New England Readies for Verge New England Series Opener

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2008
CONTACT:
Alan Atwood
Media Coordinator, Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
(802) 238-0196
alan_atwood@hotmail.com

WILLISTON, Vermont (September 25, 2008) – Over 250 of the region’s cyclo-cross athletes will travel to northern New England and the state of Vermont this weekend for the opening 2 rounds of the 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series. This will be the first time that the series has crossed into the state of Vermont, and race directors Alan Atwood and Eric Bowker have put together 2 challenging yet fun courses for the riders making their way north.

The Green Mountain Cyclo-cross Weekend, born on the campus of the University of Vermont in 1999, has grown in stature over the years and after a promising race weekend in 2006 this year’s contest will be its biggest ever as the NECCS comes to town.

With just 2 weeks of racing under most New Englanders belts, the top riders are ready to showcase their talents in front of a national stage. And with important early season UCI points up for grabs for the elite riders, they will look to take those points and grab some early season momentum before some of the big races in the coming weeks.

The elite men’s field is led by 2007 series champion Jesse Anthony (Jamis), who will be looking to continue on his success from last year. But he’d better not overlook the small but potent field that will be chasing after him, including local favorite and winner of last week’s Nitany Lion Cup Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Leer/Cyclocrossworld.com), 2007 series runner-up Chris Jones (Louis Garneau), Canadian stallward Osmond Baker (Stevens Cross), New England favorite Matt White (BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage), California native Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized/KMC presented by Cal Giant), and veteran Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart/Van Dessel).

On the women’s side, the field is wide open with the retirement of multi-time series champion Lynn Bessette. But with a very good sized field, it will be clear after this weekend who will be looking to fill her large shoes. Several candidates looking to become the top dog include 2007 series runner-up Rebecca Wellons (Ridley), 2006 GMCW winner Amy Wallace (Richard Sachs), Anna Milkowski (Velo Bela-Kona), and Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing). A couple of ladies from the western part of the country will also be in attendance, looking to score a win on the east coast, Josie Jacques-Maynes (Specialized/KMC presented by Cal Giant), and Vermont native and 2-time defending U23 national champion Amy Dombroski (Velo Bela/Kona).

The elite masters race looks to be the most competitive and is the largest field of this year’s race, with almost 60 riders pre-registered for the event. Last year’s series winner Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles) will once again be leading the charge but will have his hands full from many strong contenders, including teammate and 45+ winner from a year ago Kevin Hines, 2-time elite national champion Mark McCormack (Fuji), and mid-Atlantic stalward Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo).

This weekend’s under 19 junior field will be a battle between 2 of New England’s largest cycling families, the Keough’s and the Goguen’s. The dynamic duo of defending national champion Luke Keough (CLNoonan/KAM/Coast-to-Coast) and his brother and teammate Jesse will have a tough time defending Luke’s 2007 championship against mid-Atlantic heavyweight Matthew Spinks (Team Metra/Wendy’s), Ontario native Karl Hoppner, and of course the Minuteman Road Club’s duo of the Goguen’s, Manny and Tom, who won last year’s 10-14 division and is graduating up to the big boys this year.

In addition to the great racing this weekend, series sponsor Cycle-Smart will be hosting a free course evaluation with Cycle-Smart coach Alec Donahue on Sunday morning at 8am before the beginner races. Riders will be able to check out the terrain for Sunday’s race and be able to ask questions on the course and racing in general with Donahue. It will be a great opportunity for riders to make the most of their current fitness, and turn faster lap times. The clinic is free and riders may sign-up for the clinic at registration on either Saturday or Sunday morning. Further questions may be directed to Cycle-Smart at alec@cycle-smart.com.

The 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series is brought to you by Verge Sport, makers of fine cycling clothing and products since 1993; by Cycle-Smart, purveyors of personalized cycling coaching and solutions for riders across the country; by Cycle-Ops, makers of high-tech accessories to meet any indoor training plans; by Echappe, rent-to-own the latest in race wheels – try before you buy at Echappe; by BikeReg.com, the official online registration service of the NECCS; and by Paul Weiss Photo/Video, the official photographer of the NECCS. You can visit these sponsors and get more information on the series by going to the web at http://www.necyclocross.com.

2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series:

• September 27 & 28 - Green Mountain Cyclo-Cross Weekend - Williston, VT
• October 11 & 12 - Erdinger Grand Prix of Gloucester - Gloucester, MA
• November 1 & 2 - Cycle-Smart International - Northampton, MA
• November 29 - Bay State Cyclocross - Sterling, MA
• December 6 & 7 - NBX Cyclocross - Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

Images courtesy Paul Weiss