Search all the new races on our Nationawide calendar and hundreds of others

We have added a ridiculous amount of new 2010 dates to our national calendar. Brian has been working overtime getting all the new dates in our nationwide calendar. See if you can find a new race in your area and add it to your race calendar in 2010. We have these new races and hundreds more from across the country. Click here to start your search.

Click the map to start your search

We just updated these races:
--Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association 15 race series
--Hudson to Highlands series... NJ and one in NY
--Illinois Homegrown Race Series formally known as I-74 Homegrown race series
--Arkansas Championship Series
--Arkansas MTB Marathon Series
--The massive Virginia Off Road Series including the Camp Hilbert Mountain Bike Race Series
--Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series
--Kentucky Point Series (about half of the point series has been announced)
--Minnesota State Championship Series
--12/24 Hours of Mohican OH
--Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series


If you have a race you would like added to the MTBracenews race calendar send your information to info@mtbracenews.com

Kathy Sherwin Announces a New Team and Renewed Focus for 2010

Crushing, demoralizing, agonizing are all words that can be used to describe Kathy Sherwin’s 2009 season.

Written by: Shannon Boffeli

Kathy Sherwin racing close to home in Heber, Utah

For mountain biker Kathy Sherwin, 2009 presented challenges beyond imagination. The season started off with her husband and number one supporter, Chris, breaking his ankle and tearing 4 ligaments on the first day of her annual California training camp. Next her elderly parents became ill leaving them in and out of the hospital all year. Ultimately their collective struggle ended as both of Kathy’s parents passed away less than two month apart. Finally, Sherwin’s spirit and career seemingly all came crashing down as she was let go by her former team Kenda/Tomac/Hayes.

Certainly Sherwin’s 2009 was more than any one person should have to suffer through. As the season ended Kathy was left pondering her future as a bike racer. “It was a very hard time and I was very down. I told Chris I was ready to cash it all in.” recalls an emotional Sherwin. “But I knew I shouldn’t make any decisions in such an emotional state.”

That was when one race turned it all around. Despite having had very little time on the bike and just weeks after her father’s funeral Sherwin made the trip up to Portland for the Cyclocross National Championship. Being back in the racing atmosphere felt comfortable but Sherwin still had no idea what to expect during the race.

Remembering her feelings on the start line that day Sherwin said, “I hadn’t raced all season so I started like 60th in the group. As soon as the race started I just felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt great even though I knew I shouldn’t. I just kept passing other girls the whole race and when I saw the sign saying one lap to go I was actually sad because I didn’t want the race to end.“

Sherwin taking the barriers at a local cross race

Now anyone who has raced a cyclocross event knows no one is ever sad to see one lap to go. Clearly Sherwin had experienced something special. “I saw so happy during that race.” Sherwin recollects. “So happy to realize that racing was still my passion.”
Thanks to the folks at Mafia Racing Sherwin will be able to pursue her passion in 2010. Sherwin recently signed a contract to ride for Mafia in the ’10 season. An ecstatic Kathy Sherwin said of her team, “Mafia is a very open team. They didn’t put a lot of restrictions on me. They just want me to race and have fun doing it. I am so lucky to have found them.”

Sherwin will be racing a Felt 29er in 2010. She’s very excited about her first opportunity to ride and race a big-wheeled bike. Sherwin will be competing at the US Cup Triple Crown events as well as several legs of the Pro XCT, the TEVA Mountain Games, and is considering taking her first crack at the marathon distance tackling the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Look for Sherwin to be sporting a big smile along with her new Mafia Racing kit at mountain bike races all across the country. For Sherwin, it’s almost guaranteed this year will be better than the last.

MTB Race News is starting a weekly feature. Our weekly "Coach's Column" answers your most pressing training questions. We have brought together some of the greatest minds in mountain bike training to put you on track to being your very best. The weekly column will include coaches Lynda Wallenfels, Alison Dunlap, Namrita O'Dea, Eric Orton, and Travis Woodruff. We start this week with Lynda Wallenfels.
Question: When training for a 100 miler what are the differences between training to finish and training to win or set a personal best?

Response: The first time I signed up for a 100 mile mountain bike race I had a hard time wrapping my head around the distance. I wasn’t sure I could ride that far off-road! I’d never even ridden 100 miles on the road. Finishing was a huge personal challenge. After the finishing glow wore off I wanted to do it again and go faster the next time.

When training for a 100 mile mountain bike race, training to finish it, and training to go faster or to set a personal record time are two distinctly different training plans. The first thing you need to decide is your goal. Next, train that goal, and last, race that goal. It sounds simple but many racers slip up the last step by setting a goal to finish, training on the Finisher Plan, then going out on race day and attempting to execute the (personal record) PR race Plan. Before you start, define your goal (make a decision which plan you are on), train the plan, race the plan, and follow it though to the finish line.

Whatever you choose, training for a 100-miler means lots of riding

The Finisher Plan

On a Finisher Plan the goal is to finish the race happy and within the cut off time. Most hundie races have cut off times. Usually it is 12 hours at the finish line. The important aspects to train on the Finisher Plan are endurance and race execution. Race execution involves fueling, pacing, keeping yourself mentally happy and your bike mechanically working.

Here is a link to the race execution plan for the 100 mile Finisher

The Finisher Plan is a simple endurance volume build plan until 2-3 weeks prior to race day. In the final 2-3 weeks, volume tapers down in order to be fresh on race day. The majority of training is paced within heart rate zones 1-3 (or power levels 1-3) which are aerobic training zones. A focus on fueling practice and endurance pacing are part of every long ride.

The Personal Record Plan

The PR Plan comes into play when a racer wants to go faster. With the PR Plan, it is assumed that a racer has already finished a hundie and has practiced race execution skills. With endurance and race execution skills established, the PR racer can focus on fitness physiology: increasing VO2max, threshold power, and extending the ability to ride near threshold pace for extended durations. You know, the stuff that makes you faster.

Race pace in a PR hundie depends on course profile but consists of mostly upper tempo to threshold pace (power levels 3-4, or heart rate zones 3-4). These are the most important (or most race specific) training zones. Any training plan should progress from general to specific abilities.



To design a 100 mile PR training plan, schedule backwards from your 100 mile mountain bike race day. Follow a 2-3 week taper (race week plus 1-2 taper weeks) before the race to arrive at the start line fresh and ready to execute your PR race plan. The training block prior to the taper is the race specific training block and should predominantly focus on the most race specific abilities. This is threshold and tempo pace (or power Level 3-4, or heart rate zones 3-4) work. The 3-4 weeks prior to the race specific training block should be structured around VO2max work, which is heart rate zone 5 or power Level 5. Cross country racing fits nicely into the VO2max training block. Prior to this, block 3-4 weeks with a mix of neuromuscular power work and endurance work to kick off your PR 100 mile training plan.

Lynda Wallenfels is an endurance mountain bike coach and pro racer. She is owner of LWCoaching.com and current US 24 Hour Solo Single Speed National Champion.

Next Wednesday we will hear from Cross Country World Champion Alison Dunlap about making the transition from cyclocross racing back to the dirt.

If you have training questions you would like answered send them to info@mtbracenews.com