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Predictably unpredictable — that's about as good a description of NORBA racing as we could come up with this weekend as crazy weather, new faces and a brand- new venue all combined to bring the NCS tour one step away from the end of the '98 racing season. Set high in the mountains west of Denver, the “Kingdom” of Breckenridge brought altitude racing to a new level as top riders vied for last-minute points in the big-three MTB events and finished the weekend with a good look at the location for the '99 finals.

Breckenridge, Colorado is just the kind of place you'd imagine would host a first-rate mountain bike race. A small town running along a narrow valley, Breck is surrounded on both sides by mountains of slopes, trails and trees. The ski area sits among the ten peaks mountain range just above the town with a great new downhill, cross-country and dual slalom course converging on a scenic venue.

Susan Demattei and son Cooper

Weather continued to be a major player in the weekend's racing, wreaking havoc on Saturday's downhill and making the cross-country course seriously muddy. But with strong organization and enthusiastic crowds, this weekend's events went off smoothly.

We were there for every turn, crash and award, so click to the three main events for full stories, results and plenty of instant-gratification digital photos.

—Ari Cheren, mining silver in the hills of Colorado for The Mountain Zone.