USA Cyclocross News Roundup - 5 November 2009
A weekend of Cross: North Hampton Cycle-Smart Cross, US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Announces EuroCrossCamp, Points Battle Heading Into MAC's Barnyard Battle, Double-Cross, Zipp OVCX Points Battles Come Into Focus

New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
Top Racers Descend on North Hampton for Cyle-Smart IntCX
With the flurry of last-minute registration done, the fields for this weekend’s Cycle-Smart International will showcase some of the best cyclocross racers from the United States and beyond. At the close, over 1150 racers will be coming out to Northampton, MA for rounds nine and ten of the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series.

In the UCI Elite Men’s field, Richard Sachs/RGM/Radix rider Dan Timmerman will have to bring his A game both days to hold on to his series lead. Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com teammates Jamey Driscoll and Jeremy Powers, both of whom are having outstanding seasons, will be vying for the top step on the podium. Not to be outdone, pro mountain biker and 2008 Olympian Adam Craig of Team Giant will be making his first New England cross appearance since 2006. U-23 series leader Luke Keough (Team Champion System) will be looking to improve on his second-place behind Timmerman in Maine and to extend his series lead over Jerome Townsend (bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF).

The UCI Elite Women draw a similarly powerful field. Series leader Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing) will have her hands full, trying to extend her lead over Canadian powerhouse Natasha Elliott (Garneau/Club Chaussure/Ogilvy). Mary McConneloug (Kenda/Seven/NoTubes) will continue her return to domestic cyclocross with a trip to Northampton. McConneloug is coming off her first win of the season at Beacon Cross last weekend and with three second place finishes in Verge Series races this year, she is sure to come out firing.

In other action, the three-way battle on top of the Masters 35+ field will resume as Johnny Bold (Corner Cycle), Kevin Hines (Corner Cycle) and current series leader and national champ, Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo) are all slated to appear. The U-19 race will showcase the rivalry between Jesse Keough (CL Noonan/KAM/Coast to Coast), Joshua Lehmann (Sunapee/S&W/Continental Paving) and Nate Morse (Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team). In the U-15 cub juniors, Austin Vincent (CL Noonan/KAM/Coast to Coast) and Minuteman Road Club’s Peter Goguen will likely continue their dominance and duel for the top two steps of the podium.

Not to be slept on, the Cycle-Smart Pick Up Party is going to happen on Friday night at six pm at the headquarters of Cycle-Smart and New England Bicycle Consulting in Easthampton, only a few miles from downtown Northampton. Beverages have been generously donated by Ramadon’s Package Store in Three Rivers, MA. In addition, there will be cyclocross videos, snacks, friendly faces, race numbers, pros and podium girls. Details, including directions and witty banter can be found here: http://www.cycle-smart.com/blog/2009/11/04/hey-yo-did-ya-get-a-numbah 

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
Course and Exhibitors Announced for 19th Cycle-Smart International
With only a few days left until the Verge NECCS returns to action, organizers of the Cycle-Smart International are putting the finishing touches on what will be a great weekend for both racers and spectators alike. The 19th edition of the race will be held this weekend at Look Park in Northampton, Massachusets and comprises rounds nine and ten of the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series.

With over twenty years of cyclocross experience between them, course designers JD Bilodeau and Adam Myerson have created a course that takes advantage of Look Park’s challenging features. As in years past, this will be a fast and technical, “traditional New England-style course.” The hallmarks of this course – the steep run up and ride up will make an appearance, as well as the drop off and several raised train track crossings. New for this year, the finish will be moved to the lower level, near the main parking, bringing the action into plain view and making the race much more spectator friendly.

With the relocation of the finish line, the expo area has also moved to the lower level. Given this new space and increased visibility, the exhibitor list has grown; confirmed exhibitors include Mavic, Spooky Bikes, Van Dessel Bikes, Hotshot Café, Northampton Cycling Club, October Handmade Bikes, Ryders Eyewear and Gentle Giant. Also exhibiting will be The Brewmaster’s Tavern of Williamsburg, MA who will be giving away beer to all USAC members who present their licenses or race numbers. Provided, of course, that they’re over 21.

The expansion of the Cycle-Smart International would not have been possible without the help of generous sponsors. Local bicycle shop owner Joe Mai of Joe’s Garage has been instrumental in drumming up community support for this year’s event. Sponsorship for this year’s event comes from Cycle-Smart, Joe’s Garage, Northampton Cycling Club, Ride Noho, Northeast Paint, Litmus Designs, Northampton Coffee and Bueno y Sano.

A final reminder, registration for the Cycle-Smart International closes on Thursday afternoon at five o’clock. There is absolutely no day-of registration so now is the last chance to get a spot on the start line at this New England classic. Registration has gone over a thousand for the weekend and is poised to break the record set last year. Registration

Also, don’t forget about the Cycle-Smart Pick Up Party! This Friday at Cycle-Smart Headquarters in Easthampton, there will be a reception from six until nine pm. There will be drinks generously provided by Ramadon’s Package Store in Three Rivers, MA as well as snacks, friends, pros and cyclocross. Details, including directions and witty banter can be found here.
 http://www.cycle-smart.com/neccs

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Announces EuroCrossCamp
Junior Race Sponsorship - USGP Named Junior / U23 Qualifiers
Organizers of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross (USGP) have announced that EuroCross Camp will sponsor the USGP UCI 17/18 races at the upcoming Mercer Cup and Stanley Portland Cup. Further, these two race weekends have been named USA Cycling's selection races for the 2009/2010 US Junior and U23 National Teams.

Thanks to this sponsorship the 2009 USGP features the only UCI sanctioned Junior races on the American CX calendar. Series Event Director, Joan Hanscom said, "The USGP has long been focused on growing the sport of cyclocross in the US and about providing the best head to head competition for US athletes - especially for those aspiring to race successfully in Europe. With the support of Geoff Proctor and his EuroCross Camp program, we are been able feature two UCI sanctioned races here in the US for the Junior athletes to earn valuable UCI points and race at a very high level that will help prepare them for racing in Europe later in the season."

EuroCross Camp Director and National Team Junior/ U23 Coach Geoff Proctor continued, "EuroCrossCamp has two objectives: to prepare American riders for the world championships and to offer emerging talent an opportunity to gain European race experience. The experience and UCI points gained racing at the USGP races are perfect preparation for European campaign. We use these races to not only select riders for the National Team but also for Camp selection. It's only natural then to support the races that support our objectives in return and we are excited to be in a position to offer this support."

About EuroCross Camp: America's best cyclocross racers living, eating, breathing the toughest, most effective period of cyclocross racing on the planet. Based at the Team USA House, deep in the Flanders heartland of Belgian cycling, the EuroCross Camp provides the unique opportunity to combine preparation, performance and experience through total cyclocross immersion. For more information visit: www.eurocrosscamp.com

Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series
Points Battle Heading Into MAC's Barnyard Battle
The MAC points battles have tightened heading into this weekend’s race at the Fair Hill Equestrian Center in Maryland on Saturday, November 7, and all signs point toward a major reshuffle following the race. Mo Bruno-Roy and Adam Myerson lead MAC’s Elite points championships. As the promoter of the Verge New England Cycle-Smart International, Myerson can be excused for not making the drive to Maryland. And fellow New Englander Bruno-Roy is trying to defend a points lead in both the MAC and New England Series standings and has elected to stay closer to home.

With former MAC champion Davide Frattini unlikely to attend the minimum of seven races this year, in part because of his impending wedding, it is a real opportunity for Mid-Atlantic riders Ryan Dewald and defending champion Wes Schempf to move up in the Elite Men’s standings. But they’ll have to deal with yet another international rider in Valentin Scherz of Switzerland, who is spending the season in America and is targeting the MAC Championship. Scherz won the most recent MAC race in New Jersey and, after not arriving in the USA until after MAC’s opening two races, could rocket up the standings later in the season when riders start dropping races in the best 7 out of 10 races format.

Bruno-Roy’s narrow points lead is in danger not only from defending champ Laura Van Gilder, who is currently in second place on the points table, but also Van Gilder’s teammate Dee Dee Winfield. Kristin Gavin and Arley Kemmerer lurk just behind.

This week’s MAC race at the Fair Hill Equestrian Center will be a barnyard battle that will see the riders actually racing through the barns at Fair Hills’ Fairgrounds. Though Fair Hill is actually in Maryland, it’s proximity to Newark, Delaware (home of the University of Delaware), makes it a prime venue for Delaware-based mountain bike and cyclocross riders and clubs. The system of mountain bike trails maintained by the Delaware Trail Spinners is considered one of the best cross-country systems east of the Mississippi River.

The Wayne Scott Memorial Xross is being presented by two other groups with Delaware roots: First State Velo Sport and the duplicitously-named Delaware Cross Coalition of Delaware. The course at Fair Hill is a punchy one, with no major elevation changes but many accelerations and some difficult technical sections.

More information on the First State Velo Sport presents Wayne Scott Memorial Xross at Fair Hill can be found at www.BikeReg.com

Wes Schempf and Team C3 Aim for Double -Quad in MABRAcross
USA: Team C3-Athletes Serving Athletes shoots or a Quadruple-Double this weekend. Wes Schempf, who won both the BikeReg.com MABRAcross and MAC championships last year, is counting on the weekend to propel him toward repeats in both series and to repeat as winner of Tacchino. Schempf currently has the BikeReg.com MABRAcross points lead and is in a strong position in the neighboring MAC series. On the Women’s side, the team’s new recruit, Lenore Pipes, currently leads the point standings with Elizabeth Harlow trying to make it a 1-2 for “the Dark Side”.

Other teams are standing in their way however. Adventures for the Cure’s Adam Driscoll, Alan North America’s Dave Weaver and the Haymarket Bicycles duo of Joe Dombrowski and Jared Nieters are all within striking distance of the points lead in the Men’s division. Meanwhile, Jennifer Maxwell of ATAC Sportswear/The Bike Rack and Hub Racing’s Arley Kemmerer account for three victories of the season’s four races and are in a strong position once dropped races come into the picture.

BikeReg.com MABRAcross Masters racing sees a completely different story with no one team dominating the championship. Dave Fuentes, by virtue of his two race wins, currently holds the points lead in the Elite 35+ division for sponsor Battley Harley Davidson. Kelly Benefits Strategies/LSV’s Bernie Shaio holds a narrow lead in the 45+ standings ahead of Randy Root (Evolution Cycling Club) and Ron Huebner (Potomac Velo Club).

Complete standings for all classes are available at MABRA.org. For more information on this Sunday’s Tacchino Ciclocross and its “Suitcase of Sausage”

BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series
The Reputation of a Double-Cross
Matt Brancheau’s debut as a cyclocross promoter in 2007 was an unqualified success. Working in tandem with the Howard County Recreation and Parks Department as “co-promoters”, his Rockburn Cross in Elkridge, Maryland got tongues wagging both during and after the races as bloggers lit up the internet with positive comments. Last year, the event joined the BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series.

This year, the team that organized Rockburn Cross has added a second venue to create the “Howard County Double Cross” weekend November 21-22, and Brancheau is confident about the new race’s quality. “We've had some impressive freshman races through the years,” said Brancheau recently, “but Schooley Mill will hopefully blow those debuts away, not so much in size, necessarily, as much as having more of the kinks ironed out. Everything that makes Rockburn great will also apply to Schooley Mill.”

Brancheau is quick to point out that Rockburn Cross hasn’t been left in the dust. Continuing improvement has been a hallmark of the race since its inception. “We’ve made quite a few improvements at Rockburn as well,” he says. “The biggest thing people will notice is that we now have a full 300 meter paved start chute. We’ve also added UCI-spec pits and further distilled the course design. It still has everything that makes Rockburn, Rockburn, but we’ve been able to condense it even more this year.” Also new is the official race hotel, which was only opened in April. “The race hotel is only 3.0 km from the start of the race,” chuckles Brancheau. “That’s less than the distance around Rockburn’s race course.”

The new venue will open the Double Cross weekend. Schooley Mill Park is located just 20 minutes east of Sunday’s Rockburn Cross in Highland, Maryland. Both courses are very accessible as they are located approximately mid-way between Washington DC and Baltimore, and are less than 10 minutes away from their respective exits off of Interstate 95. “This is a ‘horse of a course’. It has several dismounts, a run-up, a water hazard, a full 250 meter start, indoor bathrooms and UCI-spec pits. It’s also easy to walk around and watch the races at Schooley Mill.”

Still, how far can you trust a promoter who openly admits that he’s running a “double-cross”?
Quite far if the email about previous editions of Rockburn Cross is any indication. “Best of the year” is a recurring theme of those emails. Chris Carraway said, “best race I’ve done all season.” Meanwhile, Jonathan Siebold wrote, “"Great course. Best of the year I think.” Browsing through all the complimentary emails, one from a racer named Ryan Douglas seems to sum up the prevailing mood, "I thought the race was awesome. The venue awesome. All of your volunteers and vendors...awesome. The course was different than others which was great. A little tree action, some serious climbs, etc., not to mention great swag for podium places.”

For more information on the Howard County Double Cross, including links to the official event website with maps and hotel booking, see BikeReg.com  http://hoco2xcx.blogspot.com/

Zipp OVCX Cyclocross Tour Second Season
Points Battles Come Into Focus
The Zipp OVCX Tour’s ‘Second Season’ is underway. Heading into this weekend’s Promotion Cross in Lexington, Kentucky, many riders have already scored their maximum seven races and are now looking for incremental improvement in their season standings as they try to replace their lowest-finishing races with higher finishes. Others, however, are looking to leapfrog up the points table as they still need to top-off their full seven races.

Like many series, the Zipp OVCX Tour provides for racers to “drop” races from their season point scores. But Zipp OVCX is unique in that a competitor who enters every race on the Tour will actually drop more scores than he/she keeps. This lends itself to very aggressive racing because racers know they can’t win a Zipp OVCX Championship simply by showing up at more races than anybody else in their class.

In the Zipp OVCX Elite Men’s division, Mitch Kersting has a commanding lead over his Bob’s Red Mill/Rocky Mountain teammate Mike Kennedy in third and Barbasol’s Rob Kendall in second. Not only does Kersting have a full seven race scores and more points than any of his competitors, he also has the best points average of any racer with an 87.1, which translates to an average finishing position of between third and fourth place.

The Elite Women’s division is more intriguing. DRT’s Nicole Borem leads with almost as many points as Mitch Kersting in the Men’s division. And, like Kersting, Borem has the maximum of seven race scores under her belt. But the rider to watch may be last week’s Gun Club Cross winner AnnaJean Dallaire of Bob’s Red Mill/Rocky Mountain. With only 6 scored races, Dallaire is currently in 5th place, but she already has three wins to her credit and she has the highest point average. Dallaire’ 88.8 average translates to a slightly better than third place average finish.

No rider, however, has a better point average than Michael McShane in the Elite 45+ Masters. McShane has a perfect score of seven victories, virtually assuring him of the season championship. And just to rub it in a little more, McShane’s Team Calistoga holds the top three positions in the 45+ division. For complete Zipp OVCX Standings.

The next Zipp OVCX Tour event takes place this Sunday, November 8 at the Promotion Cross at Lexington, Kentucky’s, Veteran’s Park. For more information, see www.OVCX.com

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