the Haro deal doesn’t happen, Kovarik will likely be back in Intense team kit, the squad he’s ridden for the last four years.
Texas time
For the first time since 1987 the NORBA national series will be descending on Texas when the 2004 series kicks off next month. Racing will run from March 11-14, with $10,000 on the line for the pros. The event is a cross-country only affair, with a stage race (time trial, short track, cross-country) and a 100km marathon filling out the slate.
The Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association is hosting the event, and Texas racers and teams will have Texas championship points on the line. There will also be $15,000 in prizes up for grabs in the 50 amateur classes.
Competition kicks off with marathon event in Valley Mills then moves to Cameron Park for the stage race. The cross-country course has distances ranging from four miles for the 10-and-under racers to 30 miles for the pros.
Road racing enthusiasts are also welcome as Saturday, March 13 the Junior League will host the second annual Heritage Square Criterium as part of the TXBRA Series.
Cameron Park is the second largest municipal park in the country. Baylor University, Cameron Park Zoo, the Waco Suspension Bridge, the Dr. Pepper Museum and downtown Waco are all within a two-mile radius of the park and the stage-racing action.
New NORBA rules
Noticed a few noteworthy changes during a perusal of the recently released 2004 NORBA National Series rider’s guide. The most significant is the reintroduction of the throw-out rule. Unlike the last couple years, every series race will not count when tallying up points for the overall series winners in cross-country and short track. Instead just five of seven races plus the finals in Durango will make it into the standings ledger.
In mountain cross one race will be thrown out, with five of six plus Durango counting toward the final standings. The downhill crew will not have the same luxury, though, because they only have six races on the NORBA national calendar. The events in Waco, Texas and Sonoma, California do not have downhill races (there is MX at Sonoma).
At least part of this discrepancy can be attributed to the fact that this is an Olympic year for the cross-country racers. Two of the NORBA events (Big Bear and Mount Snow) overlap with two of this year’s World Cup cross-country stops. And with a handful of the top North American pros in tight battles for Olympic berths, they’ll likely skip the NORBA races in favor of the more high-profile World Cup events.
There is also an overlap between the Snowshoe event and the second World Cup downhill stop (Sestriere, Italy), which will make for some interesting decisions for the gravity set in terms of which series title is more important.
In the new-for-2004 marathon series, which totals five races, a rider’s three best finishes plus their Durango result will count toward the overall standings.
The coming race season will also see some changes in scoring. Unlike in years past, there will be points on the line in pro downhill qualifying. The top 20 riders in the semifinals will receive points that count towards the final overall series standings.
FILED UNDER: Mountain