Oakland, CA - With the racing season only days away, Shimano has come forward to back the programs of the Northern California High School MTB Racing League and the Southern California Interscholastic Cycling League, in a new sponsorship deal that will see Shimano have a presence at the League events and in League literature.

Tyler Dibble, Communications Director of the NorCal League, said, “We are delighted that Shimano has come on board. This brand has long been one of the greatest innovators in cycling, and, as an organization that is pushing the envelope ourselves, we feel a sense of kinship. We are very pleased to be working with Shimano to provide great mountain bike races for high school athletes.”

Shimano’s Dave Arnaukas said “We’re proud to be part of such a quality program that allows students to explore the sport as well as their natural abilities. Shimano’s support of developmental racing allows us to start a relationship with our future consumers and potential national and Olympic caliber athletes.”

The Shimano sponsorship comprises both cash and product contributions to support the League’s continued innovation in the realm of race production. The League’s sophisticated race results and team scoring program (Developed by volunteer Francis Chapman), which includes features such as on the fly Wi-Fi broadcast and automatic team scoring, will be named “Results cranked out by Shimano” to honor their support. In addition, product support will allow the League’s volunteer mechanic, Lincoln Linsmith, to provide neutral support at the (NorCal) races.

The NorCal racing program:
March 1, Central Coast Invitational, East Garrison at Fort Ord, Monterey, California
March 15, Granite Bay Invitational, Folsom Lake, California
April 5, Mountain Goat Challenge, Pilarcitos Canyon at Fort Ord, Monterrey, California
April 26, Brown’s Ravine Invitational, El Dorado Hills, California
May 17, State Championship, Boggs Mountain, Cobb, California
www.norcalmtb.org

The SoCal racing program:
March 8, Vail Lake Challenge, Vail Lake Resort, Temecula, California
March 22, Warner Ranch Roundup, Warner Springs, California
April 5, Lake Arrowhead Challenge, Lake Arrowhead, California
May 3, Cow Pie Classic, Los Olivos, California
www.socaldirt.org

Racing categories for both the NorCal and SoCal series’ comprise: Freshman/Sophomore, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.

About the NorCal League
The NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League, founded in 2000, is a non-profit organization open to students from both public and private schools. The League exists by virtue of a range of fundraising activities as well as generous donors and sponsors including the founding sponsor of the SoCal League, Easton Sports Development Foundation II, the founding national sponsor, Specialized Bicycle Components, Clif Bar, Inc., Shimano, Fox Racing Shox, Gary Fisher Bikes, Bikes Belong, Ritchey Bicycle Components, Crank Brothers, Creation Engine, Hincapie Sportswear, Mike's Bikes, The Pedaler, Paradigm Cycles, HappyGoFun, Mountain Hardwear, WTB, and Touchstone Climbing Gyms. The League provides coaching and camaraderie to help students achieve both competitive and non-competitive cross-country mountain biking goals in a safe and enjoyable manner. Each season includes a Coaches Training Conference, winter riding camps, the six-race series, and a variety of summer camps. For more information visit www.norcalmtb.org or call (510) 653-2453.