March 24, 2004 – In an effort to secure valuable UCI points to boost their chances at selection to the U.S. Olympic Team later this summer, Americans Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Todd Wells (Durango, Colo.) traveled to Puerto Rico to contest the Ultimate Dirt Challenge, a UCI E1 ranked event offering 40 UCI points to the winner.

Wells took the victory over Puerto Rico's Milton Miranda while Bishop placed third.

Under USA Cycling's Olympic Selection Procedures, the two menís start spots in Athens will likely be determined by a combination of UCI ranking and 2004 World Cup standings after the primary selection procedure, a top-three finish at the 2003 Mountain Bike World Championships, went unfulfilled.

The next event on the domestic UCI Mountain Bike Calendar is the Hyundai Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Calif. April 14-18.