Olympic mountain bike team members will face off at the Windham NMBS race

By Andrew J. Bernstein

Windham Mountain, located in New York’s Catskill Mountains, will host the fifth round of the 2008 National Moutntain Bike Series this weekend, July 12-13. The ski resort, located roughly two hours from New York City and four from Boston, is a brand-new venue for the long-running series. Dubbed the “East Coast Nationals,” the race falls one week ahead before the 2008 USA Cycling national mountain bike championships, held July 16-30 in nearby Mount Snow, Vermont.

“NMBS has a huge following. It’s one of the oldest series in the United States. The best riders need to be there to complete and all the amateur and recreational racers want to be there as well,” said Nick Bove, one of the event’s promoters.

The event is the first major race since the United States and Canada announced their respective Olympic squads.

Noticeably absent from the race will be Canadian Olympian Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), the current leader of the NMBS’s men’s cross-country series. Kabush has decided to skip the race to train on Hornby Island in Victoria, Canada, in preparation for the following week’s Canadian championships at Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec.

That means American Olympians Adam Craig (Giant) and Todd Wells (GT) will battle for the win alongside Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fischer), the Kona duo of Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks and Trek-Volkswagen’s Jeremiah Bishop.

Mike Mooradian (Team SPIN) of Saratoga Springs, NY, is one of only two New York-based pros, and is expected to start the event as well. In addition, two professional road racers, Justine Lindine (Target Training) and Andy Guptil (Colavita/Sutter Home) are both expected to ride fat tires this weekend, ditching their usual team apparel in favor of a local shop’s jersey. Both are Catskill natives.

In the women’s race, American Georgia Gould (Luna) will be supported by three teammates, including NMBS leader Katerina Nash, as she faces off against Subaru Gary Fisher teammates Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber, and a host of other elite women. Also looking for a top finish is Trek-Volkswagen’s Lea Davison, who is coming off an impressive top-20 finish at the UCI world championships.

Nash leads the series with 663 points, over Irmiger, with 566 points. Gould sits in fourth with 536 points.

Bove, who owns Windham Mountain Outfitters, a bike shop located near the mountain, expects between 800 and 1,000 racers to compete in various categories and events.

With all of the events finishing within viewing distance of the mountain’s base, spectators will be easily able to watch numerous events. Spectators who pay to get onto the mountain will be treated to an unusual feature — over-under passes, where racers on the cross-country course will cross bridges constructed over the downhill course. Bove said that a crew of volunteers built the overpasses, as well as about 30 bridges that range from two to ten feet wide.

“These are enormous structures with a lot of engineering. It adds an element of character to the race,” he said.

The XC and Dual Slalom races will take place on Saturday, with the DH, short-track and Super-D races taking place on Sunday.

FILED UNDER: Mountain