[knucklebutt]

Saw this in the downhill forum: Since the NW has no real downhill series going, maybe this could be an option here? If the ABA gets enough feedback they may go for it. Shoot them an e-mail shannon@ababmx.com


ABA considering Mountain Biking???

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to thank EC for taking the inital steps in trying to work out a new sanctioning body/series/etc for mountain biking. There have been soooooo many of us complaining & whining about the state of NORBA/USA Cycling & their lack of interest in MTB....espeically Downhill & 4X/DS.... but no one has really done anything about it.

EC's been shooting me ideas for quite some time now & last night was extremely intesting.... he gave me the brief rundown about talking to ABA BMX (American Bicycle Association). I was waaaay too tired to write notes down (it was nearly 2am), but he told me that the story would be up on MBAction.com today (see below)

Honestly, i think this a great idea. If we can get an "already proven" sanctioning body behind us, it'll go a long way in giving us the credibility we need.... rather than starting from scratch. I hope we can work something out!

GOOD LUCK EC! You've got my support!


Here's the story from MBAction.com
by Ryan Cleek

"This afternoon, I was hammering mid cross-country ride when my cell phone started blaring the familiar ring tone I’ve assigned to Eric Carter. Normally, I would keep riding and tend to the call after my ride. But, I’m doing a feature in our July issue on the SRAM’s BlackBox program, and EC being a long-time member, I was turning to him for some insider info. However, the BlackBox conversation immediately took a backseat to his latest endeavor.

“I’ve bee talking with ABA BMX (American Bicycling Association) regarding helping me out promoting a mountain bike race series,” said Carter. With four world and nine national championships in BMX, the ABA didn’t need to as Eric for his credentials before discussions began. “I’ve developed my own corporation PCA (Progressive Cycle Association) and the ABA and I are in talks about putting on some mountain bike races in the near future, possibly this year,” said EC. “Our goal is to have an event coincide with Interbike, possibly the weekend before dirt demo, and after that possibly Vail, Colorado and an East Coast effort, too. Right now, we’re still in the infancy stages of our plan, but I can tell you the ABA is very curious about mountain bike racing.”

It’s no secret most of the racing world is dissatisfied with the current sanctioning body’s handling of national events. Should this relationship materialize, the sky’s the limit with potential. The ABA single-handedly shaped BMX racing, and today has over 60,000 members. They were the first to develop a national series, first to provide a pro purse, first sanction to call fouls as they occur, first to use a starting light system, first automatic gate system, first voice command, first duel announcing, first computerized membership and points system, first computerized sign-ups, first computerized system for local tracks, first interactive website to service it's members, first and most prestigious National Amateur Championship to cover all ages. The list goes on, will mountain bike racing soon be added to their list of accomplishments?"
__________________
Dylan Dean Designs Media Group
Dylan Dean Designs, D3Photo, D3AN

UTOPIA Optics International

 

[trailhacker]

Wasn't the ABA beind the AMBA ~8 years ago?
Ron Dillon from the Wild Rockeis series had them as a sanctioning body for the races he put on. The next year they were gone?

Not trying to dampen interest but it seems they went down this road before?

 

[DesuL]

Not trying to dampen interest but it seems they went down this road before?

Sometimes they finally fix potholes in roads and make them worth exploring again Anything right now is a step in the right direction.

 

[bent^biker]

I know that the local track up here at McCullom park runs an MTB class every weekend at their race. I currently have an e-mail out to them and will let you know when I hear more.

 

[AZRacerX]

I used to live in AZ and knew some of the people who work at ABA. Those guys are out to make a buck, priority number 1. My guess is that when they find out that they won't be able to make enough money on mountain biking they will bail. I hope I'm wrong.