In 2009, five time Canadian XC Champ Geoff Kabush will be hitting the MTB scene with full force as a member of the newly formed Maxxis-Rocky Mountain professional mountain bike team. 2008 saw Geoff make his second Olympic team and successfully defend his overall title at the NMBS. Cyclingdirt caught up with Geoff a few days ago to talk about this upcoming season.

 

Cyclingdirt: 2009 brings some big changes to the US domestic MTB schedule with the creation of the new US pro XCT, East Coast, and West Coast series'. When did you first hear about the new schedule and what were your first impressions?

Geoff Kabush: The rumours were flying all fall about what was going to happen with racing in the US and I am glad we have something to look forward to this year. It would be a real shame if there was no national series; I think it is essential for the long-term development of the sport. There is no US World Cups so the National Series is the only chance developing riders get to test themselves against the best guys. The series all started coming together pretty late so there were some major problems trying to balance the needs of all the stakeholders (organizers, riders, pro-teams, USA Cycling). In the end I think we have the framework of something, that with a little tweaking, can be a real boost to the domestic scene.

 

Do you view this series as a step in the right direction for National Level MTB racing, or "same product, new packaging"?

It definitely isn't perfect but I think it is a good start. With continued communication with all the stakeholders I think it can continue to evolve into something great. The West Coast/East Coast series are a great idea in this day and age when not everyone can afford to fly over the country; kind of seems similar to the Pro-Lites in Supercross. Integrating the best events into the ProXCT series makes a lot of sense and hopefully this will be developed more in coming years. It just has to be kept in mind that it will always need to be run in parallel with the World Cup if the top riders like myself are going to buy in.


Having raced through the OLN/Chevy Trucks days and the No Prize Money days, How do you feel about North American Mountain Biking today?

I never got an oversized $10 000 check or a Jeep like in what I call the "Glory Days" of the National Series but I have to consider myself pretty lucky. I have been fortunate enough that my racing trajectory has kept me just ahead of a lot of the sponsorship cutbacks. It is a razor thin line right now to "make it or break it" and it has been really tough to see a lot of friends fall out of the sport because of a lack of support. No prize money was definitely a slap in the face for a while there; even local events give out a couple hundred bucks. The dynamics of the mountain bike industry have changed so much since the glory days so it is hard to compare; XC is still the "meat and potatoes" for a lot of companies and I think a lot of them are starting to realize that racing is still important. The race series got really stale in the last couple years and I think there was a good reshuffling and time will tell if we are heading in a more positive direction.

 

What are your thoughts on a MTB series comprised of races in Canada as well as in the US?

I think there could be potential and I know it is something that the CCA (Canadian Cycling Association) has talked with USA Cycling about. The biggest focus has to be good venues, accessibility, and scheduling. There are some good events in Canada and I think it is awesome that it is a policy to try to make all the Canada Cups UCI C1 ranked events; this has really helped the Canadian riders out internationally and is something the ProXCT has to work on. To have a successful series, that people want to follow, you need to have all the top riders and scheduling has been an ongoing issue; I think around six events is a good number that the top riders can handle. The World Cup is always going to be where all the top riders are going to be so the events of any other series need to be coordinated with the World Cup. I always enjoy racing domestically and I am always disappointed when scheduling conflicts occur.


As someone who's had great success at the discipline, would you like to see STXC continue to be a part of the national series races? Super D as well?
I will definitely miss the STXC races; they are a really great way to showcase the riders. Maybe the XC circuits will improve in this regard because I had some friends come to Snowmass,CO in years past. It was terrible for them as they watched the start and then we dissapeared for 2hrs until the finish. The STXC definitely makes it feel more worthwhile to travel somewhere to do a couple races. I think it gives everyone a second chance if the XC doesn't work out and gives everyone another goal to shoot for. Super D is another discipline that I think brings a lot of fun to an event; I have only done a couple but it really takes me back to the pure challenge and enjoyment of racing. The Super D series was never followed closely so I think they can be successful as stand-alone events where they make sense. I would really love to see someone do a Super D staged event, maybe in the fall, similar to rally racing where you ride from stage to stage. I think XC should always be the focus but any support events that bring riders to events and make them fun is great for the sport.


If Geoff were in charge, what would his ideal MTB series look like?

Five or six great events at venues that everyone loves to go to, great local and national promotion, a concert/festival to bring in the general public, beer gardens, lots of people camping out in the parking lot, full tech site, huge oversized checks.


Personal Goals for 2009? Will we see you split between the US and World Cup again this year?

The World Cups and especially the World Championships will be my focus for 2009. The course down in Canberra fits my strengths perfectly so that is going to be number one in my mind all year. I will also try to fit in as many of the ProXCT races as I can.


Are there any plans for a rematch with Yao Ming?
He has got a lot of game but I have been training all winter. Next time I see him it will be on.

 

 

 

...Check out some sweet helmet cam footage Geoff took in NorCal a few weeks ago.